‘Footy’s not everything’: Enforcer’s plea after Papenhuyzen’s shock revelation

“You’ve got the rest of your life to live, footy’s not everything.”

That was Dolphins enforcer Felise Kaufusi’s plea to the rest of the NRL fraternity, declaring the “old way” of approaching head trauma needed to be eradicated, before paying tribute to the legacy Ryan Papenhuyzen will leave.

In a telling insight into the psychological impact of concussions, Papenhuyzen revealed on his167 podcast his struggles proved the catalyst for his decision to spend a year away from the NRL, before suggesting he may never take the field again.

The 2020 Clive Churchill Medal-winner, just 27, recalled being distraught after a collision in Brisbane last year that left him holding back tears in the Suncorp Stadium change rooms.

That incident followed a nightmare injury run, which has included a horror ankle fracture and dislocation, hamstring issues and a shattered kneecap since his 2019 debut.

“It would be a big loss if we don’t see him again in the NRL, that’s a big call if he does hang the boots up,” Kaufusi, who won a premiership with Papenhuyzen for Melbourne, told this masthead.

“He’s done so much in the game for such young guy, and he’s been through a lot as well when you think of all the injuries he’s been through.

“One of my core memories would obviously be the grand final of 2020 – the way he played, the big moments that had an impact on that game, and he obviously ended up being the Clive Churchill [winner].

“We will miss seeing it if he hangs the boots up.”

Papenhuyzen’s raw confession – in which he said he was “rattled” and left wondering at “what cost” does he continue to play – comes at a time when the NRL is desperate to crack down on concussion issues, particularly following the horrific incident involving Eliesa Katoa.

The Storm forward will miss the entire 2026 season, having suffered a brain bleed from multiple head knocks before and during a clash for Tonga against New Zealand in the Pacific Championships.

Intervention from independent doctors throughout contests has polarised pundits, with some arguing there was too much interference – particularly in cases where players are found to not be concussed after assessment.

In December, a Rugby League Players Association players survey – comprising 552 men and 301 women – revealed approximately one-third of participants did not report concussion symptoms they had experienced at training, while two thirds of the men continued to train after a suspected head trauma.

Kaufusi, who has replaced Daly Cherry-Evans as the RLPA president, said he had been in touch with Katoa from afar, confirming his international teammate was in good spirits and back running again.

He stressed players needed to accept the stronger protocols which had been put in place around concussions, even if it meant being sidelined for extended periods or being taken off for precautionary assessments.

“We need to look at it a lot stronger or a lot more open-minded. Guys like me have family, and the rest of their life to live, and I want to be 50 or 60 and still running around with my kids,” Kaufusi said.

“We’ve seen the stuff that went on with Eli Katoa as well which is really extreme. It definitely opened my mind a bit more, even me growing up I was like ‘what’s a head knock? I’ll be right, just let me get back on’.

“I think that’s just the adrenaline in the footy sense, and it needs to come from a source outside to just take it out of our own hands.

“You think it’s just a little knock, you want to be there out playing and don’t want to miss games for it, but in the long run – especially when you start to have families – you’ve got to think outside.

“Footy only lasts 10 years if you’re lucky, and then you’ve got the rest of your life to live. It’s the brain, you can’t study that until you’re a carcass, so definitely a lot of importance needs to go into it.”

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