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- Apr 26, 2008
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By Christian Nicolussi
May 7, 2022 — 4.30pmSource: The Age
Ryan Papenhuyzen’s growing number of off-field endorsement deals have him on track to become the first NRL player to earn $2 million a year as the most marketable player in the game, according to Melbourne Storm chairman and successful businessman Matt Tripp.
Papenhuyzen’s exploits on the field for Melbourne have been phenomenal this season - heading into this weekend’s games he led Dally M voting and had scored more points than four rival NRL clubs - and he could command more than $1 million on the open market right now.
By taking a little less pay to remain with the Storm, Papenhuyzen’s on-field success is helping deliver the financial results off it, with his third-party agreement believed to be surging towards $500,000 annually.
Adidas, F45, watch brand Tissot, DoorDash, Volkswagen and Greyhound Racing NSW and Victoria are just some key backers along for the ride with the 23-year-old whose playing future was under a cloud just 12 months ago following his Magic Round KO that forced him to miss more than two months of football battling concussion symptoms.
There is no limit on what NRL players can earn in off-field endorsements that are not arranged by clubs. Surprisingly, there are no hair product sponsors, despite Papenhuyzen owning - and refusing to cut - the game’s most recognisable blond mullet.
Tripp said the “sky was the limit” when it comes to Papenhuyzen’s off-field earnings, and his appeal was so great, he had even surpassed Storm legends Cameron Smith, Cooper Cronk and Billy Slater when it came to being the all-round package. Tripp is a major player in the corporate world, building Sportsbet into the country’s second largest bookmaker, before launching and selling BetEasy, and he’s now set to launch an online betting agency in partnership with News Corp.
Heading into this weekend Ryan Papenhuyzen had scored more points than four NRL clubs. Credit:Getty
Newcastle’s Kalyn Ponga would go close to being the biggest earner in the NRL when you factor in his off-field deals, but Ponga also happens to be struggling in a team at the wrong end of the NRL ladder this season. Nathan Cleary, Cameron Munster and James Tedesco all command $1 million-plus on the field, but have all had their off-field issues, while Daly Cherry-Evans and Ben Hunt are not in the same red-hot demand with third-party sponsors.
“I think ‘Paps’ is the most marketable player in the game right now,” Tripp told The Sun-Herald. “I say that for a host of reasons. He plays the game with flair and excitement and speed - all the things people want to go and watch when they watch a game of rugby league.
“When you take him off the field, you know because of his nature and personality and the way he conducts himself, whatever product he endorses he will do a great job.
One of Ryan Papenhuyzen’s many endorsement deals is with fitness chain F45.
“There are plenty of players who tick both boxes when it comes to on-field performance and off-field marketability. Paps is the first player I’ve seen who is elite at both. I’ve seen them all, and don’t get me wrong, Cam, Coops and Billy were all A-graders, but this guy has the hair, the pace, he’s just a quality young man who understands where he’s from.
“He took less to stay at the Storm to surround himself with better players. Not many guys would do that. I don’t know how much he is earning in off-field endorsements, but at the same time I think the sky is the limit - nothing would surprise me.”
To appreciate what sort of person Papenhuyzen is, he was loved by Tripp’s late daughter, Isabella, or Bella, who lost her battle with leukaemia last month. She was only 14. Tripp mentioned at the funeral how Bella wanted to marry Papenhuyzen.
“Paps visited Bella in hospital when she only had two days left to live, I think she would have passed that day, but she got another two days out of the boost from seeing Paps and big Nelson [Asofa-Solomona] - she was just so excited,” Tripp said. “Bella and Paps had a special little bond, it was beautiful.”
Papenhuyzen was signed until the end of this year before he inked a three-year extension, keeping him at Melbourne until the end of 2025.
At the start of last year, he met manager Clinton Schifcofske in a Richmond cafe with interest swirling from rival clubs. The Dolphins and Ipswich, who were both vying to become the 17th NRL franchise at the time, had made it known to Schifcofske they wanted Papenhuyzen in Queensland as their squeaky-clean fresh-faced poster boy.
But Papenhuyzen wanted to stay put. While he is not a member of the league’s exclusive $1 million club, Papenhuzen’s salary will still sit just south of it from next year. He said the decision to ignore bigger-money offers elsewhere was simple.
“For starters, when you become a $1 million player, that brings added pressure,” Papenhuyzen said. “I’m fine with that pressure, but I put my success down to my teammates and being in a really good side, so I’d like to see that money shared around rather than me taking up a lot of the cap.
“We’ve got something good building here. Guys like Christian Welch, you want to be at a club where he’s a leader. And ‘Hughesy’ [Jahrome Hughes] and Harry [Grant], sometimes you need to take a little less to stay at a good club so you can remain successful.
“We reached a good deal with Melbourne. I’m still being paid really well and doing what I love. I’m lucky I’ve got Clinton who knows what’s best for me and what a good system I’m in at the Storm. If that meant I needed to take a bit of a haircut to do that, I was fine. The way I look at it, if I signed a $1m deal somewhere else, would my career last as long like it can by me playing at the Storm? I’m really comfortable here.”
Melbourne, and sponsors, could not be any more comfortable aligning themselves with Papenhuyzen.
