sport news Storm cop DOUBLE injury blow with Ryan Papenhuyzen and Reimis Smith set to MISS ... trends now

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Melbourne will be without injured duo Ryan Papenhuyzen and Reimis Smith for their blockbuster clash against Penrith in Magic Round next week.

The Storm went top of the NRL ladder with a 42-6 demolition of St George Illawarra on Sunday and improved to 8-1 for the season, the same record of the reigning premiers, who suffered their first defeat of the season against Parramatta on Friday.

Melbourne, however, will be without two of their star backs at Suncorp Stadium next week, after Papenhuyzen torn his hamstring and Smith suffered a torn pectoral muscle.

The former pulled up in the second half after scoring his second try against the Dragons - which brought his tally for the season to 11, the most in the NRL - as he successfully chased a kick from Nick Meaney.

The New South Wales star revealed he was carrying a few minor niggles after injuring his knee and ankle earlier in the game.

'It's a little bit disappointing, I sort of hurt my knee early on, hurt my ankle and finished it off with a little hammy so not ideal but a bit of a silver lining - it will probably give me a bit more time to fix these niggles and come back a bit fresher,' he told Fox League.