diff --git a/sponge/src/main/java/io/github/retrooper/packetevents/sponge/injector/SpongeChannelInjector.java b/sponge/src/main/java/io/github/retrooper/packetevents/sponge/injector/SpongeChannelInjector.java
index 4f06f781d7..baf2eb19a2 100644
--- a/sponge/src/main/java/io/github/retrooper/packetevents/sponge/injector/SpongeChannelInjector.java
+++ b/sponge/src/main/java/io/github/retrooper/packetevents/sponge/injector/SpongeChannelInjector.java
@@ -200,16 +200,17 @@ public void updateUser(Object channel, User user) {
 
     @Override
     public void setPlayer(Object channel, Object player) {
+        final ServerPlayer spongePlayer = (ServerPlayer) player;
         PacketEventsEncoder encoder = getEncoder((Channel) channel);
         if (encoder != null) {
-            encoder.player = (ServerPlayer) player;
+            encoder.player = spongePlayer.uniqueId();
         }
 
         PacketEventsDecoder decoder = getDecoder((Channel) channel);
         if (decoder != null) {
-            decoder.player = (ServerPlayer) player;
-            decoder.user.getProfile().setName(((ServerPlayer) player).name());
-            decoder.user.getProfile().setUUID(((ServerPlayer) player).uniqueId());
+            decoder.player = spongePlayer.uniqueId();
+            decoder.user.getProfile().setName(spongePlayer.name());
+            decoder.user.getProfile().setUUID(spongePlayer.uniqueId());
         }
     }
 
diff --git a/sponge/src/main/java/io/github/retrooper/packetevents/sponge/injector/handlers/PacketEventsDecoder.java b/sponge/src/main/java/io/github/retrooper/packetevents/sponge/injector/handlers/PacketEventsDecoder.java
index 31ec1c12d9..f6d9b31fa4 100644
--- a/sponge/src/main/java/io/github/retrooper/packetevents/sponge/injector/handlers/PacketEventsDecoder.java
+++ b/sponge/src/main/java/io/github/retrooper/packetevents/sponge/injector/handlers/PacketEventsDecoder.java
@@ -33,16 +33,16 @@
 import io.netty.handler.codec.MessageToMessageDecoder;
 import net.kyori.adventure.text.Component;
 import org.spongepowered.api.Sponge;
-import org.spongepowered.api.entity.living.player.server.ServerPlayer;
 import org.spongepowered.api.scheduler.Task;
 import org.spongepowered.plugin.PluginContainer;
 
 import java.util.List;
+import java.util.UUID;
 
 public class PacketEventsDecoder extends MessageToMessageDecoder<ByteBuf> {
 
     public User user;
-    public ServerPlayer player;
+    public UUID player;
     public boolean hasBeenRelocated;
 
     public PacketEventsDecoder(User user) {
@@ -56,7 +56,7 @@ public PacketEventsDecoder(PacketEventsDecoder decoder) {
     }
 
     public void read(ChannelHandlerContext ctx, ByteBuf input, List<Object> out) throws Exception {
-        Object buffer = PacketEventsImplHelper.handleServerBoundPacket(ctx.channel(), user, player, input, true);
+        Object buffer = PacketEventsImplHelper.handleServerBoundPacket(ctx.channel(), user, player == null ? null : Sponge.server().player(player).orElse(null), input, true);
         out.add(ByteBufHelper.retain(buffer));
     }
 
@@ -89,7 +89,8 @@ public void exceptionCaught(ChannelHandlerContext ctx, Throwable cause) throws E
                 }
                 user.closeConnection();
                 if (player != null) {
-                    Sponge.server().scheduler().submit(Task.builder().plugin((PluginContainer) PacketEvents.getAPI().getPlugin()).execute(() -> player.kick(Component.text("Invalid packet"))).build());
+                    Sponge.server().scheduler().submit(Task.builder().plugin((PluginContainer) PacketEvents.getAPI().getPlugin())
+                            .execute(() -> Sponge.server().player(player).get().kick(Component.text("Invalid packet"))).build());
                 }
 
                 PacketEvents.getAPI().getLogManager().warn("Disconnected " + user.getProfile().getName() + " due to invalid packet!");
diff --git a/sponge/src/main/java/io/github/retrooper/packetevents/sponge/injector/handlers/PacketEventsEncoder.java b/sponge/src/main/java/io/github/retrooper/packetevents/sponge/injector/handlers/PacketEventsEncoder.java
index 8c086639c5..72c234d365 100644
--- a/sponge/src/main/java/io/github/retrooper/packetevents/sponge/injector/handlers/PacketEventsEncoder.java
+++ b/sponge/src/main/java/io/github/retrooper/packetevents/sponge/injector/handlers/PacketEventsEncoder.java
@@ -36,15 +36,16 @@
 import io.netty.channel.ChannelHandlerContext;
 import io.netty.channel.ChannelPromise;
 import io.netty.handler.codec.MessageToMessageEncoder;
-import org.spongepowered.api.entity.living.player.server.ServerPlayer;
+import org.spongepowered.api.Sponge;
 
 import java.lang.reflect.InvocationTargetException;
 import java.util.List;
+import java.util.UUID;
 
 public class PacketEventsEncoder extends MessageToMessageEncoder<ByteBuf> {
 
     public User user;
-    public ServerPlayer player;
+    public UUID player;
     private boolean handledCompression;
     private ChannelPromise promise;
 
@@ -76,8 +77,8 @@ protected void encode(ChannelHandlerContext ctx, ByteBuf byteBuf, List<Object> l
         list.add(byteBuf.retain());
     }
 
-    private PacketSendEvent handleClientBoundPacket(Channel channel, User user, Object player, ByteBuf buffer, ChannelPromise promise) throws Exception {
-        PacketSendEvent packetSendEvent = PacketEventsImplHelper.handleClientBoundPacket(channel, user, player, buffer, true);
+    private PacketSendEvent handleClientBoundPacket(Channel channel, User user, UUID player, ByteBuf buffer, ChannelPromise promise) throws Exception {
+        PacketSendEvent packetSendEvent = PacketEventsImplHelper.handleClientBoundPacket(channel, user, player == null ? null : Sponge.server().player(player).orElse(null), buffer, true);
         if (packetSendEvent.hasTasksAfterSend()) {
             promise.addListener((p) -> {
                 for (Runnable task : packetSendEvent.getTasksAfterSend()) {
diff --git a/sponge/src/main/java/io/github/retrooper/packetevents/sponge/util/SpongeReflectionUtil.java b/sponge/src/main/java/io/github/retrooper/packetevents/sponge/util/SpongeReflectionUtil.java
index c808100809..6b98f49c9e 100644
--- a/sponge/src/main/java/io/github/retrooper/packetevents/sponge/util/SpongeReflectionUtil.java
+++ b/sponge/src/main/java/io/github/retrooper/packetevents/sponge/util/SpongeReflectionUtil.java
@@ -254,14 +254,16 @@ public static com.github.retrooper.packetevents.protocol.item.ItemStack decodeSp
 
     public static ItemStack encodeSpongeItemStack(com.github.retrooper.packetevents.protocol.item.ItemStack in) {
         Object buffer = PooledByteBufAllocator.DEFAULT.buffer();
-        PacketWrapper<?> wrapper = PacketWrapper.createUniversalPacketWrapper(buffer);
-        wrapper.writeItemStack(in);
-        //3 reflection calls
-        Object packetDataSerializer = createPacketDataSerializer(wrapper.getBuffer());
-        Object nmsItemStack = readNMSItemStackPacketDataSerializer(packetDataSerializer);
-        ItemStack stack = (ItemStack) nmsItemStack;
-        ByteBufHelper.release(buffer);
-        return stack;
+        try {
+            PacketWrapper<?> wrapper = PacketWrapper.createUniversalPacketWrapper(buffer);
+            wrapper.writeItemStack(in);
+            //3 reflection calls
+            Object packetDataSerializer = createPacketDataSerializer(wrapper.getBuffer());
+            Object nmsItemStack = readNMSItemStackPacketDataSerializer(packetDataSerializer);
+            return (ItemStack) nmsItemStack;
+        } finally {
+            ByteBufHelper.release(buffer);
+        }
     }
 
     public static Object createPacketDataSerializer(Object byteBuf) {