Andrew Ryan

Dubbo junior came to P’matta as a teenager in the late 1990s. Ryan represented NSW in 2001 and was an interchange player in the Eels’ 30-24 loss to Newcastle in the 2001 grand final. Despite representing Country Origin in 2002 he could not cement a regular first grade position with his club and moved to the Bulldogs in 2003. The hard-working back-rower found his best form in 2004 – returning to the State of Origin arena, captaining the Bulldogs to grand final victory (in the absence of an injured Steve Price) and making his debut for Australia in the 16-all draw against NZ in Auckland at the start of the Tri Nations competition. Ryan played in all three Tests against Great Britain in England, culminating in Australia’s 44-4 victory in the final at Leeds, as a second rower in the Test team starting line-up. In the years since Ryan has been a mainstay of the NSW and Australian Test teams while continuing to lead the Bulldogs by his own tireless example.