As Essendon players prepare themselves for the opening round of a new season, for Patrick Ryder there is an additional reason to celebrate.
As he kicks off his ninth season at Essendon, this week will mark a personal milestone for Ryder who will play his 150th AFL game. This puts Ryder among the Bombers’ more experienced players with only Fletcher, Chapman, Goddard, Stanton and Watson with more games than him.
Ryder arrived at Windy Hill in late 2005 after being picked by Essendon at number 7 in that year’s national draft. Ryder had already played senior football at East Fremantle in the WAFL and had been an U18 All-Australian.
Tall and agile with plenty of pace and a great leap, Ryder has been a handful for opposition teams since he made his debut in a round 1 win over Sydney at Docklands in 2006. Ryder played nine games in his debut season then was nominate as the NAB Rising Star in round 1, 2007. From then he missed only five games in the next five seasons although he’d be the first to admit that consistency has not always been a strength.
Spending time as a tall defender and a part-time ruckman under Kevin Sheedy and Matthew Knights, it was on Anzac Day 2009 that Ryder was thrown into the deep end.
As David Hille was stretchered off in the opening minutes of the game with a season-ending knee injury, the responsibility to carry the ruck for the day was left to Ryder
Ryder’s won 27 hit outs against his more experience opponents Josh Fraser and Leigh Brown, in a game that displayed maturity, athleticism and commitment. He was rewarded with the Anzac Medal for his best-on-ground performance that day. A last gasp winning goal by David Zaharakis in the dying moments completed a great day for Ryder and all Bombers fans.
Since that day, Ryder has made the ruck position his own, using his impressive leap and delicate tap work.
“I spoke to Simon Goodwin at the end of the (2102) season and he said that as a football player he saw my football really mature in the second half of the season so I am looking forward to getting back out there and progressing on that,” Ryder said.
With only one finals game in eight seasons, however, Ryder is hopeful that the Bombers are ready to be a regular feature in September once again.
If the Bombers are to be successful in the finals, Ryder will be a key component of the team.
“The next couple of years are likely to be the biggest couple of years of my footy career so I am looking forward to what is in store”, Ryder said.
