The NSWRL is pleased to announce the appointment of True Blue Andrew Ryan as coach of the CABE NSW Under 19s team to face Queensland in 2022.
Ryan, a Dubbo junior, represented NSW on 12 occasions in 2001 and from 2004-07, which included back-to-back series wins in 2004-05. He said he was thrilled to get the call from Brydens Lawyers NSW Blues coach Brad Fittler to come on board as a pathways coach.
“When ‘Freddy’ called me I was stoked to get that opportunity because I’ve been coaching for the past 10 years, but to be handed the honour of coaching the NSW Under 19s really blew me away,” Ryan said.
“I’ve been fortunate enough to have been involved in previous camps with True Blue Mark O’Meley for the NSW Under 18s and NSW Under 20s teams and I absolutely loved my time doing that.
“The representative pathways games have always been a breeding ground for Rugby League stars and we had players come through including Stephen Crichton, Matt Burton, Blake Taaffe and Spencer Leniu who have now gone on to successful NRL careers.
“I’m looking forward to working with the next generation of stars coming through and I can’t wait to get started.”
Ryan also played for the Parramatta Eels from 2000-02, including the 2001 Grand Final team which lost to the Newcastle Knights, and the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs from 2003-11, where he captained the team to a premiership against the Sydney Roosters in 2004.
The Under 19s State of Origin match between NSW and Queensland will be the first time an interstate pathways match has been played since 2019, with the last two editions cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
