Luke Ryan credits his time at Coburg for making him the AFL player he is today at Fremantle

LUKE Ryan took the long road to the AFL, admitting he was “just a young kid who loved hanging with his mates, going to the footy and having a beer” but is thankful for the journey that led him to Fremantle.

Fremantle defender Luke Ryan gets a handball away.

AFL recruiters kept finding reasons why they didn’t want Luke Ryan.

There was the manner in which he finished with the Calder Cannons - cutting out during his second year in 2015 - and the fun-loving attitude of celebrating a win with a few beers.

Use any phrase you want - scallywag, bad boy, ratbag - but he was destined to become the talented teenager who did not find an AFL home.

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As it turned out Ryan, who quit school in Year 11 to begin a carpentry apprenticeship, was often completing a full morning of work before his Calder Cannons games.

And while drinking during a six-day break cost him a one-game Fremantle suspension last year, Ryan says he is just like any other kid who took time to grow up.

Finally, after a career that started at Werribee and went through Maribyrnong Park then Coburg’s VFL side in 2016 he feels like he belongs.

Luke Ryan in action for Fremantle.

The Dockers took him as a mature age recruit at No.66 in the 2016 draft.

“I did a full pre-season with Essendon’s VFL side before I was cut and I was going to go back to play with my mates,” Ryan said.

“I was pretty disappointed. I had done all that work and I thought I had done all I could. I was going back to play local footy and then (Coburg coach) Peter German gave me a call.

“I had a trial match against the Northern Blues and they signed me up. I loved every bit of it. “He backed me to be vocal on the field, to show ego to my opponents, he gave me the motivation to be an AFL footballer. So all credit to ‘Germo’, he really believed in my football.”

Ryan thinks some of the misconceptions about his character come from the many balls he juggled as a kid trying to make his way.

Luke Ryan before being drafted by Fremantle.

He left school a month into Year 11 to become a carpenter and while he still loves the trade it made it hard to excel as a TAC Cup junior.

“I wasn’t a big fan of school, I wasn’t that good at it either,” he said.

“School isn’t for everyone but you can’t just sit around at home. Dad didn’t finish school either.

“I was getting up really early at 5am or 6am and then finishing at 3pm or 4pm and going straight to training, which is pretty hard.

“I found it really hard in the early stages when dad was driving me to the Calder Cannons and I would fall asleep on the way to training.

“I got used to it, but even on Saturday mornings I would go to the club and rock up in my work gear after working all morning.”

“They used to get the party boy thing thrown around, but I was just a young kid who loved hanging around with his mates and going to the footy and having a beer after the game.

“Looking back on it now I could have taken it a bit more seriously, but at the same time I am pretty happy with the decision I made then.”

Luke Ryan is now a key part of Fremantle’s defence.

Dad Michael taught Ryan how to mark but not how to kick — “nah, he can’t kick at all” — but his excuse is a valid one.

He had his hands busy working as Flemington racecourse’s assistant grounds and garden manager.

“We pretty much lived 30 seconds up the road,” Ryan said. “It was pretty good. I used to go down there and walk my dog and dad did, too.

“I didn’t really like Melbourne Cup day itself, although Dad would pick me up from home and take me to the actual Melbourne Cup to watch it.

“Derby Day was much better, the races themselves were better.”

Mum Dianne bawled on draft night when Fremantle took him, one of 16 teams to have interviewed Ryan.

But an exceptional intercepting marking half-back with elite foot skills, he couldn’t think of a better home to play his footballing trade, thrilled to be contracted for two more years.

“We are just trying to improve every week. We want to be a team that is hard to play against and feared,” he said.

“Ross (Lyon) is so easy to talk to, he is a really good coach. You can talk to him about anything.

“He is like a father figure in some way and he just teaches you so much.”

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Originally published as Luke Ryan credits his time at Coburg for making him the AFL player he is today at Fremantle