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CAREER BRIEF
Previous Clubs: Southport
Draft Details: Elevated from Rookie List at the end of the 2004 season.
Joined the Lions: 2004
AFL Debut: n/a
CAREER HISTORY
After taking the route less-travelled to the AFL, fleet-footed Leigh Ryswyk finally made his senior debut for the AAPT Brisbane Lions in 2005.
Overlooked in the 2002 National Draft, Ryswyk was rookie-listed by the Lions and promoted to the senior list at the end of 2004. His hard work and long journey paid off in Round 11 of last season, when, looking for run on the wide open expanses of Subiaco Oval, coach Leigh Matthews called him up for a crucial clash against Fremantle.
The Lions won the game comfortably to kickstart a five-game winning run that transformed a 3-7 record to a far more healthy 8-7. And Ryswyk was prominent early, setting up goal-scoring opportunities for Jonathan Brown and Justin Sherman. Unluckily, Ryswyk also picked up a quad strain that kept him out for six weeks and prevented him from further building on his tally of AFL games. He did, however, return to the ranks of the Suncoast Lions and finished the AFLQ season full of running.
Norm Smith Medallist and 273-game Lions icon Shaun Hart gave a big seal of approval to Ryswyk by encouraging the youngster to wear his famous No 32.
The master and the apprentice built a strong relationship in 2004 travelling from the Gold Coast to the Gabba numerous times each week, and Hart was delighted that the club agreed with his gesture for Ryswyk to don his guernsey.
Hart’s professionalism, selflessness, dedication – and skill – were hallmarks of his game and they are traits that have already been noted in the fleet-footed Ryswyk. While Hart was a strong contributor in his last season at league level in 2004, Ryswyk was so impressive at reserves level that he demanded being elevated from the rookie list to senior status.
“Shaun has had a lot of influence on me, teaching me about discipline and going about your football life the right way,†Ryswyk said. “I got to know him so well during last year that we’re pretty much family now.
“I was stoked when he asked me about wearing his number. I was going to ask him myself, but didn’t want to straight away. We sat down on the Sunday after the best and fairest at his house and he asked if I would like to wear it. I was like ‘yeah it would be awesome’, then I asked the club and they said ‘yes’ and I was stoked.â€
Ryswyk was born in Victoria, but moved to the Gold Coast when he was eight. While his father played football as youngster, the Ryswyk household was not fanatical about the game, and it took a schoolmate’s urging to get him down to the Southport Sharks as an 11-year-old.
By 15, Ryswyk was a state junior team member and he continued through the elite Queensland development program for the next three years. He played two of the best games of his career to that stage at the national under 18 titles in 2003, good enough to convince NSW to tag him heavily in the Division 2 grand final which saw the Queenslanders lose by two points after trailing by 50 at halftime.
Ryswyk returned to the Southport seniors and shone in the final five games of the state league season, torching the Lions Reserves in one game at the Gabba, and earning producing another best-on-ground display a fortnight later at Broadbeach.
Ryswyk had underlined his talent by playing a full season with the strong Southport senior line-up as a 17-year-old in 2002, winning the club’s most improved award. He won it again the following season on the strength of his stunning five-game finish to the year when he was in the best five players on four occasions.
He was approached by Fremantle and the Kangaroos, who had sent scouts to watch Ryswyk on two occasions, but was overlooked in the national draft and was subsequently rookie listed by the Lions.
Life as a rookie is tough, but Ryswyk is not treating his early days on the senior list any differently.
“As rookie you’re always on the edge, knowing you have got to do absolutely everything right,†he said. “Every training, every game – everything has got to be spot on. I’m still the same now.â€
Rywyk played just eight minutes of a Wizard Cup match in Launceston in 2004 when Nigel Lappin left the field under the blood rule and didn’t get a possession, but showed some nice balance and one-touch with the football in Cairns in the Wizard Cup opener of 2005.
“It was something to build on,†he said. “Now I know I can actually get the ball at that level. I just want try and get better with each game. Every game is a building block.â€
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
Queensland Under 18 2003, Queensland Senior Representative 2004