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Hoffman, Ryan
Topic Started: Aug 20 2007, 12:57 AM (1,044 Views)
galahs
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Ryan Hoffman

Date of Birth - 26/01/1984
Position - Second Row
Height - 192 cm
Weight - 104 kg
1st Grade Debut - 2003

Started playing rugby league as a five-year-old for Campbelltown Collegians, before moving to Adelaide because of his father's work commitments. He played soccer in Adelaide, before returning to league in Sydney and then New Zealand. In 1998 he captained Campbelltown Collegians before starting with the Western Suburbs Magpies junior side.

Ryan played in the 2002 winning S.G Ball side along such other players as Liam Fulton, Bryce Bibbs, Dean Collis and Ben Roberts.

Ryan's representative career started early making the NSW under-17s, under-19s and Australian Schoolboys side. He made his first grade debut for Storm in 2003. Ryan made his senior representative debut in 2006 when he was selected to play for the City Origin team in the annual City v Country clash. In a stellar NRL season, Ryan was also named Forward-of-the-Year for the Storm.

Ryan was in the Melbourne Storms Premiership winning side of 2007.

He was furthermore rewarded by being the 18th man in the 2007 Bundaberg Rum Test against New Zealand and also being selected as 18th for the 2007 New South Wales State of Origin Team for game 1 of the series. He was selected on the bench in game 2 of the series.

Ryan was named in the starting line up of the Kangaroos for the 14th of October, 2007 test against New Zealand in Wellington.

His Father, Jay Hoffman played professional football for the Canberra Raiders, representing QLD at origin level.
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Young Magpie who flew south ready to follow in the paw prints of Tigers mates

Brad Walter
September 28, 2006



AFTER helping Melbourne overcome St George Illawarra last weekend to earn a place in Sunday night's grand final, second-rower Ryan Hoffman received a text message from Wests Tigers forward Liam Fulton that said simply: "It's your turn."

A Western Suburbs junior, Hoffman grew up playing with Fulton and Tigers prop Bryce Gibbs and cheered the joint venture club to victory in last year's premiership decider.

A member of the Magpies 2002 SG Ball-winning team, Hoffman was earmarked to be part of the young Wests Tigers side that was to take the NRL by storm three years later.

Instead, he opted to become part of the Storm. "I still keep in touch with those blokes. I've known Gibbsy since he was eight years old and I've known Liam for a long time too," Hoffman said.

"I wished them the best of luck for last year's grand final and congratulated them for winning it, and after the game last Saturday night I got a text from Liam saying, 'It's your turn, mate. You've got to try and win one'.

"Even though I had left the club, I did it of my own will - so to see those guys win the grand final was absolutely sensational and I was rapt for them."

Perhaps if Melbourne coach Craig Bellamy had been offered the Tigers job sooner (and had accepted it), Hoffman might have stayed. Bellamy, who was the second choice behind Ian Millward to replace Terry Lamb as Tigers coach in 2003, played seven seasons alongside Hoffman's father, Jay, at the Canberra Raiders, including a stint under Wayne Bennett.

"Wests Tigers were in between coaches and Melbourne had just signed Craig Bellamy, so that was an exciting time for the club and a nice fresh start," Hoffman said.

"I just thought that as a young player trying to begin his NRL career, it was the right decision for me. Also to leave Sydney and to leave mum and dad … to grow up a bit and try to become a bit of a man."

As things turned out, if Hoffman hadn't left his parents, they would have left him, as they have since moved to New Zealand. Hoffman's father was in the dressing room after last weekend's game and is still good friends with Bellamy.

"I had a beer with Jay the other night. He's a good fella, so you can understand why Ryan is such a great kid," Bellamy said.

"Jay was pretty unlucky in that when we started out at the Raiders it was pretty tough going, and for the first five or six years he was probably one of the best players there but he ended up missing out on all of the grand finals.

"He was certainly a hard worker and a terrific guy, so he deserved that, but his son gets a chance now."

Asked what it was like to coach the son of one his former teammates, Bellamy said: "It's nice. I've just got to make sure I don't do him any favours, but he's a great kid. I know my mum really likes him. She's always going on about how well mannered he is, so she's got a soft spot for Ryan."

After sitting on an extended bench in the 1987 grand final but not getting any game time due to the emergence of Steve Walters as Canberra's No.1 hooker, Jay is looking forward to Sunday night almost as much as his son.

"He doesn't get to see many games but he'll be there on Sunday along with my mum and my two sisters and my girlfriend," Hoffman said. "He can't wait."
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