Jim Main's greatest 100: Dinny Ryan
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FITZROY, in the mid 1930s, had three champions in the one team in Haydn Bunton, Wilfred (Chicken) Smallhorn and Dennis (Dinny) Ryan. However, the Maroons at this time were almost always on or near the bottom of the ladder. They had three champions alright, but precious little else. Bunton, of course, was their real star, with Smallhorn also enormously popular. However, Ryan has become a "lost" champion.
Ryan, in fact, joined Fitzroy from Bunton’s old country club Albury in 1935. He played at full forward, kicking 46 goals in that first year. That was a great effort, especially as Fitzroy struggled for goals. However, Ryan could easily have kicked many more goals as he missed the easiest of shots time and time again. In fact, Fitzroy fans with long memories claim that Ryan could have kicked 70 or even 80 goals in his first VFL season had he been able to kick straight.
But he couldn’t, and that’s why Fitzroy decided they couldn’t waste him at full forward. They switched him to centre half back with immediate success. He played magnificently in defence, marking everything that opposition teams could throw at Fitzroy. His kicking in defence didn’t let him down either, because pin-point accuracy wasn’t necessary. In fact, length counted more and Ryan had a mighty long kick.
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Ryan polled a meagre three votes in his first year in 1935, but at centre half back in 1936 he polled 26 votes to walk off with the Medal. His nearest rival was Geelong’s Reg Hickey on 21 votes, with South Melbourne’s Herb Matthews on 20. It was an incredible win for Ryan, as teammate Bunton, who had already won three Brownlows polled only nine votes. Ryan topped Bunton in Brownlow‘ voting in 1937, with 12 votes to Bunton’s nine. He polled another seven votes in 1938.
The war halted Ryan’s senior football career after five short seasons and only 70 VFL games. Ryan, at 6.2, was tall for his era but had great strength, especially in marking. There is no knowing what he could have achieved with a stronger team, and if the war had not interrupted his career.
One thing is sure, Ryan is undeservedly forgotten by almost everyone except Fitzroy supporters. But those who saw him in action remember him as a fearless trier always willing to lift the side with personal effort. Ryan was a great player, but could have been much greater. Unfortunately, he lived too much in the football shadow of the late, great Haydn Bunton.
Footnotes
This is an excerpt from Australian Rules 100 Greatest Players, by Jim Main, published by the K.G. Murray Publishing Company in 1978. Click here to read Jim Main's 2013 article, in which he revisited and revised his 100 greatest players.
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