Gerald Ryan
Essendon
AFL career
18 games3 goals
- Debut
- SR1 1906 v CAR25 Aug 1906
- Most recent
- SF 1909 v CAR11 Sept 1909
Stats
Bio
Recruited from the Wimmera town of Horsham, Gerald Ryan experienced a fragmented VFL career that was ultimately cut short by tragedy. He first appeared for Essendon as a teenager in 1906, getting a brief taste of league football with two games before returning to the country for two seasons. Ryan made a determined comeback to East Melbourne in 1909, establishing himself as a fixture in the senior side and playing 16 matches as a reliable contributor. His football journey ended when he enlisted in the First AIF, serving overseas with the 14th Battalion. In a cruel twist of fate, Ryan did not die on the battlefield; while recovering from wounds in England in 1917, he slipped on ice and fractured his skull, becoming one of the league's fallen soldiers.
Profile
- Full name
- Gerald J. Ryan
- Born
- 24 May 1887
- Died
- 06 Feb 1917 (aged 29y 258d)
- Birthplace
- Horsham, VIC
- Deathplace
- Tidworth, Wiltshire, United Kingdom
- Height
- 178 cm
- Weight
- 70 kg
Teams
Bio
1 revisionRecruited from the Wimmera town of Horsham, Gerald Ryan experienced a fragmented VFL career that was ultimately cut short by tragedy. He first appeared for Essendon as a teenager in 1906, getting a brief taste of league football with two games before returning to the country for two seasons. Ryan made a determined comeback to East Melbourne in 1909, establishing himself as a fixture in the senior side and playing 16 matches as a reliable contributor. His football journey ended when he enlisted in the First AIF, serving overseas with the 14th Battalion. In a cruel twist of fate, Ryan did not die on the battlefield; while recovering from wounds in England in 1917, he slipped on ice and fractured his skull, becoming one of the league's fallen soldiers.