By CHRIS RATTUE
In an 11-year career with rugby league's Brisbane Broncos, Peter Ryan built a reputation as one of the biggest hitters in the game.
His philosophy was fairly simple.
"It's about being willing to put your body in places where it shouldn't be and still come up smelling of roses," said union-convert Ryan after being part of Southland's Ranfurly Shield challenge against Waikato.
"The way I looked at it, if people think you are crazy enough they will leave you alone.
"I ended up making fewer tackles than other people because people didn't want to run at me."
Ryan switched to rugby union late last year when he signed a three-year contract with the Super 12 Brumbies.
He is having a brief spell in the NPC with Southland, and after the 36-44 shield challenge defeat in Hamilton, his analysis was as brutal as his famed tackling.
"We missed three tackles and Waikato scored three tries," he said. "You can't afford to miss tackles like that when you are playing at this level."
It is the sort of straight talking that has undoubtedly helped Wayne Bennett's Broncos to continually challenge for and sometimes win the main prize in Australian rugby league.
Ryan, who played for the 1988 Australian schoolboys during two seasons in rugby union while at college in Toowoomba, emerged as a quality Bronco in 1992.
He was on the bench but not required when they won the grand final that season, but played from the bench when they won the following year.
His other triumphs included the Broncos' Super League win in 1997, but he was suspended out of the 1998 grand final when the game was reunited.
The Broncos are renowned for their offloading skills when they believe a career may be winding down, with Wally Lewis' departure the classic example.
Ryan got a similar message as he was considering trying rugby union again.
"I was very keen on rugby union and at some stage I wanted to go back to it. I was looking to spice my career up," he said. "My aim is to play for the Wallabies. I make no secret of that."
Ryan joined Southland when his Brumbies team-mate Des Tuiavaii pulled out because of injury.
He had never heard of the Ranfurly Shield until Southland coach Leicester Rutledge, among others, schooled him up last week.
"Leicester brought a book out for me to read on it and told me a bit of the history. I know they call it the piece-of-wood," said Ryan, whose shield lessons may have gone slightly astray.
"You could really feel a lift in the intensity compared to the first two games I played with Southland. I put that down to the shield.
"It is another feather in my cap, although it would have been a better feather if we had won it. There aren't too many Aussies who have played in a shield challenge."
Ryan has one more game, against Counties Manukau, before returning to Canberra where his wife and two children are still settling in after the family's move from Queensland.
He will be joined in the rugby ranks soon by his old Broncos team-mate Brad Thorn, who is returning to New Zealand to try to fulfil his All Black dream.
"Brad is so big and strong and fast," says Ryan. "He is such a dedicated person to life and his football, and anyone that dedicated can do virtually anything.
"Everyone around the Broncos is dedicated, but some more than others, and I always thought of him as being up there. I'd say No 8 will be his best position once he has picked up the rugby skills."
Waikato Ranfurly Shield schedule
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