Paddy Ryder

Essendon secured Ryder with its first selection in the 2005 AFL Draft, which was the seventh pick in the league.

He made his debut in round 1, 2006, against Sydney, playing in the ruck and receiving his first AFL career possession after he caught a Swans player holding the ball and won a free kick.[3] In a memorable debut, the Bombers thrashed the 2005 premiers by 27 points, in what would be their only win inside the first 16 rounds of the season and Ryder's only win that year.[3][4]

Ryder was awarded a NAB Rising Star nomination for his efforts in Round 1, 2007. He won the Anzac Medal in 2009 after teammate David Hille was injured in the opening minutes of the game, resulting in Ryder rucking unassisted for the rest of the game.

Ryder played his 100th AFL game in Round 6, 2011, in a match where Essendon defeated the Gold Coast Suns by 139 points.[5]

Ryder's improved form in the second half of the 2013 season after struggling with poor output and low confidence saw him play a big role in Essendon’s push to the finals. He played mainly in the ruck, where his tap-work was crucial, and also played forward and in defence.

Ryder remained a vital part of the Essendon outfit, firstly as a ruckman and then as an option as he pushed forward with his pace and high-marking ability. Ryder had a solid start to 2014, including a two-goal performance in round 9 against Sydney.

At the end of the 2014 season, Ryder left Essendon with reports saying that he and his wife Jess were concerned for the health of their unborn child after he was allegedly told of the potential risks of the supplements program when interviewed by ASADA.[6] He nominated Port Adelaide as his preferred club of destination.[7] On 16 October, he was traded to the Power.[8]

Being Port Adelaide's big name recruit for season 2015, Ryder was unable to take part in the pre-season trial matches and was only cleared from his provisional suspension a few days prior to the round one game against Fremantle due to the ASADA drugs investigation. He played in 18 games for the Power, which included games where he kicked three goals in both showdowns and a four goals against his former club Essendon.

Ryder, along with 33 other past and present Essendon players, was found guilty of using a banned performance enhancing substance, thymosin beta-4, as part of Essendon's sports supplements program during the 2012 season. He and his team-mates were initially found not guilty in March 2015 by the AFL Anti-Doping Tribunal,[9] but a guilty verdict was returned in January 2016 after an appeal by the World Anti-Doping Agency. He was suspended for two years which, with backdating, ended in November 2016; as a result, he served approximately 14 months of his suspension and missed the entire 2016 AFL season.[10]

In the 2017 season, Ryder became one of the best ruckmen in the league. He played his 200th AFL game in round 14, in which Port Adelaide defeated Collingwood by 31 points at the MCG.[3][11] Eventually, he was named an All Australian ruckman and John Cahill Medalist as a best and fairest player for the club.

At the conclusion of the 2019 AFL season, Ryder requested a trade to St Kilda. The trade was finalised on 15 October and Ryder was traded to St Kilda along with Port teammate Dougal Howard and pick 10 and a 2020 fourth-round selection, in return for the Saints' picks 12 and 18 and a 2020 third-round selection.[12] Ryder nominated to join St Kilda ahead of his former club Essendon. He chose to leave Port Adelaide due to a perceived lack of opportunity in the ruck division at the Power. Of the move, Ryder stated that "I guess the way things have panned out at Port Adelaide over the past couple of years is Port Adelaide’s brought in Scotty Lycett, who's a terrific ruckman, and they've got a couple of young blokes on the list that probably need a bit more time to develop. And I guess being my age and stuff I’m taking away that opportunity for them, so I'm very understanding of the football club and respect their decision. But I feel like I've still got a lot more to give, so I'll be going down to Moorabbin." On choosing to join the Saints ahead of his former team, Ryder admitted that he was leaning towards joining the Bombers initially until he toured their facilities; "I just didn't get like a really, really good feeling from going back there", said Ryder in October 2019. "But then I went down to Moorabbin and it was a sense of like excitement and in the end thats what I ended up basing my decision on."[13] Ryder played in the winning elimination final against Western Bulldogs, but an injury sustained in the game ended his season.[14]