If you asked former Canterbury Bulldogs premiership-winning captain Andrew Ryan to come up with his own perfect job description in rugby league, he says his new fulltime gig at the Newcastle Knights would just about cover it.
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Ryan, who has been working with the NRL since his retirement in 2011, has been drafted in by coach Adam O'Brien to fill an all-encompassing role that will see him involved in pathways coaching and development, player welfare across the club and elite level coaching.
He will officially finish up his job as a player transition manager with the NRL early in the new year before starting fulltime with the Knights on January 4, but will be in and around the club whenever he can before than.
His only regret is having to relinquish the South Newcastle Lions head coaching position he has held for the past two seasons.
"That was probably the hardest thing to do this past week," Ryan told the Newcastle Herald.
"I'm really pumped for this new opportunity to be honest but we [Souths] had our presentations on Friday night and getting around to tell as many staff and players as possible face-to-face about what was happening - it was actually pretty difficult.
"We've been part of the club since we moved up here to Newy six years ago and we've got a strong connection there and to be able to coach the first grade the past couple of years, it's been great.
" In saying that though, I'll still be around the place a bit and will do what I can to help out whenever I can."
Ryan will be a jack-of-all-trades at the Knights.
"The job title is basically coach and well-being manager so I've got a bit of a mix between doing some pathways coaching but at the same time, still attached a little bit to the fulltime NRL squad with some well-being stuff thrown in as well," he said.
"It looks like I'll be coaching the Under 17's at this stage as well with Scotty [Dureau] looking after the Under 19's."
Ex-Macquarie premiership-winning coach Adam Bettridge will assist Dureau with the S.G. Ball squad after the club opted out of fielding a team in the Jersey Flegg Under 21's competition.
Ryan's experience with his NRL role makes him perfected suited to the Knights position.
Before concentrating over the past few years on helping transition players out of the game, he was heavily involved in pathways development programs in the bush.
"The NRL role has changed a bit over the years," he said.
"I was heavily involved at one stage in elite country pathways programs but then we wanted to do a lot more in that transition space to assist players after they finished up in the NRL so I concentrated on that.
"I don't reckon If I had organised this new job myself, I doubt I could have planned it any better to be honest.
"To learn off Adam, Willie Peters, Rory [Kostjasyn] and Eric [Smith], and Scotty with the pathways, but still be attached to the well-being side is a fantastic mix so I'm really grateful for the opportunity."
