Given mission to help unleash beast in Roos

NEW Clarence coach Peter Ryan is putting no ceiling on what his new side can achieve in 2022 and says further developing the Roos’ young talent will be one of the keys to hunting down the competition’s two northern powerhouses.

Ryan officially joined the club earlier this week on a two-year deal, with the option for a third. After the Roos made a preliminary final this season, their new coach believes they are set to take a further step towards TSL glory.

“I think every club comes into each season saying they want to win the flag and there’s certainly no ceiling that I’ll be putting on this group,” Ryan said. “We have a young, talented list and many of the younger guys have experienced success in the under-18s and development league, but a lot of hard work goes into winning a senior premiership and we have a bit of ground to make up.

“But from my perspective I want to give us the opportunity to compete for longer and with some slight tweaks, I think there’s room to take that next step.”

Ryan spent the last eight seasons involved with the Brisbane Lions Academy, where he helped develop some of the best young talent in Queensland. The new coach said the opportunity to guide the young Clarence list was a key in his decision to take on the role.

“I believe I have a really good ability to develop that top-end talent and I’m really

looking forward to helping those young players coming through at Clarence,” he said.

“They have a number of players in the Tassie Devils squad, so I’m really looking forward to helping those kids

develop and hopefully realise their goals of playing senior footy or ambitions of playing in the AFL.”

Ryan said he would only need to make some minor changes to take the side to the next level. “I really want to focus on making the team a real contested beast, that whenever you play Clarence, you know you’re in for a fight.

“There are some great things in place at the club and I just want to tweak a couple of things and have a really strong defensive mechanism and a real attacking flair to our game style.”

When asked about the pressure of coaching the highprofile club, the returning Tasmanian said he’d focus on the task at hand.

“I think there’s always pressure when you come into a successful club like Clarence, but it’s about ensuring we get our foundations right and allow our players to grow, and the results will take care of itself,” Ryan said.