He’s a Ridgey didge bushie
Ewe won’t believe how big Ben has adapted to new life
AT 28, some rugby league players are just reaching their prime but for Ben Ridge, the days of NRL on the Glitter Strip must seem a distant memory.
Having retired from professional footy in 2015 after a horror run of injuries, Ridge returned to his roots out west, moving to Roma with his wife Cindy.
There, he runs his own personal training business Ridgey Didge Fitness in between working on a linesman apprenticeship through Ergon Energy.
“It’s a pretty cool job … it’s a bit like aerial fencing really,” he said of his linesman job.
Given his background, a key focus of Ridge’s personal training is helping people be injury-free.
“I’m big on technique and making sure people are lifting correctly,” said the father of two. “I was sort of unlucky (in my playing career), every time I started to find my feet and play some good footy, I would get injured.
“And it wasn’t just small injuries, it was big injuries. It was like a vicious cycle of going through rehab, coming back and finding your spot in the team and then getting injured again.”
Ridge proved just how much of a country lad he is when he saved a pregnant sheep while working for Ergon this year.
He had spotted the sheep from a distance while on smoko. It was unable to move due to dehydration and overgrown wool and Ridge came to the rescue with hand shears and a Stanley knife.
These days, Ridge has no real link to footy but he does still have some happy memories of his Titans tenure.
“My debut was pretty cool. It was Round 20 down at St George and we beat them in extra time, Matty Rogers kicked a field goal from dummy-half,” he said.
The former forward can see himself spending more time in league one day.
“I have a young boy so when he starts playing I will probably get a bit more involved back in the footy side of things,” Ridge said.