| Ryan Griffen | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Griffen playing for Greater Western Sydney in June 2017 | |||
| Personal information | |||
| Full name | Ryan Leigh Griffen | ||
| Nickname(s) | Gaz | ||
| Date of birth | (1986-07-27)27 July 1986 (age 38) | ||
| Place of birth | Goolwa, South Australia | ||
| Original team(s) | South Adelaide (SANFL) | ||
| Draft | No. 3(PP),2004 national draft | ||
| Height | 192 cm (6 ft 4 in) | ||
| Weight | 88 kg (194 lb) | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Playing career1 | |||
| Years | Club | Games (Goals) | |
| 2005–2014 | Western Bulldogs | 202 (130) | |
| 2015–2018 | Greater Western Sydney | 55(32) | |
| Total | 257 (162) | ||
| Representative team honours | |||
| Years | Team | Games (Goals) | |
| 2008 | Dream Team | 1 (0) | |
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 2018. | |||
| Career highlights | |||
| |||
| Sources:AFL Tables,AustralianFootball.com | |||
Ryan Leigh Griffen (born 27 July 1986) is a formerAustralian rules footballer who played for theWestern Bulldogs and theGreater Western Sydney Giants in theAustralian Football League (AFL).
Griffen was born inGoolwa, aSouth Australian port town near the mouth of theMurray River and began his football career withSouth Adelaide. The Western Bulldogs chose Griffen in the2004 AFL national draft at number 3 as a priority pick. He managed 17 games in his debut season and came second in theAFL Rising Star Medal count.
Touted among the best players on offer in the2004 AFL draft, theWestern Bulldogs selected Griffen third overall as a priority pick. He had represented South Australia in the2004 AFL Under 18 Championships and played senior football forSANFL clubSouth Adelaide in his draft year.
Griffen made his debut in Round 4 of the2005 AFL season against theWest Coast Eagles at Subiaco, where the Bulldogs were defeated by the Eagles by 36 points. He played 17 games in his first season as a Bulldog.
The2006 Record describes Griffen as a "defender, both in a man-marking role and as a launching pad for attacking moves". Griffen has already displayed a good deal of the latter at the midway point of the 2006 season and most football critics anticipate that he will have a long career.
He suffered a jarring knee injury in Round 11 2007, where he dislocated his kneecap in the win over theBrisbane Lions. The extent of the injury, in itself, was not season threatening although he did suffer complications from a twisted bowel, which hampered his recovery and ruled him out for the rest of the season.
In 2008, Griffen played 24 games spending more time in the midfield, averaging career highs in disposals, contested and uncontested possessions, inside 50s and clearances. He covered plenty of territory and ranked number one at the Bulldogs in inside 50s and rebound 50s combined. He also ranked third in the AFL for running bounces and equal fourth at the Bulldogs for score assists during the H&A rounds. The speedy midfielder broke open a number of games in 2008, earning maximum Brownlow votes in consecutive matches against St Kilda and Essendon in rounds three and four. Finished second in the AFL for bounces and top 10 in the Bulldogs’ best and fairest.In 2009, Griffen played well at times, winning threeBrownlow Medal votes on multiple occasions, but many believe he hadn't reached his full potential.
Griffen was one of the players who spoke out regardingJason Akermanis' controversial sacking midway through2010 season.[1] In the Round 14 match againstHawthorn, Griffen failed to make an effort to take a mark againstXavier Ellis 30 metres out late in the final quarter as the Hawks came from behind to win by 3 points, and he was widely criticised. Griffen made up for his mistake the following week when he was named among the Bulldogs' best in a 68-point thrashing ofCarlton.[2][3] On the eve of the finals, Griffen was shifted from his customary position on the wing into the midfield to replace injured teammateAdam Cooney. Although the Bulldogs were again bundled out in the Preliminary Final, Griffen was one of the stand-outs, averaging 28 possessions across the three games.[1] At the end of the season he was proclaimed the winner of the 2010Charlie Sutton Medal.
In 2011 Ryan Griffen has maintained his excellent form from 2010 and is a frontrunner to win anotherCharlie Sutton Medal along withMatthew Boyd
After another stellar season in 2012, Ryan Griffen amassed a club-record 47 possessions – 22 of which were contested in the round 21 match against the Sydney Swans. The record eclipsed the previous best of 46 set by Simon Atkins. Griffen picked up 16 touches in the first quarter. His previous best was 37 possessions.
Griffen produced possibly his best season in 2013, recording 30 or more possessions 11 times and taking out his second Charles Sutton Medal ahead of a fast-finishingTom Liberatore. Griffen also finished 6th in theAFLPA MVP Award with 177 votes. While averaging 29 disposals per game he also achievedAll-Australian honours. Ryan Griffen was also ranked #8 best player in the AFL inMike Sheahan's Top 50 Players and the Official AFL Player Ratings.[4] On 3 December 2013 Griffen was awarded the captaincy of the Bulldogs, taking over from skipper of 3 yearsMatthew Boyd.
Griffen played 19 games in his final season at the Bulldogs in 2014 before he left the club to joinGreater Western Sydney, thus handing over the captaincy to veteranRobert Murphy.
At the end of the 2014 season, Griffen asked to join the GWS Giants. On 15 October a trade was successfully reached, reuniting Griffen with coach Leon Cameron, and players Dylan Addison and Callan Ward.
In round 3, 2017 Griffen suffered a syndesmosis of the left ankle, which left him unable to play for the rest of the home and away season. He made his return in a scratch match between the Giants' reserves andAdelaide's reserves the day after their qualifying final.[5]
Griffen announced his retirement from AFL football following the Giants' semi-final loss to Collingwood on 15 September 2018.[6]
In November 2018, it was announced that Griffen would be returning to his home club Goolwa-Port Elliot Magpies who compete in theGreat Southern Football League.[7]
G | Goals | K | Kicks | D | Disposals | T | Tackles |
B | Behinds | H | Handballs | M | Marks |
| Season | Team | No. | Games | Totals | Averages (per game) | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | B | K | H | D | M | T | G | B | K | H | D | M | T | ||||
| 2005 | Western Bulldogs | 16 | 17 | 7 | 7 | 126 | 97 | 223 | 55 | 39 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 7.4 | 5.7 | 13.1 | 3.2 | 2.3 |
| 2006 | Western Bulldogs | 16 | 24 | 7 | 9 | 209 | 202 | 411 | 87 | 69 | 0.3 | 0.4 | 8.7 | 8.4 | 17.1 | 3.6 | 2.9 |
| 2007 | Western Bulldogs | 16 | 10 | 2 | 4 | 78 | 65 | 143 | 31 | 29 | 0.2 | 0.4 | 7.8 | 6.5 | 14.3 | 3.1 | 2.9 |
| 2008 | Western Bulldogs | 16 | 24 | 18 | 9 | 295 | 183 | 478 | 103 | 63 | 0.8 | 0.4 | 12.3 | 7.6 | 19.9 | 4.3 | 2.6 |
| 2009 | Western Bulldogs | 16 | 22 | 17 | 9 | 270 | 213 | 483 | 70 | 80 | 0.8 | 0.4 | 12.3 | 9.7 | 22.0 | 3.2 | 3.6 |
| 2010 | Western Bulldogs | 16 | 24 | 23 | 12 | 358 | 216 | 574 | 80 | 78 | 1.0 | 0.5 | 14.9 | 9.0 | 23.9 | 3.3 | 3.2 |
| 2011 | Western Bulldogs | 16 | 22 | 24 | 17 | 341 | 187 | 528 | 75 | 102 | 1.1 | 0.8 | 15.5 | 8.5 | 24.0 | 3.4 | 4.6 |
| 2012 | Western Bulldogs | 16 | 20 | 8 | 11 | 287 | 252 | 539 | 66 | 86 | 0.4 | 0.6 | 14.4 | 12.6 | 27.0 | 3.3 | 4.3 |
| 2013 | Western Bulldogs | 16 | 20 | 14 | 10 | 304 | 275 | 579 | 63 | 98 | 0.7 | 0.5 | 15.2 | 13.8 | 29.0 | 3.2 | 4.9 |
| 2014 | Western Bulldogs | 16 | 19 | 10 | 10 | 219 | 217 | 436 | 35 | 99 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 11.5 | 11.4 | 23.0 | 1.8 | 5.2 |
| 2015 | Greater Western Sydney | 32 | 21 | 7 | 3 | 198 | 235 | 433 | 85 | 80 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 9.4 | 11.2 | 20.6 | 4.0 | 3.8 |
| 2016 | Greater Western Sydney | 32 | 15 | 9 | 13 | 137 | 179 | 316 | 41 | 79 | 0.6 | 0.9 | 9.1 | 11.9 | 21.1 | 2.7 | 5.3 |
| 2017 | Greater Western Sydney | 32 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 20 | 26 | 46 | 5 | 9 | 0.0 | 0.7 | 6.7 | 8.7 | 15.3 | 1.7 | 3.0 |
| 2018 | Greater Western Sydney | 32 | 16 | 16 | 11 | 136 | 104 | 240 | 47 | 35 | 1.0 | 0.7 | 8.5 | 6.5 | 15.0 | 2.9 | 2.2 |
| Career | 257 | 162 | 127 | 2978 | 2451 | 5429 | 843 | 946 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 11.6 | 9.5 | 21.1 | 3.3 | 3.7 | ||
