John William Ryan played in the Northern Junior Football League for the Carlton Colts in 1950. He won the league best and fairest award, best player in the under 21 "A" seven team competition. This obviously caught the eye of sponsor club, Carlton and he was given a chance with the Carlton reserves in 1951. Despite playing a few games at this level, Ryan found it difficult to cement a spot in a very strong reserves team that went on to win the 1951 reserves premiership.
Ryan's trophies for Colts and NJFL B&F
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