Felix Thomas Ryan (1890–1963) was an Australian

rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as rugby league in English-speaking countries and rugby 13/XIII in non-Anglophone Europe, is a contact sport, full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular Rugby league playin ...

footballer who played in the 1910s and 1920s. He played for Newtown and represented New South Wales and Australia. He has been named as one of the greatest players in the history of the Newtown club.

Background

Ryan was born in Sydney, New South Wales on 2 July 1890 to Thomas Felix Ryan (1861−1927) and Bridget Emma Ryan née Mulquinny (1863−1920).

Playing career

Ryan played ten seasons for Newtown between 1914 and 1923. Learning the game with teammates such as Charles 'Boxer' Russell, Albert 'Ricketty' Johnston and Paddy McCue, Ryan went on to captain the club and play for

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

on eight occasions, and

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

. He initially toured with the Australian side to New Zealand in 1919, and also toured with the

1921–22 Kangaroo tour of Great Britain The 1921–22 Kangaroo tour of Great Britain was the third ever Kangaroo tour. Again an Australasian side rather than an Australian team alone (although the 28-man squad featured only one New Zealander) travelled to Great Britain to contest t ...

, in which he played two tests. He is listed on ''The Australian Players Register'' as Kangaroo No. 101. He retired in 1923 having played over 120 games for Newtown. Ryan died on 23 November 1963, aged 73.''Rugby League News Vol 44, No 31 December 1963'': article page 5 "Felix Ryan Had Fine Record"

References

1890 births 1963 deaths Newtown Jets players Australian people of Irish descent Australian rugby league players Australia national rugby league team players New South Wales rugby league team players Rugby league players from Sydney Rugby league props Rugby league second-rows 20th-century Australian sportsmen {{Australia-rugbyleague-bio-1890s-stub