Ryan Griffin wins Canberra Raiders SG Ball coach's award

MANAGING any roster over the course of any season is a tough ask, and when Canberra Raiders SG Ball coach Dean Souter had a problem, there was one player he could count on.

Souter last week deemed Orange CYMS junior Ryan Griffin the Raiders’ under 18s coach’s award recipient for the 2015 season, after the diminutive gun played a Mr Fix It role for the green machine during the 2015 SG Ball competition, one the Canberra club won the minor premiership in.

Unfortunately exiting the play-offs in the second week, Griffin was the one constant coach Souter could call on - be it to play hooker, halfback, five-eighth or fullback - and the green and golds’ product would do it with aplomb.

“Griffs was one of those players, he was so versatile, and if I needed a spot filled I knew I could put him there,” Souter said.

“And a lot of the time being versatile is viewed as being detrimental to the player going forward, basically because you’re learning a lot of positions rather than just one well. But each time I put Griffs, be it at halfback or at fullback, he never took a backward step.

“He went out there, and he was just outstanding for us.

“As far as I’m concerned he was a very worthy recipient of that award.”

Griffin now attends school in Canberra, and with the SG Ball season completed, will play out the rest of the season locally in Canberra.

And he couldn’t have jagged a better gig.

Griffin’s playing with the Queanbeyan Blues, a club coached by former Raiders NRL hooker Simon Woolford, while he’ll continue to train as part of the Canberra Raiders High Performance squad, too, and Souter says that training will prepare Griffin for the under 20s competition in 2016.

Souter was confident the CYMS junior had what it takes to make the jump up to the Holden Cup.

“Ryan isn’t the biggest athlete, but he has the right dimensions for the positions he plays,” he said, hooker being Griffin’s position of choice.

“If he knuckles down he can make it. He’s got a lot of competing priorities at the moment with school and footy and whatnot, but we’re helping him balance each of them.”