Former Wigan Warriors fan favourite reportedly lands new coaching role in Australia
Former Wigan Warriors star Ryan Hoffman has reportedly taken on a new coaching role back in his Australian homeland – but in a different sport.
According to Australian outlet Zero Hanger, the former Warriors fan favourite has linked up with Aussie rules side Melbourne Football Club in a leadership role, with the Demons part of the Australian Football League (AFL).
Hoffman will reportedly work with the Demons at least one day per week as a leadership consultant, as per Zero Hanger, having spent 16 years as a professional rugby league player in the NRL and Super League.
The 41-year-old back-rower only spent one season with Wigan back in 2011, but he was adored by the Warriors faithful during his sole season in Super League, helping Michael Maguire’s side lift the Challenge Cup at Wembley after beating Leeds Rhinos.
Hoffman, who was capped six times by Australia and made 14 appearances for New South Wales in the State of Origin arena, made 325 appearances in the NRL across three spells with Storm and a three-year stint with New Zealand Warriors.
Hoffman, who scored 11 tries in 35 appearances for Wigan, has always spoken publicly of how much he enjoyed his spell in England with the Warriors.
Speaking to Wigan Today back in 2022, Hoffman, who also works as a business development manager for United Forklift and Access Solutions in Melbourne, said: “I’ve got nothing but fantastic memories. It was one of the best things I have ever done in my career. I had always wanted to go and play in England – it really appealed to me because I’m a bit of a rugby league tragic, I like the history of it.
“I was that kid who was getting up at three in the morning to watch Challenge Cup finals. In my mind, I was going to be nothing else other than a rugby league player.
“The trick was picking the right moment to come over. When Melbourne had their salary cap dramas, the club had to cut players. Madge (Maguire) was the coach (at Wigan), and he knew how much I wanted to give it a go for a year.
“I was 27, and wasn’t a mainstay in Origin or anything at that stage, so I thought it was great to get away for a bit of a sabbatical. I never realised how great it would be for my career.
“Just things like playing at grounds I’ve never played at before, and experiencing a different rugby league atmosphere, I absolutely loved it. It made me a better footballer, and when I went back to Australia, I played more Origins and test matches than I did before.
“There were whispers going around that I was at the end of my career, I was like ‘bulls***’ I’m 27, I’ve got a helluva lot of years left and got the opportunity to play in England, why wouldn’t I do it?’
“You see English players come over to Australia and play well. So the myth that you go down a peg to play in England is something I take great offence to because that’s certainly not what I was doing or envisioned.
“At the time, I didn’t think I needed a break from the NRL or anything like that, but it gave me a great freshener.
“There was not a bad thing about it. The people were fantastic, the club was brilliant. We made some great friends who we still speak to quite regularly now.
“There are blokes there who I know I can text no worries and get a response. There’s a reason it’s been so successful, and that’s because of the people involved.
“I took great pride in living in the north of England and being in the town. I love it when people ask me about it. It was great to be part of the club and the town, too.
“It’s one of those genuine English towns that don’t want for much but take pride in who they are and what they are about. To say I was a part of that is something I take great pride in.
“You’re not playing for massive major cities, you’re playing for the town you are living in and that reinvigorated things for me. Wigan lives and breathes rugby league, where the people on the street love it.
“You see the fans walking to the stadium on game day, then you see them in the Boars Head or The Brocket afterwards, you get to have a beer with them. It was a real community atmosphere.
“My teammates were brilliant during my time there. I sort of already knew Amos Roberts, but then the first blokes I met were Lee Mossop and Sean O’Loughlin. For them to welcome me into a club like that was fantastic. We had a great community of players.
“The town itself made you proud to wear that crest on your chest. Every time you ran out there and saw the fans, it made you realise who you are playing for.
“Moments like winning the Challenge Cup final and seeing the crowd back at the DW (now the Brick Community Stadium), was just outstanding.”