VFL Dolphin and former Sydney Swan Ryley Stoddart flying again as mid-season draft prospect

It was all he could do. He was unable to run them because of a sore back.

Will Fordham, also overcoming an injury, kept him company.

“We had sessions where we were walking 20-something laps,’’ Stoddart says.

In terms of practice matches, the Frankston half back’s preparation for the 2023 season consisted of two quarters.

Yet former Sydney Swan Stoddart has been among the VFL’s leading players this year and is considered a good chance of being selected in the AFL mid-season draft.

He’s averaging 28.2 disposals from six matches, getting the Dolphins going with spearing left-foot kicks and run-and-carry efforts that gobble up ground like Pacman.

His leadership of a young backline and intercept marking have also been noticed.

“You know he’s doing all this off no pre-season, don’t you?’’ Frankston coach Danny Ryan asks when he’s quizzed about Stoddart.

“Amazing, really. The first time he touched the footy was a week before round one. He was basically in rehab all the way. So yeah, he’s going all right, isn’t he?’’

Considering his light lead-in, Stoddart says he’s been surprised with his strong first third of the season.

A stress fracture in his back was diagnosed late last season and he had a setback with it just before Christmas. He wondered where it would leave him.

“Credit to the physios and strength and conditioning staff at Frankston for getting me up,’’ he says. “They put in a lot of work to get me right, because it was a race against the clock.

‘I had to take my time because stress-fracture rehab is pretty much rest until it all calms down. There was a slow build-up, from walking to jogging to high-speed running with change of direction. Then you’re back into contact stuff. I did a lot of work around my lower body and upper-body strength. I put on a fair bit of weight, which has helped me. I feel a lot stronger.’’

It was the second such injury for Stoddart.

The first occurred when he was with Sydney, in the last of his three seasons as an AFL Swan. It was on the left side of his L5 vertebrae. This time, it was the right side of it.

“Once they heal, they heal really well. I’m getting no pain on either side any more. I’m recovering heaps better,’’ he says.

With his penetrating kicking out of defence, Stoddart has become a pain to the opposition.

In round seven, he was among the best-afield against his former club, with 26 touches in a three-point win. After the match, Ryan declared Stoddart had played “the perfect game’’, noting a combination of dash and determined defence.

Stoddart says the Dolphins have given him the “freedom and licence to play with a bit of flair’’. But he’s mindful of the balance between man-minding and ball-finding.

“Our defensive coaches have really drilled into us that we defend first and then attack,’’ he says.

“In the past, I struggled with the defensive side and put a lot into the offensive side, so it’s good to have them come together.’’

Ryan says he would be thrilled if Stoddart gets a second AFL listing.

In his first, he played six matches with the Swans after being drafted from the Eastern Ranges at the end of 2017.

His debut came against Brisbane at the Gabba; after the game, photographers clicked away as Stoddart and Buddy Franklin embraced and the Swans celebrated a win. But Stoddart says now that he “didn’t grab the opportunity to the best of my ability’’.

“I don’t think I realised what it took to be a professional until very late in my time at Sydney and that cost me my dream,” he says.

“I thought I was doing better than I was. It took me until the end of my second year, the start of my third year, to start to realise the amount of extra work you’ve got to do. Then I got my back injury.

“Unfortunately, it’s been a steep learning curve. I’m a bit annoyed it’s taken me this long to work out what it takes.’’

Returning to Melbourne, Stoddart joined Carlton’s state league team as co-captain. He enjoyed the position, the players and the program at the Blues, but ties of family and friends led him to Frankston in 2022.

His cousin Taine Barlow is a Dolphin, as is his great mate and former Eastern teammate Trent Mynott (and Stoddart and Mynott’s fathers are business partners).

Last year, Stoddart was an excellent contributor even as he played through the back pain that ultimately prompted him to go for scans. They picked up the stress fracture. Soon he was resting, then walking.

And now? People at Frankston will tell you he’s “flying’’.

“The motivation for me is to be the best footballer I can be,’’ Stoddart says when asked of his hopes for his football.

“If that means I get a second chance at the AFL, I’d absolutely love that.

“If not, I’m really enjoying my footy at Frankston at the moment. That’s the main thing. When you’re enjoying your footy, you end up playing better footy. So, yeah, I really hope my name does get called out. If not, I’m ready to play good footy for the Dolphins.’’

Stoddart manages a warehouse and handles the logistics for a lighting company in Melbourne’s east.

And, having to walk before he could run, he’s been a bright light for the Dolphins this year.

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“We love his aggression and his attack. He hits the ball at speed and takes off, drives his legs. And he’s really got better with his actual defence, which is what we wanted him to do.

“The other point with Ryley is that he’s matured. He just wasn’t ready when he went to Sydney, a classic case of a kid being drafted out of the NAB League (Coates Talent League) when he wasn’t ready to be a pro. At 18 you’re playing footy and having a lot of fun, because you’re good at footy. And the next year you’re 19 and it’s a job. A lot of them aren’t ready. That was probably Ryley. But he’s ready now.’’