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Why the Tigers’ TV talent is laughing
April 3, 2010Wests Tigers winger Beau Ryan is entertaining on and off the field, writes Glenn Jackson.
A funny thing happened lately. Beau Ryan. And while everyone has been wondering how The Footy Show would fare without Matthew Johns, there are some who feel it has found a talent just like him.
‘‘I’ve been … pleasantly surprised,’’ Footy Show boss Gary Burns said. ‘‘He definitely draws comparisons to another bloke who started in a similar way.’’
The difference from Johns is Ryan has started his television career even earlier - last year after he met Burns, who promptly handed him a microphone. Now 24, Ryan’s appearances on the show have been popular, and Burns is already talking new segments and even new shows.
‘‘Without jinxing him, if all goes well we’ll have even more things for him to do,’’ Burns said. ‘‘Obviously, he does draw comparisons [to Johns]. It’s early days, but his potential is untapped. He hasn’t come out of NIDA, or Comedy Club. He’s just raw talent.’’
Who seems to have developed quickly from a good Wests Tigers winger to a potential star. Which might not sit so well with Ryan, who wants to be a rugby league player first and foremost, knowing his rise is not a chicken or the egg scenario; the entertainment career would never have happened without the burgeoning football one.
‘‘I want to just focus on playing footy,’’ Ryan said. ‘‘I wouldn’t have got the opportunity if I didn’t play footy. They wouldn’t have picked me up if I was working at a building site or in an office. I wouldn’t have got that chance. It’s all about playing rugby league, that’s why I’m here, and I’m going to do it while my coach [Tim Sheens] lets me and while my family are happy with it and until enough’s enough. Football’s first.’’
But he does enjoy what he does on the side.
‘‘With Matty going, a lot of people were upset, and worried about what was going to happen,’’ Ryan said. ‘‘I’m not saying I’m in his category or anywhere near his league, but a bit of laughter that he brought to the show is gone, someone’s got to try and bring it back. People want to see inside players’ lives and what people are like, and the characters. I’m lucky enough that ‘Burnsy’ gave me a chance to be myself - and then be an idiot at the same time.’’
He seems to be custom-made for the street talk-type segments, as Johns was. Even down to his name. The ‘Beau Knows …’ segment lends its name from the popular series of US television advertisements featuring professional baseball and American football player Bo Jackson. So far this year, Beau Ryan has poked fun at his home town, Wollongong, as well as his team’s five-eighth, Benji Marshall.
‘‘I still don’t put too much thought into it,’’ he said. ''The best thing about it is just off the top of my head, trying to roll with whatever we’ve got. If you try and plan it too much it doesn’t happen, but if you just go there and just go off the cuff, that’s when it works best.
''If it doesn’t get good feedback I don’t look into it too much, because it’s just fun. If I start carrying on about it and worry about that, I will have lost my way, and I should get out of it altogether. Because that’s not why I do it - I just do it to have a bit of fun and try and make people laugh.
‘‘Our coach is big on switching off away from footy, so it’s good to get away from it for a bit. He’s good about it. As long as it doesn’t interfere with my football, and I get too ahead of myself, he’s got no problem with it.’’
But it’s not as if Ryan’s off-field flair is his only improving asset. Ryan is developing into a handy finisher as a winger - although he has been thrown into fullback for a time. A lower-grader with the Dragons, he earned his shot in the NRL with Wests Tigers and last year scored 13 tries in 22 matches. ‘‘I love the club and I love where we’re heading, especially with Lote here,’’ Ryan said.
But Lote Tuqiri’s arrival has also put him in a position of vulnerability. With Taniela Tuiaki to return, Ryan may be the winger to make way.
‘‘I had a good talk to coach the other day about it,’’ Ryan said. ‘‘When I first came into first grade I used to worry about who’s coming back, who’s in, who’s out, and my footy suffered. Now, if I just worry about myself and what I have to do, everything else will look after itself. Lote and Taniela, they’re brilliant, they’re going to be in the side, and I can’t control that. I can only control how well I’m going.’’
And Beau seems to know …
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Would love to see him nail the fullback spot. A fitness freak like Beau who can stay in the game for the full 80 minutes annoying the opposition, has ability to hit holes and is safe may just be the fullback we need.
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Beau appears to be a very, very funny guy. His appearances on the Footy Show are hilarious, ‘Beau knows Benji’ was one of the funniest things I’ve seen in a long time, from his hongis with people on the street, to his demands of his PA, culminating in 'hey, gretchen, this thing ain’t going to wipe itself.!!!. I hope he can keep the humour and entertainment up to the high standards he has set.
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‘$3.50?! Pffft c’mon cuz, I’m Benji Marshall’ LOL
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“Beau knows 'Gong” wasnt as funny as his past stuff imo.
Seemed a bit more scripted than the previous stuff.‘‘I still don’t put too much thought into it,’’ he said. ''The best thing about it is just off the top of my head, trying to roll with whatever we’ve got. If you try and plan it too much it doesn’t happen, but if you just go there and just go off the cuff, that’s when it works best.
Stick with that!
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the 5 minutes i see beau on the footy show is more funnier than the matty johns show hour of “entertainment”
the way beau talks Sheensy def sounds like one of those dads whose son has come out saying hes going to be a dancer…“well its a nice hobby son but how about finding a real job”, lol classic sheensy!!!
keep it up beau lovin it!!!
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beau is funny, and i dont think he has to worry about his spot, lui or ayshford will be moved before him, IMO of course……
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his spot on the show is good and hopefully he can secure the fullback spot
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His enthusiasm with the team (from watching his reactions to Tiger’s tries) is also worth bottling. Hope he keeps a FG spot.
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His enthusiasm with the team (from watching his reactions to Tiger’s tries) is also worth bottling. Hope he keeps a FG spot.
Yeah, he brings a very positive attitude to the team onfield….very much a team player.
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His enthusiasm with the team (from watching his reactions to Tiger’s tries) is also worth bottling. Hope he keeps a FG spot.
totally agree , hes ecstatic!!! and he should be!!! :slight_smile:
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Couldnt really give a crap about his tv appearances….am very happy with his form so far this year
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Lui will get dropped, Sheens loves Moltzen more than Lui, so Moltzen can’t get dropped. Either Tuqiri or Ryan to fullback, the other remains on the wing when Tuiaki returns.
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Credit where it’s due……he’s gone from a very poor winger at the beginning of last season, to a pretty good one at the end of it…to a better than average one in 2010…to a damm good full back (maybe) now.
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I saw him speak at a sponsors doo back in '07 and he is a natural in front of a crowd. He put on a few accents and did a couple of impersonations. He is a natural. He has a future in entertaining.
