Peter Sumich: West Coast Eagles must adopt ruthless attitude to and delay Liam Ryan talks until he’s fit

Even ahead of appointing a new list manager, West Coast chief Don Pyke should order an immediate halt on further contract negotiations with injured forward Liam Ryan. Ryan is headed into a third full hamstring tendon surgery recovery in the past 10 months while in talks with management on a new two-year deal. It looks like at least another three-month rehabilitation stint for the high-profile sharpshooter as he recuperates in a bid to resurrect his stalled career. Talks on any new deal should be put firmly on hold until a full recovery is declared by Eagles medical staff, reviving hopes that Ryan will resume playing at the highest level. Pulling up short before agreeing on a new deal while a player is injured might seem a little heartless. But West Coast management needs to be ruthless. Put the entire playing group on notice that a hard edge in their rebuild is now in operation and that substantial change and continued turnover of the list is inevitable. Ryan, 27, is already securely contracted for the 2024 season. So there is definitely no urgency to extend his safekeeping through until the end of 2026 as has been mooted. Ryan should be bracketed into a similar holding pattern as ailing veterans Elliot Yeo and Andrew Gaff, who are both out of contract at the end of the 2024 season. There should be no consideration to any new deals for these guys until at least July or August, with West Coast extremely likely to miss the finals for a fourth consecutive year. There is serious danger of repetition in Ryan’s hamstring now and he could continue to be severely injury-prone without sufficient standards of recovery. It’s not as if Ryan’s past few years have been full of compelling performances that command a contract extension while facing a career crossroads with injury. His past 20 games across 2022-23 yielded just 23 goals and an average of just two tackles an outing. It’s logical for Pyke, a new list boss, coach Adam Simpson and sports science staff to enforce a ‘wait-and-see’ on how Ryan pulls through this latest injury. Ryan suffered a horrid hamstring tendon tear in a heavy tumble to the turf in last year’s round three western derby. After delicate surgery with a three-month recovery schedule, Ryan was forced into another operation in July last year when he was failing to overcome the problem to get back into full training. His mid-season surgery was undertaken in Melbourne at the initiative of Ryan’s personal management team at Corporate Sports Australia. The 89-gamer then even contemplated walking out on West Coast on the back of frustration with his initial recovery process that led to the need for season-ending surgery. It is completely up to Ryan to irrefutably prove his desire to recuperate properly. How he goes about his recovery with strength and fitness gains, following a strict diet and his general health should all be vigorously monitored throughout his recuperation. The Eagles are already reeling from repetitive soft tissue injury ordeals to key personnel such as Yeo, Jeremy McGovern and Dom Sheed. It would be irresponsible list management to have Ryan stuck repeatedly on sidelines at around $750,000 a season for three more years. Sheed is almost 29 and already struggling through summer training with recurring foot stress soreness. His midfield understudy Elijah Hewett, only 19, is also suffering foot stress issues this summer. Alarm bells are also chiming through West Coast medicos that last year’s top draft pick Reuben Ginbey, 19, is troubled with groin soreness and early signs of the dreaded osteitis pubis. Ryan should be expected to make a playing return through WAFL ranks ahead of any possible recall to the senior outfit. That would put Ryan on track to be pressing for an AFL return, at the earliest, somewhere at about round eight against Essendon at home. And that’s if his best possible recovery timelines are stringently met. If a more conservative rebuilding program is initiated, then at least a month at WAFL level could be needed. Just how West Coast starts the new season could also have a substantial bearing on the level of urgency with Ryan’s recovery and return-to-play projections. The further the Eagles might be from any hope of a highly unlikely return to finals this year, the less need to rush Ryan back to the highest level. It further strengthens the argument to hold off on any new contract until Ryan is back fully fit and playing for an extended period without further injury setbacks.