Ryan will take on the head coaching role at Tantanoola in the Mid-South-Eastern Football League, closer to his home in Mount Gambier.

Ryan, 25, said it was an opportunity he was excited to seize.

"Not very often down my way do they look for a younger bloke to coach, they normally look for experience, so it's definitely a role I'm looking forward to stepping into, especially moving into the future," he said.

"It's a massive step for me. I'm a bit nervous but looking forward to it."

Ryan, who was an assistant coach at Edenhope-Apsley for the last two seasons, also has previous coaching experience in the region.

"Back when I was in Mount Gambier I coached the under-17s with (current Edenhope-Apsley coach) Chris Oliver," he said.

"It's something I've enjoyed and am looking forward to."

Ryan will be a massive departure for Edenhope-Apsley, as he often provided first use to the side's midfielders with his ruck-work.

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In addition to winning the 2019 Dellar Medal, Ryan finished third for the Dellar and won the Saints' club best and fairest in 2018.

Ryan said he has a challenge ahead of him as Tantanoola finished second from the bottom in 2019.

"They didn't finish great last year, so hopefully next year we can get a few boys on board," he said.

"We'll hopefully get a couple of experienced boys jumping on as assistant coaches.

"I'm definitely looking forward to the challenge."

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