AFTER elevating young gun Ollie Wines into the leadership group, Port Adelaide has unearthed another leader in boom recruit Paddy Ryder, according to stand-in coach Matthew Nicks.
Ryder arrived at Alberton after a protracted trade deal with Essendon finally went through last October, and the ruckman has widely been viewed as the missing piece in Port's premiership puzzle.
Speaking on AFL.com.au's new breakfast show First Bounce, Nicks said Port knew Ryder was a talent but the club had also been surprised by the 196cm big man's leadership qualities.
"We all know how good a footballer Paddy is, there's no question that he's going to add to our group as far as his football ability. But his character is just outstanding," Nicks said.
"He's one of those guys who puts other people first, it's all about team.
"He's come from Essendon, he's working now on a lot of stuff with a little bit of off-ball things and just small issues that we want to rectify in his game.
"Some players that can put their noses out of joint. (They think) 'Oh, come on, I've been a good footballer for so long, I don't need to do this'. With Paddy, he's all about 'I want to learn, I want to learn, I want to get better'.
"He's been outstanding, he's just so easy to coach. He's already jumped onto that leadership side.
“[He’s quickly learnt how we play and] he's now working with younger guys as well, so it's just been a massive addition for us."
However, Port fans will have to wait a little longer to see Ryder play in a competitive match.
He has not been named in the Power's strong squad for their NAB Challenge opener against West Coast at Norwood on Sunday.
Nicks, a highly rated assistant who is widely seen as a senior coach in waiting, said he was keen to take the reins from Ken Hinkley for the Eagles clash.
"I'm really looking forward to the challenge. We've had a great week up to this point. This is really our first hit-out, so I've got a hungry group of players that are really keen to play some footy, which is a good thing," he said.
"It's a really great opportunity for us as a coaching group to take another step and improve as a team without Ken running the show.
"He does it for a number of reasons. He wants to see me continue to develop as a coach. I've tried to take control for the whole week, rather than just game day.
"Ken's been there for me, but at the same time there's the odd joke. I've leant on him for advice and thoughts on what he would do.
"Every now and then he will tell me, 'Yeah, good luck'. He wants me to go through it and learn from it all."
