IF YOU'VE had a seat up close for any of Liam Ryan's first 100 AFL games, there's a chance you're already familiar with how the star forward likes to stay relaxed and have fun while he's playing.

While other players might have their game face on and are well trained at blocking out distractions, Ryan's methods are different, with a bit of interaction and joking around with fans part of what he loves on game day. 

It’s part of the 27-year-old's playful and "immature" side that he has maintained through injuries, a testing rebuild and becoming a father to three young kids during his seven years on the Eagles' list. 

"I play to have fun. It's a hard game, but I just go out and have fun. Blokes are serious sometimes, and some are cracking jokes and stuff. I like to talk," Ryan told AFL.com.au this week after playing his 100th game against Brisbane in round 18. 

"I talk to the fans and stuff, even when I'm on the field playing, and I just like cracking jokes, even if we're down. That's what footy is about, just giving it back to the fans and the fans love it too.

"I also play for my family, and I just want to set myself and my family up. I've got a six-year-old girl and four-year-old twin boys, and I want them to have an easy upbringing different to me."

Ryan's three kids – Lenix, River and Liam jnr – all ran out with him for his 100th game and have changed him for the better since winning a premiership in 2018, just 10 months after being drafted with pick No.26.

The 2020 All-Australian said having twins "shook" him at the time, but the busyness of home life with partner Evana, including footies being kicked up and down the hallways, was just a normal part of his days now. 

After reaching his milestone in the same week that premiership coach Adam Simpson parted ways with the club, Ryan paid tribute to the only coach he knew at AFL level through his first 99 games. 

The high-flying forward said he fought back tears last week when Simpson returned to the club for the captain's run to speak to the group about Ryan's career before showing his highlights package. 

"He took a deep breath and it just felt like I wanted to cry but I couldn't. We're obviously pretty close and I'll miss him big time," Ryan said. 

"I remember the first phone call he gave me. I was in Mount Magnet after my Nana's funeral and he just congratulated me, couldn't wait to see me on the Monday.

"So I came straight down, and he just put his arms straight around me. He's a one-of-a-kind coach.

"I've been playing for him since I got here you know, that's what really got us close and connected."

Ryan is fortunate to also have a close relationship with caretaker coach Jarrad Schofield, who helped develop him into a WAFL star during two seasons with Subiaco.

There were differences in how Schofield played him against the Lions, Ryan said, with more time spent as the deepest forward before rotating through the midfield as he has done more and more this season. 

"I love it in the midfield. In the forward line I know what to do, and I can do my thing there. But the midfield keeps me focused and keeps me on my toes and in the zone to get the ball," Ryan said. 

"They're two different things, so if the coaches want to get me going in there, I can use my quick feet, sharp kicking, clean hands. And when I'm down forward I can use my speed and marking."

Ryan was outstanding in his 100th game, finishing with a career-high 21 disposals, a team-high 10 score involvements, and kicking two goals, with his precise ball use a standout feature of his milestone match. 

After two serious hamstring injuries that required surgery and kept him sidelined for all but three games last year and the first six rounds of 2024, the premiership hero said he was starting to feel like himself again. 

"Early after my surgery in my first couple of games, I kind of went turbo, but then my legs started to play up. I felt really sore over the next couple of weeks, and I wasn't myself mentally or physically, so it took me a while," he said.  

"People that know the style that I play kind of had high expectations on me to come out and just go bang straight away, but I couldn't, and it was just really hard.

"But I've found the right balance and I'm starting to find my form and know how to use my legs again. It's the right time for me to just try and do my thing now and do what I used to do."