Retired AFL great Paddy Ryder will continue to play his footy in Victoria after joining Mornington Peninsula Football League club Devon Meadows.
Ryder called time on his 281-game AFL career this off-season, ending his tenure with St Kilda after 38 matches in three years at Moorabbin.
The 34-year-old began his AFL career with Essendon, where he would play 170 games and claim the 2009 ANZAC Day Medal in a breakout performance.
Ryder would leave Essendon in 2014 in a move to Port Adelaide, where he would win the club's best and fairest in 2017 - the same year he won All-Australian honours.
Now stepping into life after professional football, Ryder will pull the boots back on with Devon Meadows in Divison 2 of the MPFNL.
"DMFNC is THRILLED to announce we have been successful in the signing of Paddy Ryder to put the boots on & become a Panther in 2023," a club announcement reads.
"Paddy joins DM straight from the AFL where he played a whopping 281 games between Essendon, Port Adelaide & most recently St Kilda"
"We welcome Paddy & his 3 children Liliana, Harlan & Sage to the Panther Family."
Devon Meadows have previously been home to the likes of retired AFL talent Luke Hodge and Brett Deledio, while the premiership Demon James Harmes was drafted out of the Panthers.
Recording 11 wins and 7 losses in 2022, Devon Meadows recorded a fourth-place finish this season.
