Eagle Ryan primed to replicate Jetta in GF

West Coast dynamo Liam Ryan won't hesitate to replicate Lewis Jetta's famous sprint down the MCG wing should the opportunity present in the AFL grand final.

Jetta

Liam Ryan (right) would love to emulate teammate Lewis Jetta's AFL grand final highlight in 2012. (AAP)

Few modern AFL moments are more iconic than Lewis Jetta's sprint down the MCG wing in the 2012 premiership decider.

And if the opportunity to replicate that moment presents itself in Saturday's grand final against Collingwood, West Coast dynamo Liam Ryan won't hold back.

Jetta lit up the MCG six years ago when he outran Hawthorn's Cyril Rioli in a sprint for the ages.

Receiving a handball deep in defence, Jetta set off with Rioli hot on his tail, took four bounces and booted the ball inside 50m with commentator Dennis Cometti declaring: "Rioli can't go with him ... Jetta wins the gold medal!"

Sydney went on to win the grand final by 10 points and Jetta was forever immortalised by his moment of magic.

With Jetta now firmly ensconced in West Coast's backline, first-year sensation Ryan looms as the man to steal the spotlight.

The high-flying forward possesses blistering pace and is making a habit of producing eye-catching moments.

Ryan sent the Optus Stadium crowd into raptures during last week's preliminary final thrashing of Melbourne when he bounced a hand pass to himself and used his speed to burn three opponents and set up a Daniel Venables goal.

The 21-year-old said he would love to replicate Jetta's grand-final heroics.

"If the moment comes, then yeah I'm going for it," he said.

"(Coach Adam Simpson) has a lot of faith in us boys because he knows what we can do.

"The main thing he wants us to do is just put in our defensive work and work a lot on that. Just put in the hard yards and it'll pay off."

Jetta will make his second grand final appearance as one of 13 Eagles with previous experience on the AFL's biggest stage.

The 29-year-old's precise kicking takes precedence over run-and-carry these days but his famous sprint remains a fond memory.

"That sprint was one of those moments where you look back now and are like, 'Wow, I did that in a GF'," Jetta said.

"It was an unbelievable feeling."


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Source: AAP



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