Ryan and Bulldogs team-mates Corey Payne, Danny Williams and Gary Warburton are on a two-day visit to Dubbo as part of the NRL’s Community Carnival.

Visiting eight schools and taking part in a Dubbo Junior League registration session at Apex Oval was on their roster yesterday and today they will be at St Laurence’s and Dubbo Public plus a number of other stopovers before heading back to Sydney this afternoon.

While the focus this trip was on the kids and promoting a healthy lifestyle, Ryan said he was looking forward to the Dubbo trial against the Raiders, the last of their matches before the season proper gets underway.

“While we’ve got a lot of supporters up here, so have the Raiders with some of their players coming from around the district, so it’s not going to be all our way,” Ryan said.

“Traditionally Canberra have some big guys, I don’t expect they will be any different this year.

“However, we’ve done a lot of hard work in readiness for this season. We started training midway through November and there’s only been a short break for Christmas. There are a lot of expectations about us but we’re keen to make a big impression from the first game.”

Ryan and Payne visited St Mary’s late yesterday with Country Rugby League’s Steve McLellan while Williams and Warburton were down the road at Orana Heights Public.

Ryan said he actually started school at St Mary’s in Dubbo before going to St John’s and then to Parramatta for football and eventually moved to the Bulldogs in 2003.

The former international and State of Origin utility forward still has plenty to offer the Bulldogs despite being in his early 30s.

A player who could be vying for a place in the Bulldogs pack is Corey Payne who returns to the club this year after having four years with St George and the last two with Wests Tigers.

However, he’s a Bulldogs junior and played his junior rep football and some reserve grade games with them.

He’s only 25 and would dearly love to come back to Dubbo as part of the Bulldogs squad for the trial against Canberra.

“I’ve actually been to Dubbo once before - for a swim carnival,” he said.

“I remember I won a gold medal in the 50 metres.”

Yesterday he won a lot of new friends.