The Bulldogs are also inviting all NRL Club Members to join in the day for their long serving captain.

Members of all 16 clubs will be allowed entry to Sunday’s match against the Canberra Raiders, which kicks off at 2pm and doubles as the final NRL match for Canberra skipper Alan Tongue.

Earlier this month, the former Dubbo junior, Ryan announced that he will be retiring at the conclusion of the 2011 season, with Sunday’s match to be his last home game for the Bulldogs and the 291st match of his highlight-laden career.

“Andrew Ryan has been the heart and soul of the Bulldogs for much of the last decade and it is only fitting that we send him off in the biggest way possible,” Bulldogs CEO Todd Greenberg said.

“We would like to see all of our members come out to say a final thank you, and in addition we welcome members of any other club to come out as well. “Certainly, I’m sure there are some Canberra Members who would like to give Alan Tongue a final send off, and this allows them to make the trek up the Hume Highway without needing to buy a ticket once they arrive.

“I can think of no better way to recognise the contributions made to the game by Andrew Ryan and Alan Tongue than to see a crowd that represents the whole rugby league community on hand at ANZ Stadium on Sunday.”

The Bulldogs have planned a range of initiatives to thank Ryan for his service over his nine seasons in blue and white, including:

o Supporters on the eastern side of ANZ Stadium will join in the action and run out, holding up 6000 cardboard signs that will spell out ‘BOBCAT’ in a larger than life tribute;

o Ryan will be joined by his family as he takes the field of play, including wife Olivia and children Lily, Jett and Evie;

o In the crowd will be hundreds of his family and friends from around NSW and Australia, all of whom have been provided special seating for the match;

o His junior clubs - St John’s, Dubbo and Dubbo CYMS - will also be represented in the crowd;

o A special Bobcat T-shirt and ticket offer has been implemented for the match, allowing fans to take a little bit of the experience home with them to keep;

o At the conclusion of the match, Ryan will be presented to the crowd before walking a lap of honour around ANZ Stadium.

The Bulldogs club will also make a special presentation at the conclusion of the match to Alan Tongue, in recognition of his service to the game.

Members from all other NRL clubs need to just show their club membership card at Gate B to gain entry to the ground.

Adding to the sense of theatre and occasion, the Bulldogs in conjunction with Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment are joining forces once again for this match to celebrate the release of Star Wars: The complete saga on Blu-Ray on September 14.

There will be a meet and great with characters from the films and they will form a guard of honour for the team.

There is a limited edition Bulldogs Star Wars t-shirt and ticket offer for the game but get in quick as these are sure to be snapped up quickly.

Members will be able to purchase the limited edition t-shirt at the game.