Former Wigan Warriors man Ryan Hoffman has landed a new role down under that has seen him switch sports.
Hoffman, who represented the Cherry and Whites for one season in 2011, will move to the Australian Football League, or AFL, and will work with Melbourne Demons.
Joining in a leadership role where he will utilise his incredible experience he has gathered over a 16-year career, the news comes from Australian outlet ‘Zero Hanger‘ – who also confirmed that he has quietly been in the role for close to a month.
The Melbourne Storm legend will work with the side weekly, and is one of many changes to the club’s coaching staff in recent times.
Hoffman isn’t the first NRL great to switch to the AFL, with fellow Storm icon and current Queensland head coach Billy Slater making the move in 2019, where he had a brief stint with St Kilda.
The ex-Warrior is a six-time Australian international and a 14-time New South Wales representative. He also racked up an impressive 325 NRL games, before retiring from playing in 2018.
At Wigan, he was part of the Challenge Cup-winning squad that defeated Leeds Rhinos in 2011. In 35 games under Michael McGuire, he scored 11 tries, including one on debut in a 16-16 draw against St Helens at that year’s edition of Magic Weekend.
Check out the latest episode of The Serious About Rugby League Show on our YouTube channel here.
Exclusive: Melbourne has called on former Australia and Origin forward Ryan Hoffman in an off-field capacity. https://t.co/eg2DcmyZb8
— Zero Hanger (@zerohanger) December 17, 2025
