[5] Ryan continued his form into his first preseason at the club, and was selected to make his AFL debut in the game versus Sydney at Optus Stadium in the opening round of the 2018 season.

[9] Ryan subsequently played the next week in the WAFL, with senior coach Adam Simpson later revealing he had been under the influence of alcohol when he crashed his car.

Just two days before the Grand Final, it was announced that Ryan had been charged with drink driving over the car crash earlier that year in July, with a court date set for October 8.

However, Ryan was able to redeem himself from his previous mistakes, when he took a strong pack mark with two minutes to go in the game, played on and kicked the ball inside 50 to Dom Sheed in the forward pocket.

Ryan faced the Armadale Magistrates Court on 8 October, pleading guilty to a charge of driving with a blood alcohol reading exceeding 0.08.

Senior coach Adam Simpson was quick to downplay the significance of the issue, stating while "Liam [Ryan] struggled," he was "not too stressed" about it.

[15] Ryan enjoyed an uninterrupted preseason following the 2018 season and was selected in the Round 1 side to face Brisbane, where he managed 8 disposals, 6 tackles and a goal.