[citation needed] Having joined the Leeds club in December 1996 from Sheffield Eagles,[4] Sheridan was originally seen as a utility player and in his first season mixed between scrum half and hooker.

However, with the arrival of Graham Murray in 1998, Sheridan came of age and was the perfect foil to the individual brilliance of Iestyn Harris with his organisational skills.

His incredible pinching of the ball from Danny Peacock in the latter stages of the first half turned the game on its head and assured the Rhinos place at Wembley.

Ryan rose to international status in 1999 when he earned a place in the Great Britain squad that played in the 1999 Tri-Nations series Down Under.

[1] In the year 2000 Ryan teamed up with St Helens' Tommy Martyn for Ireland to form one of the most dangerous half back combinations in the 2000 Rugby League World Cup.