Ryan had come from the bench to lend a hand in the Rebels' clash with the Orange Tigers having already played for the Outlaws on Saturday, and following contact in a contest for the ball just before half-time he stayed down with pain in his neck.

Play was stopped and Ryan was taken to hospital but the time taken to get him off the field exceeded the league's 30-minute limit, and as a result the game was abandoned and called a draw with the Rebels leading 5.4.34-3.6.24.

"I'm still a bit sore but got the all clear from the hospital," Ryan said, before explaining the incident and his level-headed reaction too.

"I was just going in for a contest, going for the ball on the ground. As I grabbed the ball I got hit from behind and then landed on my head, but was pushed over the top of my head as well.

"I remember laying there thinking 'this hurts a bit, I better not move'. I was too scared to move it in case anything was wrong.

"In the past when I've broken my legs the pain wasn't there originally and then it came later on so I was a bit hesitant."

Ryan explained he's not certain of the timeframe in terms of a recovery and will wait for doctor's advice before even considering pulling a guernsey on again.

"The hospital cleared me of any serious stuff and now I have a doctor's appointment to see what they want to do from here," he said.

Prior to Ryan's injury the Rebels started fast at Bathurst's George Park too, kicking three majors to the Tigers' one to lead by 12 points at the first break.

The Tigers, the defending premiers, found their rhythm in the second quarter and pulled that margin back within two goals before Ryan's injury scare.

The result means the Tigers retain their four-point lead at the top of the table and while a draw was "a bit of bummer", in Ryan's words, naturally everyone's priority was ensuring the Bushrangers star wasn't seriously injured.

"We were up by a little bit and thought we were playing well," Ryan said.

"I came back later to drop my jersey off and heard it was a draw, which was a bit of a bummer."

The Tigers will maintain their lead at the of the table with this week's bye while the Rebels have a crucial match this weekend against the Bathurst Giants.