Nineteen years ago Wayne Bennett was in charge and Ryan was his trusty defensive coach who had won two titles (1993 and 1997) as a player under the master coach.
The Broncos beat the Storm 15-8 in the decider after Ryan's defensive blueprint reaped rewards.
In 2025 Michael Maguire is the mentor, and his coaching minister of defence Ben Te'o was his hitman back-rower in the 2014 grand final that they won together at South Sydney.
The Storm await again on Sunday. The symmetry is there.
Maguire, under much scrutiny and criticism externally, flogged the players in November to get them fit, and it has worked out a treat.
Te'o, who also played for the Broncos with several members of the current side, has put together a system and ethos that has led to the team winning 12 of their past 14 games.
They defended their line brilliantly in the 16-14 win over Penrith in the preliminary final, with prop Payne Haas conjuring big moments late in the game.
The Broncos trailed 14-0, but came back for their fifth victory in the past four months after trailing by 14 or more points.
"The Broncos don't come back from 14 points down last week against Penrith if they are not as fit as they are," Ryan told AAP.
"If you are not fit at this time of the year and you are trying to do that scramble defence like they do, you will have guys that open spaces up by a metre and it is only one or two passes to get you into that space from an attacking point of view. The Broncos shut that down.
"Then there is the connection and communication. Maguire and Te'o have got it down pat, based on the fact they are super-fit and working together as a collective group."
The 2006 side had great connection and fitness levels. The Broncos trailed 20-6 at halftime in the preliminary final against Canterbury before winning 37-20. They then outlasted the Storm in the decider.
"We often go back to stats as coaches, but I always said to Wayne Bennett that I didn't give a rat's arse about missed tackles because if we scrambled well enough there was always going to be someone there to make the tackle," Ryan said.
"We would look at stats and we might have had 20-plus misses in a game. I know that is way too many, but we would still win because someone missed a tackle and the next person was in line to make it. I absolutely see that with this current team.
"They live and die for each other. That's their ethos. If someone makes a mistake then somebody else will make up for that mistake. If he misses then the next guy makes up for it. The collective group, whether they realise it or not, have become a close-knit team on field."
Broncos defensive warhorse Kobe Hetherington said Ryan was spot-on with his assessment about the fabric instilled by Te'o and Maguire.
"Benny Te'o has brought that steely edge to us, and everyone is buying into what Benny and Madge are bringing," Hetherington said.
"You can see it on the field where everyone is working for each other.
"It is about building the connection. The more games we have played the stronger we have become as a pack and a group. Everyone is working hard from the inside. No one is stopping. Everyone is moving.
"You saw how Benny used to whack them back in the day. He is trying to bring that into us. It is about connection, hitting together, and that first contact and line speed. He is bringing that back to the Broncos."
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