Review Past Player Of The Week - Rod Lester - Smith

[Jane Doe]

DOB: 18/7/59

Height: 191 cms
Weight: 93 kgs

Games: 70
Goals 23

Recruited From: East Fremantle

Debut: Round 1 1984 V Melbourne

Lester-Smith was a tall, dashing defender who was also handy in spurts up forward.

He slotted straight into the senior line-up after coming across from Western Australia, playing in the unsuccessful 1984-85 Grand Final teams. A Western Australian interstate representative, Lester-Smith was selected as an All-Australian team in 1985. In the same year he was Hawthorn's top vote getter at the Brownlow Medal count.

He was somewhat controversially left out of the 1986 premiership team, and struggled for senior games in 1987. He departed for the Brisbane Bears in 1988, where he gave some good service over four years.

Where is he now? Still involved in footy at his old WAFL Club East Fremantle

 

[TBoyleSuperstar]

I'll be honest, I don't remember him playing for us. I do remember, or at least I think he did, him playing on grand final day in 1991.......for the Brisbane Bears reserves winning the flag for them.

 

[stemline]

Snuff was a very good player in a good side. But he got a bit of a rep at Hawthorn for struggling when the heat was really on (i.e. finals time).

Hence he found himself dropped from the side during the finals in both 86 and 87. Cracked it and left.

I remember him best for getting into biffo with Derm in the state games when they were teammates at Hawthorn.

 

[langers1971]

Considering that he only kicked 23 goals in his 70 game career, he did well to kick a personal best of 6 v Melbourne at VFL Park round 16 1986.

I rated him very highly, played in the losing 84/85 Grand Finals, unlucky not to be in the 86 Grand Final.

He actually came to my high school a couple of times, i think he was friends with our P.E teacher, so whenever i saw him, i always called him by his nickname of Snuff, just to try and make myself seem a little bit more knowledgable than the others

 

[Collins-Langford-Ayres]

Remember Derm vs RLS in a state game !!

 

[flinchfree]

I liked Rod's game. Thought he could have played out a nice little career had he stayed with us....

 

[Davo23]

He was a very skilful tall man, really good hands and disposals, another of my favourite players.

I was shocked when he left, but I understand that he was blamed for going missing in the 1984 & 1985 Grand Finals, and was considered a liability in big games. I'm not sure how correct that was but the whole club was pretty disappointed by the 1984 loss in particular.

Very good player, otherwise

 

[JoondalupJ]

I'll be honest, I don't remember him playing for us. I do remember, or at least I think he did, him playing on grand final day in 1991.......for the Brisbane Bears reserves winning the flag for them.

I remember him alright. I thought he'd played in a winning flag though. So that was a memory reminder.

 

[hawkheart]

Very good player - but my biggest memory of RLS is in the last quarter of the '84 grand final, he was barely able to run he was so buggered.