Rookie Ryan Lester (2010-)

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Yeah, I'm thinking it must have been an injury. There were a couple of times in the third quarter he looked slow and his opponent just ran past him, at the time i thought maybe it was match fitness but it makes sense that he may have been a bit sore. Other than that I loved his game. He looks to have taken it to the next level the last few weeks and even though he can seem vanilla at times you have to remind yourself that he's still young and has a heap of development left. I'm really thinking the Kennedy comparisons aren't too far off the mark to be honest and when you consider how long it took him to finally reach his potential, I'm very excited to watch Lester's progress over the next few years.
 
A few times I've noticed Lester manufacture something unusual (eg. a grubber kick) to get out of trouble or to create a path to a team mate in space. Even though it is effective it probably gets put down to luck a bit because of his ungainly style. But I think he is cleverer than what he gets credit for. He was excellent in the first half, but I didn't see much of him in the 2nd. Considering his surprise omission from the team earlier in the year, and his surprise subbing last week, I wonder if he is carrying a niggle of some sort.
 

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Rubix WingMan said:
Loved his game on the weekend. Sure he had a few average disposals, but nearly the whole team had the jibbers.

Admired the way he goes about it, in and under midfielder who thrives on contested footy. We got a beauty here.

Massively underrated though, but he's coming along just fine. :thumbsu:
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He is a huge part of our future. I see huge things for him. He will become elite IMO.
 
He does have a tendency to look very fatigued one minute and then do something pretty energetic the next. But on the whole I think his errors are largely due to tiredness. Really like his decision making and sure hands under pressure. Reckon he will become one of the leaders of the team in the not too distant future.
 
I thought Lester was OK yesterday but his option taking still needs improvement. He seems to be learning more about competing on the inside each week though. There was a stoppage at one point and he made a beeline for Hodge. Hodge tried to push Lester under the ruck contest but Lester stood his ground, kept the space in front and managed to get two hands to the footy. Hodge loves that tactic and is so strong that it is pretty hard to defend against. I knew Lester was getting stronger around the contest but that was a real sign that he's mixing it pretty well against the big boys.
 
POBT said:
I thought Lester was OK yesterday but his option taking still needs improvement. He seems to be learning more about competing on the inside each week though. There was a stoppage at one point and he made a beeline for Hodge. Hodge tried to push Lester under the ruck contest but Lester stood his ground, kept the space in front and managed to get two hands to the footy. Hodge loves that tactic and is so strong that it is pretty hard to defend against. I knew Lester was getting stronger around the contest but that was a real sign that he's mixing it pretty well against the big boys.
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That said, if Lester could bulk up he could be the Josh Kennedy of our team. If you look at Sydney's set up Kennedy goes in and feeds it out the back for Jack to boot forward.
Lester ------> Rich .....BANG!
 


Ryan was able to accelerate past his opponent on that occasion and good on him for backing himself b/c I'm sure he tried doing the exact same thing in the first quarter on the outer wing and was caught stone cold...having watched it a number of times, such a shame he wasn't able to convert.

Either way, Ryan is a beauty and looking forward to him becoming very much the permanent fixture to our midfield in much the same vein as Josh Kennedy is at the Swans.
 
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I'm betting Ryan has replayed this moment over in his head a thousand times already, with a slight variation of him striking the ball a bit more centrally and getting a bit more elevation.
 

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I was pretty impressed with his first 2 goals, doesn't usually kick goals, but he converted the couple of opportunities he got. Backed himself and it paid off. Was good seeing him getting it done around the outside of packs and not just being in and under. Positioned himself in the perfect position to kick the winning goal too.
 
2013 Review - by Bert Man

Coming into the year I think many people were unsure as to where Ryan would play. Drafted as a half back who can move forward and play in the midfield, Lester has shown this season he can do just that.

Ryan started his season in the NEAFL and played in the round 2 clash against the Crows. Ryan played on Josh Jenkins for most of the match and proved he can play on taller opposition. To the surprise of many Ryan was omitted for the round 3 clash against the Suns.

Ryan did not play in the senior side until round 6. Ryan made the most of his opportunity with his inspired performance. Not only did Ryan shutdown one the AFL’s best players; Josh Kennedy, Ryan collected 27 disposals and demonstrated many likeable attributes.

Leading up to the bye Ryan was looking to cement his spot in the best 22. Ryan averaged a modest 16 disposals after his standout game against Sydney and was under pressure to keep his spot in the team. However, Ryan’s versatility allowed him to buy time in the side. Rotating from the midfield to the backline Ryan’s spot in the side despite under threat was being slowly cemented.

Subsequent to the bye Ryan showed how good he can be again by collecting 25 disposals against the strong Fremantle midfield. Ryan however was unable to continue his good form and was once again accumulating promising and meagre numbers. Ryan proved once again that he can compete with the most potent of midfields by playing an important part in Brisbane’s midfield against Hawthorn. Subsequent to the Hawthorn game Ryan played a poor game VS Gold Coast and was omitted.

After playing well in the NEAFL, Ryan was recalled to the Lions senior side for the Round 17 clash VS Melbourne. Ryan collected 10 disposals in the fourth quarter after coming on as SUB at 3 quarter time. Despite his promising performance as sub Ryan was once again relegated back to the NEAFL. After spending 2 weeks in the NEAFL, Ryan was recalled for Brisbane’s clash VS Richmond.

Coming back into the side Ryan collected 16 disposals. Ryan was lucky not be omitted back to the NEAFL and started the game VS GWS as sub. Coming into the game at 3 quarter time Ryan collected a promising 13 disposals and showed great promise. Following the GWS game Ryan collected
16 disposals against the Bulldogs, in an ordinary game. Against Geelong Ryan showed immense promise by kicking 2 goals and accumulating 18 disposals. Ryan’s game will not be remembered for his great performance it will however be remembered for him missing an opportunity to give his side a spot in the finals by missing a shot with only seconds left on the clock.

Ryan showed plenty of promise in season 2013. Ryan is most likely to play his career as an inside midfielder, however he has shown he has the ability to also play as a defender, and play well as a defender. For Ryan to improve his game he will have to find more of the ball and begin to trust himself more with the ball in hand. Ryan will prove in future years to became a very important part of Brisbane’s line up.
 
Great write up Pick??isagun. I am a big fan of Ryan's, a real solid citizen type.

I was a bit mystified by the selectors approach to Ryan across the year. At times even when he was playing well he looked buggered (although he would still make it to lots of contests). I wonder if there is an underlying injury/fitness issue.
 
If I had to pick one young player to have a big year this year it would be Lester. He has had a couple of solid seasons since his broken leg and a few pre seasons under his belt since than as well. It is his 4th year at the club and he is getting close to that 50 game mark(Currently on 38). For the Lions to improve we really need players like Ryan to step up and become a regular, consistent contributor and he came very close to doing so last year so my bet is him becoming a crucial cog in our midfield operation this year.

He has the ability to win the hard, contested ball but an underrated part of his game imo is his ability to push forward and kick goals. He is an accurate kick for goal from both a set shot perspective and on the run. I hope to see this part of his game flourish this year with a presumed larger endurance base after a tough pre season.
 
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