Rookie Ryan Lester (2010-)

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AFLQLD said:
He is really suited to his role I think -strong enough to hold off a second or third defender, fights well for the ball and knows how to tackle, can do time in the midfield as needed and has a knack of getting the ball to ground in contests in our forward fifty.

I think if he can have a game or two where he really gets going and bags five goals he will start to make a name for himself as a mid-sized forward that opposition defenders will start to sweat on.
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Yeah, I think so too.

He's not the quickest player in the world, but he seems to be unusually strong and has good hands in a contest. You can see his matchups getting nervous when they're isolated one on one.
 
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didnt think he was dynamic enough to fit in within our forward half given some of the talent we did have, ie green, zorko, taylor, mcstay etc. but hes proving to be an excellent fit structure wise, with schache to come back in along with green to crumb off him he could become a mainstay, glad hes making the most of this opportunity
 

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Lester: I Embraced Brisbane

It’s just his sixth year in the system and Brisbane Lions utility Ryan Lester is already considered one of the most experienced players on the Lions’ list.

“It is a little bit (weird), like it’s obviously gone quickly… but at the same time I do start to feel comfortable as a bit of a leader around the group,” Lester said on the latest ‘From The Players’ Lounge’ podcast.

“I feel like at the moment, we’re starting to really get a good group together and off the field we’re doing all of the right things.”

Lester believes the future is bright at the Lions and knows that the platforms are in place for future success, but he was disappointed with the result against Port Adelaide as it didn’t reflect the true strength of the playing group.

“Performances like the one on the weekend are actually quite frustrating because we feel like we’re doing all of the right things. “It’s obviously not translating sometimes on the field, and fans unfortunately don’t see what we do behind closed doors, but I’ve got a lot of faith that the group at the moment is going to be something good.

Lester was drafted in 2010, the same year as Jared Polec, Patrick Karnezis, and Josh Green. Of those drafted that year, both Lester and Green remain in the Maroon, Blue and Gold. Does Lester have any malice towards those that have left? No, because they all had their reasons, he still calls them mates.

“They had their own reasons for leaving, which yes it hurt the Club, but I don’t hold any regrets to them… I’m still mates with them,” Lester said. Lester found a great group of friends in Brisbane, found himself a girlfriend, and had the support of his parent’s whose lessons he could learn from. “I probably embraced the place pretty early, and got a good group of mates right from the get go. “I do have a girlfriend, but I don’t have mum and dad screaming at me to come home either.

“My dad’s from South Africa originally, and my mum’s from England. They moved out of home at 18 years old as well, so they embraced that it helps me grow up quicker, and I’ve really found that."

Ryan Lester is a man of many names, known by the boys as Froggy (find out why in the podcast), The Glove – due to his ability to wear opponents ‘like a glove’, and Mr Professional – he was the winner of the Brisbane Lions’ 2015 Most Professional Player Award.

In and out of the side in 2015, Lester has played every game in 2016 after a strong pre-season, locking down a role as a third tall or utility player in our forward line. In the seven games played this year, he’s kicked six goals and adds another dimension to our forward line structure - And Froggy is ‘loving it’.

“I’m certainly happy being that utility… I’ve been at the Club for six years now and I probably haven’t quite cemented my spot in the side and so I’m really just looking for that opportunity wherever that might be.” “This year so far it’s sort of been that third tall forward, trying to negate some of the running half backs and as well as providing a contest for the boys. “I am enjoying it."

Looking ahead to this weekend’s game against Collingwood at the Gabba, Lester said that the boys expect the Magpies to come out firing after a tough week under the media spotlight. “They’re certainly going to come out firing this week… it will be a great contest I think,” said Lester.

However, after last weekend’s disappointing performance against Port Adelaide, Mitch Robinson expects our boys to be up to the challenge. “We will come out here and throw everything we’ve got at them,” said Robinson.
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He's such a tease. Has played a few really good games but consistently doesnt get involved enough.

I wonder how he'd go in a top 4 team. Not that he'd be in their best 22.
 
Wounded Lions doing the hard yards

Lester is recovering really well from minor lower back surgery, he has responded really well and has begun his rehab progressions. He will progress really slowly through to returning to training with the team about a month into pre-season.
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Player Reviews: No. 31 - 35

In just his sixth year in the system, Brisbane Lions utility Ryan Lester is considered one of the most experienced players on the Lions’ list. He was a solid contributor for the Lions in 2016, playing a total of 19 games, bringing his career tally to 80 games played. This Season Lester averaged 11.8 disposals, 5.9 handballs and 5.8 kicks.

Coach’s notes:

Ryan ‘Froggy’ Lester finished in the top 10 in the B & F - It was probably his best year to date. He played mainly as a defensive forward for us and had some good jobs early in the Season playing on the likes of West Coast’s Shannon Hurn, and Carlton’s Sam Docherty to name a few. Towards the back half of the Season he moved into the backline out of necessity due to injuries. Froggy is a versatile player who can play forward, back or midfield.
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lesterrev2016.jpg
 

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INSIDE THE LIONS' DEN
Ryan Lester lined up from 20 metres out, directly in front.

Feeling exhausted after running hard to find space in the forward 50 to receive a flawlessly placed Rhys Mathieson pass, he took a few deep breaths before composing himself and starting his routine. A chorus of boos filled the 41,000 strong crowd, but most of the fans in attendance assumed an obvious result.

As soon as the ball dropped from hand to foot, however, it was apparent that this set shot was destined to hang left, squandering a wonderful opportunity to bridge a two-goal gap early in the third quarter.For most of this contest, Brisbane were treading water and the inevitable was going to happen at some point. Their fighting spirit would dissipate and perhaps another game they seemingly had a chance to grasp would slip through their fingertips, or so it seemed.

“If you come and watch us play, the reality is we’re a young side and we make a lot of skill execution mistakes,” Lester says. “Mistakes where you put your hand up to your head and say, ‘What’s he doing?’”

If you’ve viewed a Brisbane game over the course of the last four months, you will have picked up on Chris Fagan’s demeanour in the coaches’ box.

Perhaps the most glaring sign of emotion came in that exact game in Round 15 at Etihad Stadium, where the rookie coach positioned himself on his knees at the back of the box in an attempt to let out his frustrations following an errant clearing kick from Tom Cutler. Or maybe that was a build-up of issues that began not long after Lester shanked his very gettable set shot to the left when the margin was just 11 points.

The mood on Monday when players walk into training is consistent, no matter what the result is. What the Lions have worked towards since October has been creating a positive environment, regardless of whether a victory was achieved over the weekend, or what their current win-loss ratio looks like.

So when Ryan Lester floated to the front of the pack with 1:50 remaining in the last quarter on Sunday against the Bombers and managed to cling on to an uncontested mark, just a quarter after missing the unmissable, he showed a level of poise by slotting home the sealer to cap a remarkable comeback from a 27-point deficit.

“I missed a set shot 20 metres out,” Lester said. “After the game, it was all very happy that we won and I ended up kicking a goal late in the game, but Fages came up to me and said, ‘You should have kicked that one earlier, let’s work on your goal-kicking routine this week.’ That’s an example where we see vision of him in the box going off because it’s frustrating for him, but by the time he speaks to the player he is calm and composed and wants to help you out.”

While those blunders are frustrating, Fagan will never pick a player out and lambast them for a skill error. It’s about the decision and whether it was the right judgement for the team and the way they intend to play.

“It helps not only me but the young guys by giving us confidence that we can try and hit a particular kick,” Lester points out. “If we miss it, then he won’t go off at us unless it’s a poor decision. That’s the way it has to be these days in the AFL. For players, it’s great to know you can go out there and play with a natural flare because that’s the reality of why we get drafted. We all have talent, so why not let us play to our strengths and not worry about making a mistake?”

Chris Fagan has an open-door policy, but that’s no throwaway line. Communication and messaging are buzz words in today’s era, which can be a trying experience when accounting for a list of players that exceeds 40 young men. Relationships are key.

“You can only pick 22 players, but guys who are playing NEAFL appreciate that what he says to them is really open and honest,” Lester says. “Players want honest feedback about where they sit. It isn’t just that you missed out this week and other players are ahead of you, it’s listing the reasons why and being transparent. He connects well with players on a one-to-one level.” “At the end of the day, we’re all adults playing AFL,” Lester explains. “We don’t need a school-like environment. It’s about you making the right decisions for you and your football, on and off the field.”

While the football club has bought into the playing group and shown more care, it’s imperative that those who take to the field do the same.

Both Fagan and Noble have implemented Leading Teams into the football department, which interestingly enough, was a method the Lions had in place nearly a decade ago, with varying success.

The most recent iteration began at the start of this season, and continues on a monthly basis. The leadership group will meet to discuss, and there are all-in meetings that cover the entire playing group. While Lester says, “It’s not rocket science,” he does stress the importance of recognising aspects that haven’t been fruitful previously. “It is acknowledging behaviours in the past that haven’t been helpful to us, and being able to realise that they’re hindering us as a club and as a team, and being able to turn them around. Most of it is common sense, but once you actually fix a couple of things the culture of the place shifts, and ours has dramatically.”

In May, and around the height of the speculation, Schache took some much-needed time away from the club in his home town of Seymour. And while the external noise bordered on the ridiculous, the internal feeling never wavered. A couple of days after returning north, he put pen to paper on a new deal.

“Both Josh Schache and Dan McStay were big signings for the club, and particularly Josh,” said Lester. “For him to stay sent out a message that there’s a good culture, despite the fact that at the moment he’s playing NEAFL. It was really powerful for us as the Brisbane Lions to become relevant again in the AFL world.

“The reality is that we’ve been lost in the last four or five years because we haven’t been finals contenders and we’ve struggled to retain players. Teams probably come up to the Gabba and see it as a chance to get some good weather and get an easy win.

“I feel like we’re on the right path.”
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Great game tonight against Carlton. Through the week I said that this was going to be Ryan Lester's 'Breakout Game' and I reckon it was. That should silence the critics, particularly those who were insistent that Lester was not up to AFL standard.
 
3KZ is Football said:
Great game tonight against Carlton. Through the week I said that this was going to be Ryan Lester's 'Breakout Game' and I reckon it was. That should silence the critics, particularly those who were insistent that Lester was not up to AFL standard.
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Saved us on numerous occasions. Very courageous game.
 
cotter101 said:
Saved us on numerous occasions. Very courageous game.
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Absolutely. Lester's qualities as a leader were really on show tonight.
 
Lester urges good mate Rocky to stay at rising Lions
BRISBANE Lions leader Ryan Lester has urged free agent Tom Rockliff to stick around at the Gabba, saying the club is in its best position in five years. Lester was instrumental in Sunday's win over Carlton, and said the crop of exciting young players should encourage Rockliff to commit beyond 2017.

Rockliff recently told AFL.com.au he was still a long way off making a decision on his future, and would put his family first. Lester hopes that means staying in Brisbane.

"He's one of my close mates," Lester said. "I know he's certainly enjoying his time under Fages (coach Chris Fagan) and (football manager) David Noble, and same as all of us leaders, we're seeing real positives in lots of the young guys. "I really think the club's in the best shape it's been in for four or five years now, so I don't see why he'd leave."

Lester is a good one to judge the plight of the Lions, being drafted in 2010 and watching the club bottom-out with a string of top-end talent departing. First-year players Hugh McCluggage, Alex Witherden, Jarrod Berry and Cedric Cox have all made strong impacts in their first season. However, it was the leaders that stood up to steer the ship on Sunday, bouncing back from a poor collective performance against Richmond the previous week.

Vice-captain Rockliff was one to have a huge influence, keeping Bryce Gibbs to just eight disposals, playing a rare run-with role. Fagan lauded the ball magnet's "selfless" attitude post-match, and Lester agreed. "Rocky had been quiet for a couple of weeks and it was seen as a way for him to get himself back into a bit of form," he said. "As Fages spoke about, Rocky didn't get a lot of the ball but he negated Gibbs' influence on the game."He's had a really really good year Rocky and he's very well liked and well respected around the club."
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