Asked to choose three words to best describe himself, Ryan Lester paused and rubbed his chin. It’s what a thinking man does. After a few moments he chose “genuine” and “consistent” and a collective “want to keep learning and get better at what I do”.
Those who know him well will say he did an excellent job. He is all of that and more. But if he missed one word it might have been ‘team’. Because he epitomises completely what team is all about – such a critical component of professional sport.
Indeed, while it’s a time-worn saying “there is no ‘I’ in team”, if management of the symbolic ‘team’ chose a logo there is every chance it would feature a little frog in honour of the Lions veteran.
There’s no player in club history who has done ‘team’ better. Nobody who has consistently put club and team interests above personal interests better than Lester.
It’s a massive credit for a player who others, if given the same three-word challenge, might describe him as unselfish, balanced, realistic, humble, loyal and pragmatic. And anything else that means team-first. And a very good team player.
All this comes as ‘Froggy’ Lester prepares to play his 200th game against StKilda at Marvel Stadium on Sunday afternoon, becoming the 21st Brisbane player to this mark, the 32nd player in the combined Lions family, and the 655th in AFL history.
It’s the first leg of a milestone double, with Lester set to become the 22nd player to play 100 games at the Gabba In Round 22 on Saturday week (10 August) against the GWS Giants.
Why ‘Froggy’? Because in his first season at the Lions, when all new players were given an emoji, his was a frog. And on the end-of-season trip to Hong Kong that year he had got a small tattoo of a frog “where nobody will ever see it” – except the club massage staff.
It’s been a wonderful football journey for a man who, among 13,166 AFL players all-time, is in the 5% who have posted a double-century in 128 years since the League’s inception in 1897.
He’ll be the third-oldest Lions 200-gamer, younger only than long-time Brisbane teammate Dayne Zorko and Fitzroy Team of the Century defender Frank Curcio.
And among the 32 Lions double-centurions he’s missed through injury or non-selection 114 games. Daniel Bradshaw (86) is next on this list from Justin Leppitsch (75), Ash McGrath (72), Shaun Hart (70), with Curcio (54) missing most games among the Fitzroy 200-gamers.
Now 22nd on the all-time Brisbane games list, he will go into his 15th season at the club next year to equal the stay of such luminaries as Michael Voss, Jonathan Brown, Marcus Ashcroft and Daniel Rich. Only games record-holder and 16-year superstar Simon Black was longer.
He’s not just a rare commodity inside the Lions den – he’s an AFL rarity. He’s one of only three players with the surname ‘Lester’ in AFL history after Fred Lester played one game for Hawthorn in 1928 and Garry Lester played 10 games for Hawthorn in 1967.
Plus, there have been two players a Christian name ‘Lester’ – Lester Kelly played 40 games for University from 1912-14 for an 0-40 win/loss record, and Lester Ross played 10 games with StKilda in 1959.
Outside Brisbane’s Lester, the most famous AFL Lester, albeit a hybrid version, was Rod Lester-Smith who played 70 games at Hawthorn from 1984-87, winning All-Australian selection in 1985 and playing in the losing grand finals in 1984-85, and 39 games with the Brisbane Bears from 1988-91, captaining the ’91 VFL Reserves premiership.
And the most famous ‘Lesters’ of all-time? Lester Pearson won the 1957 Nobel Prize for his role in solving the Suez Canal crisis and was Canadian Prime Minster from 1963-88, American Lester Pelton invented hydro-electricity in the late 1870s, Englishman Lester Piggott was one of the great jockeys, and Australian boxer Lester Elis was a five-time world champion.
Ryan Lester has been listed as an ‘out’ at team selection no less than 32 times in his career due primarily to injury or non-selection, and on top of 199 AFL games he’s played “50 or 60” games in the Reserves, including the 2019 Reserves premiership. Possibly more.
It’s something he admits he found “a bit embarrassing” in his early years but now accepts and understands it is part of life as a role player at an AFL club.
It goes back, he says, to something he learned very early in his career from then Lions assistant-coach and ex-Essendon captain Gary O’Donnell. He told him “you’re here for a career – not a game”, and it’s been something of a personal trademark since.
The Lester journey began at suburban Glen Waverley, about 19km south-east of the Melbourne CBD, where he grew up with older brother Sean, younger sister Kirsten, his South African-born father Warren and English-born mother Julie, who met travelling in England.
They were a big sporting family. Sean – “much better than me at an early age” - was an emergency for the Victorian Primary School football side and captained the Oakleigh Chargers Under 16s, and Kirsten was a gymnast.
The middle Lester child, who also played cricket and basketball, was a late bloomer in the sport that became his profession after he’d missed his Under 15 year with knee problems.
He catapulted onto the radar of AFL scouts with two good years for the Oakleigh Chargers in the 2009-10 TAC Cup Under 18 side coached by Steve Grace, who later served as an assistant-coach at Fremantle and the Western Bulldogs.
Lester was vice-captain of the 2010 side that reached the preliminary final under skipper Alex Johnson, an AFL premiership player in his 45th game at Sydney in 2012 who went through an astonishing six knee reconstructions to add two further games in 2018 before a seventh knee blow-out ended his AFL career.
Lester had a good Under 18 national carnival with the Vic Metro side in 2010, playing primarily as a tall defender before slipping into the midfield for the last two games in what he suggested was “a bit of a trump card” because it showed his versatility.
Ahead of the draft he was described in the Herald Sun as “a spare parts man in defence whose clear strength was his overmarking and spoiling, his strong attack on the ball and his versatility”.
He spoke with “12 or 13” AFL clubs at Draft Camp and later met privately with Brisbane recruiting boss Graham Hadley. He always felt the Lions were most interested after they had told him of their genuine interest. “They had three mid-range picks and if I didn’t go there they had one in the 60’s. I thought surely …. And luckily things worked out!”
The 2010 Draft was on a Thursday and Lester listened on the radio because there wasn’t anything like the same saturation coverage of today and “we didn’t have Foxtel at home”.
It was the primary set-up draft for the Gold Coast Suns, and after the Suns took David Swallow, Harley Bennell and Sam Day with the first three picks, his Chargers teammate Andrew Gaff went to West Coast at #4 and Brisbane took Woodville-West Torrens’ Jared Polec at #5.
At #25 the Lions chose his Chargers teammate Patrick Karnezis, and after West Perth’s Jack Darling went to the West Coast at #26 and North Melbourne took the Eastern Ranges’ Kieran Harper at #27 the Lions snapped up Lester at #28 ahead of Tasmanian Josh Green at #32.
Lester joined a club which, having finished 6th and 13th in 2009-10 under Michael Voss, had lost Jared Brennan and Michael Rischitelli to the Suns, traded Justin Sherman to the Western Bulldogs, and moved on Travis Johnstone and Troy Selwood. They also picked up West Australian Rohan Bewick in a complicated trade with Gold Coast in compensation for Brennan.
He wasn’t long at the club when they sacked Brendan Fevola. Welcome to the big time!
Soon after Lester inherited the #35 Brisbane jumper worn 111 times from 2004-10 by Rischitelli after it had been a hand-me-round in the early years, worn by Ken Judge (17 games), Gavin Keane (7), Peter Worsfold (10), Jason Akermanis (17), Nick Trask (12) and Shane Morrison (5).
Lester lived initially at Annerley with Lions finance staff member Kate Shelders and later with 2009 Lions draftee Bryce Retzlaff in a townhouse at Carina. They were clubmates and good mates but in another quirky Lester statistic they were never teammates.
Lester is Brisbane player #245, and among 106 players who have followed through to player #351 Henry Smith he has played in the same team as all but two – Retzlaff and 2011 one-gamer Josh Dyson. Lester was injured when Retzlaff played his 11 games in 2011, and after a 2012 Retzlaff knee reconstruction the ex-Gold Coaster was delisted.
He also played alongside 27 Brisbane players who came before him for a total teammate count of 133. Or 38% of a club list of 351 that goes back six years before he was born.
Lester debuted in Round 1 2011 against Fremantle at the Gabba with Bewick and promoted rookie Claye Beams in Joel Patfull’s 100th game. It was Jonathan Brown’s 201st first game and Lester played as a third tall forward in a role labelled ‘the workhorse’ by coach Voss.
The Lions led at every change but lost captain Brown to the first of a string of bad facial injuries that ultimately would end his career. After Lester had kicked his first goal in the opening minute of the final term the Dockers kicked the last three through Aaron Sandilands, Nat Fyfe and Michael Walters to win by two points.
For the nostalgic, the Lions side in notional positions in Round 1 2011 was:-
B: Jed Adcock, Daniel Merrett, Brent Staker
HB: Ash McGrath, Joel Patful, Andrew Raines,
C: Cheynee Stiller, Simon Black, Rohan Bewick
HF: James Polkinghorne, Jonathan Brown (c), Daniel Rich
F: Todd Banfield, Mitch Clark, Ryan Lester,
R: Matthew Leuenberger, Tom Rockliff, Jack Redden
INT: Claye Beams, Amon Buchanan, Jesse O’Brien
COACH: Michael Voss
Lester and Karnezis were the third and fourth of now six Lions draftees from the Chargers to wear maroon, blue and gold, following Luke Power and Sam Sheldon, and preceding Tom Cutler and Noah Answerth. Jordan Lisle, originally drafted from Oakleigh to Hawthorn, also played for the Lions.
Sadly, a Lisfranc injury in Round 3 ended Lester’s first AFL campaign and the first number went into the frame on a year-by-year games record which now reads 3-10-16-14-9-19-22-15-9-15-17-3-19-19. Total: 199.
After Retzlaff’s departure Lester shared a townhouse in Coorparoo in 2013 with a Gold Coast lad who had joined the club in 2012 after being rejected by the Suns - Dayne Zorko. It was a life-changer – and nothing to do with football.
Through his new housemate Lester met Emi Zorko, sister of the emerging Lions star. Later he dutifully asked permission of Zorko to date the former Gold Coast personal trainer and when they became Mr and Mrs Lester in October 2018 Zorko was best man.
Through his 14-year career Lester has had nine contracts. That’s a lot. He started with four two-year deals through to 2018, was on one-year deals in 2019 and 2020, was signed for two years in 2021 and has gone back to one-year in 2023 and 2024.
At least after an outstanding 2024 on the back of an outstanding 2023 he won’t have anything to worry about at the end of this year. He’ll be back for sure.
At a time in which long-term contracts have become common, a matter-of-fact Lester says he’s learned to live with the occasional contractual uncertainty.
“I was close to gone in 2018 – I wasn’t told until after he last game I’d be right – but since ‘Fages’ (coach Chris Fagan) arrived it’s been a bit different. I’ve felt valued for things other than just on-field performance … he’s valued me as a person, even when I’ve not played well, and that’s what you want … you want to feel good about yourself. Even in 2019 when I only played nine games he told me I’d shown improvement in terms of what he wanted,” he recounted.
In 2022, when he played only three AFL games in Rounds 8-17-22 and outsiders may have thought his time was up, Lester got positive reinforcement from the club for his outstanding leadership of the VFL side and the depth he offered the club. And a new contract.
Despite all this Lester, ninth in the club championship in 2016-17, was voted by the players into the leadership group every year from 2017-23 before standing down this year to allow others to explore their leadership capabilities.
“One of the first things ‘Fages’ noted when he got to the club was that we did not have a lot of depth in leadership. I probably got in because I cared more than most. I’m not naturally a loud person but if you care enough people will tend to take notice,” he recounted.
“I’ve probably been lucky because I played a bit in the Reserves I’ve had a good connection with players at all levels, and that helped my overall connection. I was able to get feedback from the younger guys and shared them across the entire club.”
Having played under Voss from 2011-13, Justin Leppitsch from 2014-16 and Fagan since 2017, and with players from different eras, Lester has seen enormous change and credits the arrival of Fagan, ex-football boss David Noble and CEO Greg Swann for real progress.
Speaking of the old ‘punishment sessions’ in his early years, he remembers especially a day when the playing group had to drive to Redcliffe for a beach session which included a series of push-ups on gravel. It was a player-driven thing, he said, without remembering the exact circumstances. “Maybe somebody was late to training.”
“Since those days the clubs has shown that if you get the right leaders they can really have a positive effect on an organisation and the lives of the people involved, and we’ve certainly seen that,” he said, noting that since Fagan’s arrival there has been something of a ‘less is more’ philosophy.
Instead of the compulsory next day recovery session after a game players were left to their own devices. The expectation that even on a day off players were expected to be at the club to do some each touch work or physiotherapy was wiped.
The club has handed more responsibility to players to do the right thing and that’s been positive, he said, noting with pride the change from Gabba crowds of 15,000 in his early days to regular sell-outs.
Lester is especially close to Zorko and longtime backline partners Harris Andrews and Darcy Gardiner, plus Hugh McCluggage, Jarrod Berry and Cam Rayner.
“The mateship is the thing I love most about footy – even when you’re not going well you still love the club and love playing with your mates.”
Andrews, four years younger than Lester, is an unabashed fan of his backline teammate. “Besides being a fantastic human he’s a fantastic teammate – I could talk about him for ages,” he said, when invited to reflect on a player whose locker is three away, separated by #32 Shadeau Brain, #33 Zac Bailey and #34 Darcy Fort.
“The work he’s done and the help he’s offered young guys new to the club over the years is incredible – especially guys from interstate. He always wants to help other people … you always see him out doing extra skills with young guys, or watching vision with them. He’ll have them over for dinner or take them for a coffee, and make sure they are happy and involved.
“It’s a credit to him that even when at times he wasn’t an absolute lock to play senior footy every week he was still voted unanimously onto the leadership group by the players. That’s how highly he is regarded.
“I’ve always leaned on him because I know I’ll get a straight answer. He sometimes has a different way of thinking and it always great to bounce ideas off him. He’s always pro-active rather than reactive and says ‘yeah that’s good, but have you thought about doing it this way?
“He turns up everyday with the same positive attitude. While a lot of guys can fluctuate in their moods and potentially impact others he’s rock solid … so consistent, so reliable, such a good example for others.”
Andrews said he was “absolutely rapt” to see Lester be “first on the teamsheet” and play so well in the past 18 months. It’s like a reward for all he’s done for others.
In typically respectful Andrews fashion, he wouldn’t spill any ‘dirt’ on his good mate but did mention Lester’s ultra ego “Brian”, who has been known to show up when at the right time the players get together for a few quiet beers.
“He can be very funny when he takes the mickey out of his himself because, while he’s ultra professional when he has to be, he loves nothing more than spending time with his mates.”
Oddly, Lester’s 50th, 100th and 150th game were against Gold Coast – all for wins. And if he’d just missed one less game his 200th would have been last week against the Suns.
His 100th game was in Round 21 2017 at the Gabba, when the Lions came from 21 points down at quarter-time to win by 58 points in a tumultuous week for the club’s nearest neighbours.
It was also the 200th game of Suns pair Jarrod Harbrow and Matt Rosa in Dean Solomon’s first game as coach after Rodney Eade resigned midweek when told his contract would not be renewed.
But Lester is happy his 200th has landed in Melbourne, where family, friends and a host of ex-teammates can attend. A request for 35 tickets might be a little light as ex-teammates Michael Close, Mitch Golby, Josh Walker, Stefan Martin, Lewis Taylor, Jackson Paine and Bewick join a big cast of will-be celebrators.
By chance, too, his 200th falls against the club which he followed as a kid idolising Saints’ 1997-98 Brownlow Medallist Robert Harvey.
It will always be a weekend special in football history, with Collingwood’s Scott Pendlebury set to become the AFL’s sixth 400-gamer on Saturday behind Brent Harvey, Michael Tuck, Shaun Burgoyne, Kevin Bartlett and Dustin Fletcher.
Lester just shook his head when contemplating such a feat. “I thought he was a veteran when I came into the League … it’s an unbelievable effort,” he said, having played against Collingwood for the first time in 2013 in his 28th game at 20. It was Michael Voss’ 100th game as Brisbane coach and Pendlebury’s 158th at 25.
The pair have met nine times for a 6-3 record to Pendlebury, who in those games has averaged 28.1 possessions and polled five times in the Brownlow for 11 votes. And one meeting was last year’s grand final.
It’s no small coincidence that in the only game Lester has played against Collingwood without Pendlebury in the opposition in 2021 the Lions had an 85-point win – the second-biggest of Lester’s career until this year’s 119-point romp against Richmond.
Lester was the 28th player from the AFL Draft Class of 2010 to play 100 games, and will be the 22nd to play 200 games. It’s a star-studded group, listed below with their draft position and career games, with retired players noted with (*):-
#1 – David Swallow (GC) 237
#4 – Andrew Gaff (WC) – 278
#8 – Dyson Heppell (Ess) – 252
#9 – Dion Prestia (GC/Rich) - 221
#11 – Tom Lynch (GC/Rich) - 220
#14 – Brodie Smith (Adel) - 262
#17 – Shaun Atley (NM) – 234 *
#19 – Isaac Smith (Haw/Geel) – 280 *
#23 – Cam Guthrie (Geel) -240
#24 – Jamie Cripps (StK/WC) – 247
#26 – Jack Darling (WC) – 294
#28 – Ryan Lester (Bris) – 199
#33 – Jeremy Howe (Melb/Coll) - 248
#40 – Luke Parker (Syd) - 286
#41 – Tom Liberatore (WB) - 229
#53 – Tom McDonald (Melb) – 228
NT Zone – Steven May (GC/Melb) - 234
Qld Zone – Charlie Dixon (GC/Port) - 216
Rookie #16 – Tom Jonas (Port) – 238 *
Rookie #18 – Ed Curnow (Carl) – 221 *
Rookie #22 - Luke Dahlhaus (WB/Geel) – 225 *
Of 158 first-time draftees in 2010 only 22 are still playing – all but the retired Atley, Smith, Jonas, Curnow and Dahlhaus of the 200-gamers listed above, plus Lions teammate and pick #61 Jarryd Lyons (194), Western Bulldogs’ rookie #39 Jason Johannisen (196), West Coast rookie #44 Jeremy McGovern (188), Gold Coast #3 Sam Day (155) and two former Suns concession picks - Port’s Trent McKenzie (165) and Bulldogs’ Alex Keath (109).
Through it all Lester has done his best to keep life as normal as possible. Having completed a Batchelor of Business majoring in finance, he’s done a string of internships to further his knowledge, and when he’s not required at Brighton Homes Arena on Wednesdays he goes to work like a normal 31-year-old, albeit with a polo shirt and chinos rather than a suit and tie.
He works with “Argyle”, an insurance start-up company formed by Anthony Day, who was Suncorp CEO in the days when Vero were a major partner of the Lions.
And when it’s not football or finance it’s been family since the birth of son Romeo in September 2020 and daughter Georgia in May 2022.
“I love being a Dad … a hands-on Dad. The kids give you perspective and they occupy your time. I’m not saying winning and losing doesn’t matter as much, but you certainly don’t go home and sit around feeling sorry for yourself.”
Indeed, it is not unreasonable to think that Lester’s career-best form of the past two years is in some way linked to the contentment and responsibility of fatherhood.
Regardless, having married a Queensland girl and fathered two Queensland children, there’s no questioning where life after football will be. He’s here to stay.
With the fondest of memories from last year’s grand final appearance – “even though we lost it was an incredible experience” – he is looking forward optimistically to what the back end of 2024 might hold for the rejuvenated Lions.
Surprised to learn his 199 games in jumper #35 is 12th on the AFL list all-time, Lester looks forward to jumping to equal 10th in the first final this year when his 204th game will see him join Robert Neal, who wore #35 in 204 of his 220 games with Geelong and StKilda from 1974-88, and 1926 Melbourne premiership player Dick Taylor, who played his entire 204 games with Melbourne and North in #35.
Ahead of him on the #35 honor role are 2010 Carlton draftee Ed Curnow (221), Collingwood’s Simon Prestigiacomo (233), Port Adelaide’s Chad Cornes (239), Rischitelli (243), ex-Geelong captain Billy Goggin (248), Carlton’s Peter Dean (248), Collingwood’s Peter Daicos (250), Geelong’s Paul Chaman (251) and his childhood hero – Saints’ Robert Harvey (379).
What’s next after football for Lester? “I don’t know. I always thought that a job in football administration would be great but over the years that for my own personal development I’ve got to get out and try some new things. I’ll always to stay involved with the club, even if it’s just doing some Academy coaching, but I’m not sure it’s going to be a full-time thing moving forward.”
