Ryan Lester

Ryan attended Glen Waverley Secondary College in Melbourne's Eastern suburbs.

Lester was selected with the 28th pick in the 2010 AFL draft. He made his debut in Round 1 of the 2011 AFL season against the Fremantle Dockers. Lester injured his lisfranc ligament, which is the ligament that stabilises the first and second metatarsal bones, against the Melbourne Demons in round 3.{{cite web |url=http://www.sportal.com.au/afl-news-display/polec-blow-for-lions-124112 |title=Polec blow for Lions |website=sportal.com.au}} Lester did not play again for that season.

In his 2nd season with the Lions, Lester was named in the squad 18 times throughout the season. In round 6, 2012, Lester finished with a career high 27 disposals in Brisbane's 115-55 loss against the Swans.{{Cite web |title=Ryan Lester {{!}} AFL |url=https://www.lions.com.au/players/125/ryan-lester |access-date=2023-10-19 |website=lions.com.au |language=en}}

In 2014, Lester signed a two-year extension to stay with the Lions.

In 2017, under the clubs first season with Chris Fagan as head coach, Lester played all 22 games for the first and only time in his career{{Cite web |last=Stafford |first=Andrew |date=2023-09-26 |title=He was dropped 17 times, delisted, made VFL captain. Now he'll play in an AFL grand final |url=https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/he-was-dropped-17-times-delisted-made-vfl-captain-now-he-ll-play-in-an-afl-grand-final-20230925-p5e7hk.html |access-date=2023-10-19 |website=The Age |language=en}}

Lester was offered ongoing 1 year contracts from 2019 until 2022. At the conclusion of the 2022 season, Lester was delisted.{{Cite web |date=2022-10-21 |title=Former Cat among three Lions delisted, set to get lifeline |url=https://www.afl.com.au/news/859140/former-cat-nakia-cockatoo-among-three-brisbane-lions-axed-set-to-get-lifeline |access-date=2023-10-20 |website=afl.com.au |language=en}} However, Fagan brought the defender back in the 2022 rookie draft, and made him captain of the Lions VFL team.

Lester was not given a game in the Lions squad until round 7, when an injury to teammate Darcy Gardiner gave the defender an opportunity back in the squad. Lester was again dropped in round 11, but would later return to the Lions best 22 in round 14. After his return to the squad, Lester had a career best year. Midway through the 2023 season, Lester signed a one-year contract with Brisbane, keeping him at the Lions until the end of the 2024 season.{{Cite web |date=2023-08-14 |title=McInerney and Lester Sign On |url=https://www.lions.com.au/news/1404910/big-o-frog |access-date=2023-10-19 |website=lions.com.au |language=en}} Lester played in the Lions 2023 Grand Final loss to the Magpies.

Lester was part of the Brisbane Lions 2024 premiership winning team, a 60 point victory over the Sydney Swans.{{cite web|url=https://www.afl.com.au/news/1231476/lion-kings-chris-fagans-heroes-thrash-sydney-swans-in-grand-final-shock|date=28 September 2024|website=AFL|title=Lion Kings: Fagan's heroes thrash Swans in GF shock}}

Ryan is married to Emi Lester (nee Zorko), sister of teammate and former Lions captain, Dayne Zorko.{{Cite web |date=2014-02-18 |title=Lester plays 'hardball' |url=https://www.lions.com.au/news/716969/lester-plays-hardball |access-date=2023-10-19 |website=lions.com.au |language=en}} The couple got married on 13 October 2018.{{Cite web |title=Instagram |url=https://www.instagram.com/p/B3jTUt-h-0a/?igshid=MTc4MmM1YmI2Ng== |access-date=2023-10-19 |website=www.instagram.com}} Together they have 2 children; a son named Romeo, born on 8 August 2020, and a daughter named Georgie, born on 21 May 2022.{{Cite web |date=2022-05-22 |title=Ryan Lester Welcomes Baby Girl |url=https://www.lions.com.au/news/1133854/ryan-lester-welcomes-baby-girl |access-date=2023-10-19 |website=lions.com.au |language=en}}

Lester completed a Bachelor of Business, majoring in Finance through Swinburne.

Updated to the end of 2024 {{cite web|title=Ryan Lester|url=https://afltables.com/afl/stats/players/R/Ryan_Lester.html|work=AFL Tables|access-date=1 October 2024}}

{{Australian rules football statistics legend|p=y}}

{{AFL player statistics start}}

|-

| 2011 || {{AFL BL}} || 35

| 3 || 2 || 1 || 15 || 22 || 37 || 11 || 1 || 0.7 || 0.3 || 5.0 || 7.3 || 12.3 || 3.7 || 0.3

|-

| 2012 || {{AFL BL}} || 35

| 19 || 3 || 4 || 168 || 120 || 288 || 77 || 30 || 0.2 || 0.2 || 8.8 || 6.3 || 15.2 || 4.1 || 1.6

|-

| 2013 || {{AFL BL}} || 35

| 16 || 4 || 5 || 122 || 147 || 269 || 46 || 41 || 0.3 || 0.3 || 7.6 || 9.2 || 16.8 || 2.9 || 2.6

|-

| 2014 || {{AFL BL}} || 35

| 14 || 3 || 1 || 116 || 148 || 264 || 49 || 65 || 0.2 || 0.1 || 8.3 || 10.6 || 18.9 || 3.5 ||4. 6

|-

| 2015 || {{AFL BL}} || 35

| 9 || 8 || 2 || 60 || 60 || 120 || 38 || 21 || 0.9 || 0.2 || 6.7 || 6.7 || 13.3 || 4.2 || 2.3

|-

| 2016 || {{AFL BL}} || 35

| 19 || 11 || 9 || 111 || 113 || 224 || 63 || 50 || 0.6 || 0.5 || 5.8 || 5.9 || 11.8 || 3.3 || 2.6

|-

| 2017 || {{AFL BL}} || 35

| 22 || 14 || 8 || 198 || 159 || 357 || 117 || 63 || 0.6 || 0.4 || 9.0 || 7.2 || 16.2 || 5.3 || 2.9

|-

| 2018 || {{AFL BL}} || 35

| 15 || 0 || 2 || 133 || 107 || 240 || 69 || 40 || 0.0 || 0.1 || 8.9 || 7.1 || 16.0 || 4.6 || 2.7

|-

| 2019 || {{AFL BL}} || 35

| 9 || 0 || 0 || 81 || 27 || 108 || 32 || 30 || 0.0 || 0.0 || 9.0 || 3.0 || 12.0 || 3.6 || 3.3

|-

| 2020{{efn|The 2020 season was played with 17 home-and-away matches per team (down from 22) and 16-minute quarters with time on (down from 20-minute quarters with time on) due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.}} || {{AFL BL}} || 35

| 15 || 0 || 1 || 107 || 70 || 177 || 62 || 35 || 0.0 || 0.1 || 7.1 || 4.7 || 11.8 || 4.1 || 2.3

|-

| 2021 || {{AFL BL}} || 35

| 17 || 1 || 0 || 112 || 86 || 198 || 72 || 32 || 0.1 || 0.0 || 6.6 || 5.1 || 11.6 || 4.2 || 1.9

|-

| 2022 || {{AFL BL}} || 35

| 3 || 0 || 0 || 16 || 9 || 25 || 4 || 6 || 0.0 || 0.0 || 5.3 || 3.0 || 8.3 || 1.3 || 2.0

|-

| 2023 || {{AFL BL}} || 35

| 19 || 1 || 1 || 197 || 71 || 268 || 119 || 38 || 0.1 || 0.1 || 10.4 || 3.7 || 14.1 || 6.3 || 2.0

|-

| scope=row bgcolor=F0E68C | 2024^# || {{AFL BL}} || 35

| 27 || 0 || 1 || 289 || 99 || 388 || 175 || 48 || 0.0 || 0.0 || 10.7 || 3.7 || 14.4 || 6.5 || 1.8

|- class=sortbottom

! colspan=3 | Career

! 207 !! 47 !! 35 !! 1735 !! 1238 !! 2963 !! 934 !! 500 !! 0.2 !! 0.2 !! 8.3 !! 6.0 !! 14.3 !! 4.5 !! 2.4

|}

Notes

{{notelist}}

Team

• AFL premiership player: 2024

{{Reflist}}

{{Commons category}}

• {{Brisplayer}}
• {{AFL Tables|R/Ryan_Lester}}

{{Brisbane player squad}}

{{2024 Brisbane Lions premiership players}}

{{2010 AFL national draft}}

{{2023 AFL rookie draft}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lester, Ryan}}

Category:Living people

Category:1992 births

Category:Brisbane Lions players

Category:VFL/AFL premiership players

Category:Brisbane Lions premiership players

Category:Australian people of English descent

Category:Australian people of South African descent

Category:Sportspeople of South African descent

Category:Australian rules footballers from Victoria (state)

Category:Oakleigh Chargers players

Category:21st-century Australian sportsmen

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