The “best advice” underrated Lions defender received from former Essendon captain

When times get tough, Brisbane Lions defender Ryan Lester has always reverted back to advice he received from a former Essendon captain.

Early in Lester’s Lions career he spent time with Gary O’Donnell who was an assistant coach at the club at the time.

The underrated Lester produced one of the best few performances of his career in last weekend’s Preliminary Final win over Geelong and was quick to recall the knowledge passed on to him by the Bombers great.

He says it has held him in good stead whenever he was struggling or found himself out of the senior side in different stages of his career.

“Gary was at the club early in my career. He’s a great fella and was heavily invested in our club when he was there,” he said on SEN Breakfast.

“Probably the best advice I received from him was that, ‘you’re here for a career, not a game’. That was in regards to that getting dropped from week to week is ok, it’s part of being a footballer.

“At the time it hurts and it’s a bit embarrassing, all those sort of things, but if you can show that you’ve improved throughout the year then you can earn yourself another contract or you can eventually wear guys down who are maybe taking shortcuts here and there.

“He certainly played a large part in my career and I’m very thankful for that.”

Lester has been with the Lions since 2011, clocking up 206 AFL games over the journey, but there were stages when he was on the outer.

He played just three senior matches in 2022 before starting the 2023 season in the VFL, however, he is now a vital defensive cog for Chris Fagan.

The 32-year-old admits he had to find a way to balance his renowned leadership and team-first style with the ability to win back the ball and provide for the team when exiting defence.

“When I was playing VFL I was cautious not to be the guy who spat the dummy and sulked,” he added.

“I know as teammates you’re quick to catch who those guys are. I was really conscious not to be that person.

“Last year I got back into the team because Darcy Gardiner was injured for a few weeks. I had nothing to lose so I went out there and played for myself a little bit, whereas in the past I’ve probably been applauded for my leadership rather than my playing ability.

“I wanted to go out there and show what I can actually do as a player and by doing that I’ve clearly contributed to the team a lot more than just being a guy who shows a bit of voice and direction in the backline.

“Because of that I’ve been able to get the continuity that brings confidence and that has got me to where I am today.”

Lester will line up in his second Grand Final when the Lions meet the Sydney Swans at the MCG this Saturday.

He starred against the Cats last weekend with 20 disposals, eight rebound 50s and five marks, doing a decent job on Jeremy Cameron.