Latest news with #RyanLester
News.com.au
3 days ago
- Sport
- News.com.au
Defender Luke Beecken set to make AFL debut for Lions against Dockers
Luke Beecken will make his AFL debut on Friday night against Fremantle in one of four changes to the Brisbane Lions team beaten by Sydney last weekend. Selected by Brisbane in last year's mid-season draft from SANFL club Woodville West Torrens, Beecken has been rewarded for his good form in the Lions' VFL team. The 24-year-old rebounding defender joins fit-again pair Ryan Lester and Brandon Starcevich, and recalled forward Sam Day as inclusions in a Brisbane side still needing a win to guarantee itself a finals berth. The quartet replace defender Tom Doedee, who has knee soreness, and omitted trio Henry Smith, Will McLachlan and Dev Robertson. Lester's return from concussion for the clash at Optus Stadium was expected, while fellow defender Starcevich did enough at training this week to prove he had recovered from hamstring injury that led to him being a late withdrawal from the Lions side that lost by two points to the Swans at the Gabba. Brisbane co-captain Lachie Neale (quad) and forward Kai Lohmann (calf) remain on sidelined. Neale's ongoing absence will give teenager Levi Ashcroft another opportunity to spend more time in the heart of the Lions midfield alongside his older brother Will. 'Before the game (against Sydney) I knew I'd be playing a little bit of midfield so I went up to him and had a little chat about that,' the younger Ashcroft said. 'We thought that was pretty cool. It was a bit of a dream of ours to be able to start in the middle together at some stoppages and centre-bounces. 'It's a really cool feeling and I can't wait to do it (on Friday night) again. 'I've been on the wing and playing half-forward, but I'm definitely looking forward to playing in the midfield with some of the more experienced guys, and showing what I can do in there.' Ashcroft said the reigning premiers were 'looking forward to bouncing back' against the Dockers. 'We're feeling really good,' he said. 'We had a bit of a tough week last week. I thought we did really well in the contest and a few other things, so we were a bit unlucky there. 'We didn't play poorly. We just had a few bad moments or bad quarters, but we've just got to stay connected, play together and continue to play our way because we know our best can beat the best and beat any team in this competition.'
News.com.au
17-06-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
Lester backs Lions to cover Payne injury
AFL: Brisbane Lions defender Ryan Lester speaks about the news that Jack Payne will be out for the rest of the season.
News.com.au
17-06-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
Brisbane Lions confident Darcy Gardiner up to task of replacing injured Jack Payne
Lions defender Ryan Lester has backed the 'reliable' Darcy Gardiner to make the most of his likely return to Brisbane's backline for Friday night's crunch clash with Geelong at GMHBA Stadium, where the premiers must break a 22-year hoodoo to avoid a third successive loss. The Lions haven't won in their past 13 visits to Geelong's home ground, with their most recent victory at the venue having come in 2003 when a star-studded Brisbane side that included the likes of Michael Voss, Simon Black, Jonathan Brown, Nigel Lappin and Jason Akermanis won by 14 points on its way to a third successive flag. 'We've been close a couple of times without getting results, so it'd be really nice to be able to win there, but we've got to play well,' Lester said in reflecting on Brisbane's GMHBA Stadium drought. 'They're really good side, (and) they're really good side at home. They're playing really well this year, so it's good challenge for us.' It's a challenge that has been made tougher by the loss of key defender Jack Payne, who will miss the rest of the season after rupturing the patellar tendon in his left knee in Brisbane's 11-points weekend loss to the GWS Giants at the Gabba. 'He's obviously pretty disappointed. He has had his injury battles in the past, and no doubt, he was having his best year he has had so far, which was so important to us,' Lester said of Payne, who had surgery on Monday night. However, Lester was adamant that 171-game veteran Gardiner, who is expected to replace Payne, was a more than a capable replacement despite his lack of top-flight football in recent seasons. Gardiner, 29, played only four AFL games in 2023, before his 2024 campaign ended in his seventh appearance when he suffered a rupture anterior cruciate ligament in his knee. He has played in six of Brisbane's 14 matches this season but mainly as a forward rather than the defensive role he held for several seasons in the Lions' line-up. 'The best thing about 'Dizzy' (Gardiner) is that he's reliable, and you know what you're going to get,' Lester said. 'He's done well to do some good stuff as a forward, but we've loved having him down back. Along with Harris (Andrews), the three of us have played a lot of footy together, which is good. 'We're very confident that despite 'Payney' being out and all the weapons that he brings, 'Dizzy' is a very good player in his own right, so we're looking forward to having him back there.' Lester was also confident the third-placed Lions could overcome their mini-form slump to get their bid for back-to-back premierships back on track. 'We're an experienced group, and we've been through lots of different scenarios over the last six or seven years, and this is quite similar to the ones we had last year when we had games that we lost where we had more shots,' he said. 'Because we're experienced, we're pretty confident that we know our footy is still good enough.'
