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Sometime after he came to the Brisbane Lions as an 18-year-old rookie at the end of 2010, Ryan Lester was given the nickname Froggy. Normally, he explains that he had a pet frog when he came to the club.

That’s not true.

A couple of players gave an emoji to every player. For no apparent reason, Lester got a frog, but he took it several steps further on an end-of-season trip to Hong Kong, where he got a froggy tattoo “somewhere on my body that you won’t see it”.

Ryan Lester is making the most of every game.Credit: AFL Photos

This is probably the flashiest thing about Frog. Saturday’s grand final will be his 180th game, testament more to his work ethic, character and persistence than natural talent.

Across his career, he’s been dropped 17 times. He just keeps bouncing back.

Taking things one game at a time is a cliche in football. Lester, however, has always taken a longer view.

“I got told early in my career ‘you’re here for a career, not a game’, and that’s always helped my mindset,” he said on Monday of his career on the fringe.

At the end of last year, he was delisted by the Lions, then picked up again. Coach Chris Fagan made him VFL captain, but told him it would not hinder his senior selection prospects. Lester accepted, with no expectations, but the determination still burned.

In round 14, he won his spot back, and wouldn’t let it go. On Saturday, he’ll be a walk-up selection for his first grand final. Lester is trusted by his teammates and coaches: he’s versatile, smart and unlikely to be fazed by big occasions.

“He’s a good person, a really good leader and clearly a really good player as well,” Lions midfield coach Jed Adcock said. “You just don’t usually have your best years of footy when you hit 30, 31.”

Lester celebrates with Cam Rayner after winning the VFL semi-final over Carlton in 2022.Credit: AFL Photos

For the past four years, Lester has thrived on one-year contracts.

“I go into every year thinking, ‘righto, if this is my last year, what do I need to do so I’m ready to transition?’ After four years, I’m more than ready to transition. It’s just a bonus that I’m still playing.”

He quietly completed a Bachelor of Business, and works one day in insurance; his LinkedIn profile is already more impressive than his Wikipedia page.

He probably won’t stay in football when his career does end. “For me to progress as a person, I feel like I need to try something different.”

But the fire still burns. For the first seven years of his career, Lester was part of the glue that held the club together, “when our biggest games were against the other three bottom teams that we could possibly win”.

They were bleak times.

“We had guys leaving the club, and it didn’t feel like good people were necessarily valued. Since ‘Fages’ got here, I’ve felt like good people have been valued around the club more. I guess I’ve benefited from that a little bit.”

All of this has made not only Lester’s contribution to the club more appreciated, but Lester’s appreciation of each game has risen, too: “For the first few games this year I had the attitude that every game could be my last, so go out and enjoy everything that comes with it.”

Then Darcy Gardiner returned from injury. Lester was omitted, again, despite playing well. Gardiner was injured again; Lester was recalled.

“I was kind of like, I’ve got another opportunity, let’s go out and show them I don’t deserve to be dropped all the time,” he said.

Adcock said that showed the type of person Lester was.

“He didn’t drop his bundle; he didn’t sook it up. He just went to work, and it’s been an amazing year for him.”

In the past few days, Lester’s phone has blown up. He’s soaked it all in.

“There have been so many text messages of congratulations, and it’s been great to share that joy with other people, that people are genuinely happy for me and the club,” he said.

There’s just one more game that counts now.

“For 10 years there was very little respect from the competition for Brisbane,” he said. “It was all about what we did in the early 2000s, whereas now it’s very much about what this side can do on Saturday.”

Perhaps Lester will receive wider recognition and respect too.

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