In 100 years in the VFL/AFL, among 1157 players all-time, Fitzroy had only three 250-gamers … Kevin Murray (333), Paul Roos (269) and Garry Wilson (268).

And only 312 of 13,362 players all-time have hit 250 games.

It’s beyond rare.

The 250-Game Club is for very special people. Like the 10 Brisbane members – Simon Black (322), Marcus Ashcroft (319), Dayne Zorko (314), Michael Voss (289), Luke Power (282), Daniel Rich (275), Shaun Hart (273), Darryl White (268), Jonathan Brown and Harris Andrews (256).

Lester’s 250^th game, which comes 19 days before his 34^th birthday, is a mark of extraordinary resilience and a tribute to persistence-plus.

Notably, while Lester has played his fifth block of 50 games to reach 250 the club has played only 55 games. He’s been a fixture through a golden period under Chris Fagan at an age when most are winding down their career, or have already finished.

Measured in this fashion, his other 50-game blocks are the opposite of what you’d expect. He missed 32 games in his first 50, 19 in his second 50, 26 in his third 50 and 46 in his fifth 50, when there were plenty of people writing him off.

It’s quite reasonable to suggest that the man they called ‘Froggy’ has never played better than in his last 50-game bracket.

He’s certainly never enjoyed the same success. A win against Hawthorn would give him 36 wins and a draw in his last 50 games. That’s after he started with 20 wins in his first 50 games, 10 in the next, then 30 and 34 wins a draw going from 150 to 200 games.

He didn’t play his first final until game #140 in 2020 and had only two finals in his first 150. He played one more final getting to 200 games, and his since has played 11 finals, including three grand finals, and won two premierships.

Only six Brisbane players have played beyond their 34^th birthday  .. Zorko (37), Alastair Lynch and Roger Merrett (36), Luke Hodge (35), Black and Andrew Bews (34).

Lester will be #7 and, given his continued outstanding form this year, there is no reason why he cannot play on in 2027.

It’s more than 15 years since Lester debuted in Round 1 2011 against Fremantle at the Gabba under coach Michael Voss and alongside 103-gamer Rohan Bewick and 54-gamer Claye Beams.

The Lions led at each change, and when Lester kicked his first goal 49 seconds after three-quarter time they were 11 points up. But a late Michael Walters goal have the Dockers a two-point win.

At the time Levi Ashcroft, Lester’s youngest teammate against Carlton last week, was all of four years old.

The cagey veteran, the only member of the Brisbane side that night still playing, has been in the AFL longer than the Gold Coast Suns, who played their first game six days later.

Pick #28 in the 2010 National Draft, Lester is one of seven 2010 draftees still playing. The others are Dion Prestia, Tom Lynch, Jack Darling, Jeremy Howe, Luke Parker and Tom Liberatore.

Drafted earlier than Lester were Max Gawn, Jack Gunston and Jake Melksham (2009), Steele Sidebottom and Rhys Stanley (2008), Patrick Dangerfield and Taylor Walker (2007) and Scott Pendlebury (2005).

Lester will be the fourth player in AFL history to play 250 games in jumper #35. On Friday night he will equal Collingwood’s Peter Daicos, and next week he’ll equal Geelong’s Paul Chapman.

The #35 record-holder might be a bit of a stretch – StKilda dual Brownlow Medallist Robert Harvey played 379 games in that number.

But in a world of numbers perhaps the numbers that count most this week are the milestone numbers. Or more particularly the milestone results.

Lester is 4-0 in milestone games.  A 54-point win over Gold Coast at the Gabba in his 50^th in 2014, a 58-point win over Gold Coast at the Gabba in 2017, and a 73-point win over Gold Coast at Carrara in 2021.

He changed the script slightly for his 200^th, which delivered an 85-point win at Marvel Stadium against StKilda.