Ryan Lester spent the majority of his debut AFL season consigned to the sidelines after suffering a rare Lisfranc ligament injury to his foot during the Brisbane Lions’ Round 3 match against Melbourne at the MCG.

Before his setback, Lester had proven the early standout among the Club’s crop of 2010 draftees and featured in each of the team’s first three senior matches, and holding down key roles both up forward and down back.

The former Oakleigh Chargers product’s brief taste of senior football last year has only fuelled his hunger for more.

“I played a lot of Under 18 footy, but now I’ve just got to get used to playing against senior bodies which is obviously a little different,” Lester said.

“The coaches have said that I just really need to be out on the park to get experience. So staying out on the park is my only real goal for the year.”

Lester has been among the better Lions players so far in the 2012 NAB Cup competition, but found his first official hitout in almost 12 months a little challenging.

“Obviously I got injured in Round 3 last year, so it had been 10 or 11 months since I had played,” he said.

“I felt it a little bit (in the opening week of the NAB Cup), and started to cramp up about halfway through the (second) game.”

Lester’s ability to play effectively at either end of the ground will no doubt prove a valuable resource for the Lions in 2012.

“I’m not too sure yet (about my role). I’ve done most of my pre-season up forward, but played a lot down back through my junior years. So it’s good to leave that option open as well,” he said.

“With Stakes out this year, hopefully I can become the new ‘swingman’, but we’ll wait and see what happens.”

However, following the latest facial injury to Captain Jonathan Brown, Lester may well be required in attack during the opening couple of matches.