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Sport Nation
Who Lester regards as Brisbane’s best recruit
Nicholas Quinlan • September 14th, 2025 4:33 pm
It’s no secret that part of the Lions' success over the last seven seasons has come from their ability to recruit players from other clubs.
Over the years, they have brought in the likes of dual Brownlow Medallist Lachie Neale, Joe Daniher and Charlie Cameron, having built a reputation of being a desirable location for players seeking trades.
Alongside being able to draft Jaspa Fletcher, Levi Ashcroft and Will Ashcroft through the father-son rule, it has seen the Lions remain competitive and reach their fourth preliminary final in a row.
But according to Brisbane defender Ryan Lester, he believes that Josh Dunkley has been the best recruit for Brisbane in Chris Fagan’s tenure due to his ability to play on both sides of the ball.
“Whilst we have had Lachie Neale, we've had Charlie Cameron and Joe Daniher, but I believe Dunks (Josh Dunkley) is our best recruit that we’ve ever had,” he said on SEN’s Crunch Time.
“Because you get a big-name player, but his first priority is defence and contest.
“That’s not to say that the other boys don’t buy into it. But certainly their weapons are more offensive.
“So, for him to do that, it becomes infectious within the team.
“He’s an amazing player, one of the great teammates you could possibly ask for.
“He’s had a great year, and it obviously last night was a super game from him.”
In their finals clash against the Gold Coast Suns on Saturday, Dunkley showed once again that he could perform both defensively and in attack.
Spending most of his night following Matt Rowell around, the former Western Bulldogs player amassed 20 disposals and 18 tackles in Brisbane’s 53-point win against their state rivals.
The Lions will play in their fourth preliminary final in a row when they take on the Magpies next Saturday at the MCG. A win would see them make their third Grand Final in a row against either Geelong or Hawthorn.
The first bounce will take place at 5:15pm AEST.
