Brisbane Lions confident Darcy Gardiner up to task of replacing injured Jack Payne

Jack Payne’s misfortune has opened the door for a long-time Lion to regain a spot in Brisbane’s defence.

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.”

Darcy Gardiner (right) flies high to take a mark against Melbourne earlier this season. Picture: Matt Roberts/Getty Images

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.”

Ryan Lester (right) battle with Giants forward Jesse Hogan in Brisbane’s 11-point weekend loss at the Gabba. Picture: Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images

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.”

Originally published as Brisbane Lions confident Darcy Gardiner up to task of replacing injured Jack Payne