Ryan Lancaster: Five-time Wandella premiership player set for 400th appearance

Ryan Lancaster is a five-time premiership, one club player who will hit a major milestone this weekend. See how he did it.

Ryan Lancaster is one of the few country footballers who found a positive from the past two Covid-affected seasons.

The season and a half wiped out by the pandemic allowed an ageing body to rest up and reset towards a 400-match senior milestone with his only club, Wandella, on Saturday.

“I’ve got my own farm and it was good to get some jobs done that you don’t have time for when you’re playing every week,” he said.

“When you live in town it’s totally different.

“I missed it for the kids, but personally it was good to have a year off.”

Lancaster, 42, reaches his latest major milestone seven years after bringing up his 300th match in a career highlighted by five premierships, including four in a row from 2008, and two club best and fairests at the same club where his parents, Daryl and Sue, are also life members.

A broken ankle that ruined his 2014 season remains his most serious injury and he has been dropped from the seniors only once.

“I ended up playing both (seniors and reserves) that day because one of the senior blokes pulled out and I went back up,” he said.

“Most years you only miss one or two games, but apart from the broken ankle one year I’ve been pretty lucky.”

Ryan Lancaster plays his 400th senior match for Wandella on Saturday. Picture: Zoe Phillips

Lancaster also considers himself fortunate to play at a successful club with the first premiership flag in 2008 under coach Ash Wilson an enduring career high point.

“(Wilson) was an outsider who came into the club,” he said.

“We had been so close for so many years and just couldn’t quite get there.”

Lancaster has played the majority of his career in key defensive roles with a few seasons in the ruck he didn’t overly enjoy.

“I don’t have the build for a ruckman, 80 kilos is not really a ruckman’s weight,” he said.

“I always pushed to go forward, but the coaches wouldn’t give me a go.

“I’m no superstar and just worked hard on the track.

“A lot of the players you play against now are almost half your age.

“Mixing with them keeps you feeling young also.”

Tim Robinson played alongside Lancaster in the five Wandella premierships and said his teammate’s longevity in the game was remarkable.

“He’s a good, hard, solid, honest player, who doesn’t often play a bad game,” he said.

“It’s a great milestone, you don’t hear many players reaching that many games.

“He might say he pulls up a bit sore these days, but he keeps going.”