Adrian Fletcher
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| Personal Info | |
|---|---|
| Birth | October 10, 1969, |
| Recruited from | Glenorchy
|
| Playing Career¹ | |
| Debut | 1989, Geelong vs. , at |
| Team(s) | Geelong (1989-1991)
23 games, 10 goals St Kilda (1992) 22 games, 10 goals Brisbane Bears (1993-1996) 86 games, 50 goals Brisbane Lions (1997) 21 games, 4 goals Fremantle (1998-2001) 79 games, 25 goals |
| ¹ Statistics to end of 2005 season | |
| Career Highlights | |
Adrian Fletcher (born October 10, 1969) is a former Australian rules footballer and current assistant coach. He is regarded as one of football's nomads with 4 Australian Football League clubs behind him. Fletcher's play relied on being an excellent play reader which resulted in him being a prolific ball-winner.
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[edit] Early career
Fletcher was recruited from Glenorchy, Tasmania in 1988 as a 19 year old William Leitch medallist by the Geelong Cats, playing 23 games there from 1989-1991 and kicking a total of 10 goals. From the Cats he transferred to St Kilda for a year in 1992, where he played 22 games and also kicked 10 goals.
[edit] Playing for Brisbane
In 1993 Fletcher moved yet again to the Brisbane Bears where he would make his name as a tough uncompromising midfielder. From 1993-1996, Fletcher played 86 of a possible 90 games, finishing fifth, fourth, second and fourth in the club champion awards. He was a significant player in the Bears' 1996 preliminary final loss to Carlton playing on the half back line.
In 1997, however, his form slumped after the lack of a solid pre-season. He fought back, however, and ended up with a season average of 19 possessions per game in 21 games. However, despite a season that, although starting badly, was not considered by Fletcher to be his worst, he was traded to the Fremantle Dockers.
[edit] Trade to Fremantle
However, despite a season that, although bad, was not considered by Fletcher to be "his worst," the Brisbane organization was not very forgiving. At the end of the 1997 season, he was called in to a meeting with the match committee, and was traded to the Fremantle Dockers.
Insiders at Brisbane claim that then coach John Northey, sensing the pressure he was under to deliver a premiership, turned on Fletcher. In the space of one year, Northey had gone from one of Fletcher's biggest fans to his biggest critic. He later admitted his mistake in letting him go. He had played for the Bears throughout the tumultuous merger period with the Fitzroy Lions, and had helped carry them through it. Fletcher, although by nature hesitant to blame anyone, admitted that leaving Brisbane tore at his heart. He felt he had found his niche with the Bears, finishing second in the club's best and fairest in 1995. When you add a best and fairest fifth in 1993, fourth in 1994 and fourth in 1996 (when he also polled 14 Brownlow votes), some were surprised to see Fletcher go.
Carlton premiership coach Robert Walls, who was in charge of Fletcher in Brisbane from 1993 to 1995, said the decision to trade him to the Dockers was a "gross mistake". Walls was delighted when Fletcher was picked up by Fremantle.
[edit] Fremantle career
Fletcher had an imediate impact at Fremantle, finishing second in the club's Best and Fairest award in 1998 and winning it in 1999. He was one of the AFL's most underrated players, though the umpires recognised his value with regular Brownlow votes. Despite an average season by his heady standards, he was the club's leading handballer and showed great resilience to return from a fractured cheekbone after just two weeks. At the end of the 2001 season he was asked to retire by the Fremantle club despite his ability to regularly win possession of the football which was highlighted again by his 2001 match statistics. He was ranked in the AFL's top 20 for overall disposals and also was in the AFL's top five for handballs. He played 69 games for the Dockers ending up with 25 goals.
[edit] Post AFL and coaching career
After being delisted by Fremantle and not beind drafted by any other AFL clubs, Fletcher retired from the AFL after the 2001 season, and played for Williamstown Football Club in the VFL for two years. He won the Williamstown best and fairest award in both these seasons and also won the Norm Goss Medal for best on ground in the 2003 VFL grand final in Fletchers last game of senior football. He also was a development coach for the Collingwood Football Club during this time. In 2004 he joined the Geelong Football Club as an assistant coach, before returning to Collingwood in 2005.
He has made several appearances in AFL Legends Matches.
| Preceded by Jason Norrish |
Fremantle Best and Fairest winner 1999 |
Succeeded by Troy Cook |
| Preceded by Chris Bond |
Fremantle Football Club co-captain 2000-2001 |
Succeeded by Peter Bell |
