Australian Football

Arguably one of the modern era's most underrated players (at least as far as the media and general public are concerned; less so in the case of field umpires awarding Brownlow votes), Adrian Fletcher's ability to rack up effective possessions remained a noteworthy feature of his game right to the end. Recognised as an outstanding talent right from his early days at Glenorchy (where, in 1988, he won a club best and fairest award and shared the William Leitch Medal), Fletcher went on to give commendable service to five different AFL/VFL clubs. His early years at Geelong (23 games between 1989 and 1991) and St Kilda (22 games in 1992) represented a solid apprenticeship but it was after his move to Brisbane in 1993 that his career truly began to blossom. Tough and resilient, Fletcher's best work sometimes eluded notice but was nevertheless critical to team success. His effectiveness is readily illustrated by the high numbers of accurate handballs he regularly accumulated (he topped the league in this stats category in 1995), while his 'in and under' propensities frequently saw him winning more than his fair share of free kicks (he led the AFL in this category in 1999, a season after moving to Fremantle).

Following four seasons with the Dockers, during which he won a club champion award and was co-captain in 2000 and 2001, Fletcher returned to Victoria in 2002 as a member of the support team, as well as a player, at the Collingwood-aligned VFL club Williamstown. After winning consecutive best and fairest awards with the Seagulls, he retired as a player, and in 2004 he returned to his former club, Geelong, as a scout.

Author - John Devaney