Chad Fletcher

Chad Fletcher (born 30 August 1979) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the West Coast Eagles in the Australian Football League (AFL). He also played for the Subiaco Football Club and the Claremont Football Club in the West Australian Football League (WAFL). From Perth, Western Australia, Fletcher was recruited by West Coast in the 1998 Rookie Draft, and made his debut for the club in 1999. Having represented Australia in the 2003 International Rules Series against Ireland, he was subsequently named in the All-Australian team in 2004. Fletcher played in West Coast's 2006 premiership victory over Sydney, and retired at the end of the 2009 season after a total of 179 games for the club.

Chad Fletcher
Personal information
Full name Chad Fletcher
Date of birth (1979-08-30) 30 August 1979
Height 179 cm (5 ft 10 in)
Weight 81 kg (179 lb)
Position(s) Midfielder
Playing career1
Years Club Games (Goals)
1999–2009 West Coast 179 (74)
International team honours
Years Team Games (Goals)
2003 Australia 2 (0)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 2009.
Career highlights
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

Football career

Early career

Fletcher began his professional football career in the West Australian Football League with Subiaco, and was elevated from the West Coast rookie list in 1998. He made his AFL debut in 1999, but did not make his mark on the league until 2002.

Career rise

Fletcher was 4th in the West Coast Best & Fairest voting in 2002 before he improved to 3rd in 2003 and 2nd in 2004. In 2003, Fletcher was selected to play for Australia in the International Rules series against Ireland, and in 2004 he was named to the interchange bench of his first All-Australian team.

Fletcher was one of the most prolific ballwinners in the AFL, and played in the West Coast midfield with Daniel Kerr. Chad Fletcher was sometimes forgotten in West Coast's incredible midfield but did show he was very skillful.

Fletcher is also remembered for running into a fence while practicing a training drill blindfolded in 2005, an initiative by coach John Worsfold. He was not injured.[1]

2006 season

Fletcher was also known as a "prolific" ballwinner[2] who could accumulate many possessions in a game. However 2006 saw him considered as one of the least accurate kicks in the league, costing the Eagles many turnovers. He was ranked 1st in clangers per game at West Coast in 2006.[3]

Retirement from AFL

Fletcher was told that he was not needed in 2010 and beyond, playing his last AFL game in round 22, 2009 against Richmond.[4]

Fletcher spent the 2010 season playing for the Balmain Dockers in the Sydney Football League, but retired after the Dockers did not make finals.[4]

Personal life

During West Coast's 2006 end of year holiday in Las Vegas, Fletcher had a brush with death after reportedly choking on his own vomit. Fletcher was rushed to hospital and had to be revived after he stopped breathing. His case was so serious he spent four days in a hospital and flew straight back to Perth after checking out.[4]

In August 2010, Fletcher was arrested and later pleaded guilty to possession of cocaine, outside the King's Cross nightclub Hugo's. Fletcher escaped conviction and was placed on a nine-month good behaviour bond.[5]

In 2014, Fletcher lost his license and was fined $1600 for drink-driving. He was recorded as having a .08 blood alcohol level at the time.[6]

Statistics
[7]
Legend
 G  Goals  B  Behinds  K  Kicks  H  Handballs  D  Disposals  M  Marks  T  Tackles
Season Team No. Games Totals Averages (per game)
G B K H D M T G B K H D M T
1999 West Coast 41100112100.00.01.01.02.01.00.0
2000 West Coast 41171161819027148230.60.410.65.315.92.81.4
2001 West Coast 7208725312637981450.40.412.76.319.04.12.3
2002 West Coast 71810421212533772490.60.211.86.918.74.02.7
2003 West Coast 72010929016345371610.50.514.58.222.73.63.1
2004 West Coast 72271327728155898700.30.612.612.825.44.53.2
2005 West Coast 7251713355234589133460.70.514.29.423.65.31.8
2006 West Coast 724512308235543116590.20.512.89.822.64.82.5
2007 West Coast 7103112910623552330.30.112.910.623.55.23.3
2008 West Coast 7173117621338977390.20.110.412.522.94.52.3
2009 West Coast 750256601163070.00.411.212.023.26.01.4
Career 179 74 68 2238 1634 3872 779 432 0.4 0.4 12.5 9.1 21.6 4.4 2.4

References
  1. FootyGoss :: All the Latest AFL and WAFL Breaking News Archived 15 September 2006 at the Wayback Machine
  2. A few short words – Round 13 < The Soaring – Flying high with the West Coast Eagles: 2006 AFL Premiers!
  3. PRO-STATS Australian Rules Football – The Stats The Coaches Use
  4. Horn, Johnathon. (24 August 2010) "Fletcher nabbed in drugs bust" Archived 26 August 2010 at the Wayback Machine. Sportal. Retrieved 24 August 2010.
  5. http://www.news.com.au/national/former-afl-west-coast-eagles-midfielder-chad-fletcher-escapes-drug-conviction/story-e6frfkp9-1225971405438
  6. http://www.watoday.com.au/wa-news/former-west-coast-eagles-player-loses-drivers-licence-20140507-zr6e2.html
  7. Chad Fletcher's player profile at AFL Tables
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