Fletcher

[Big John]

Why doesn't he play on the best forwards. I don't buy the idea that he gets taken to far away from goal, surely he is a better bet on Barry Hall and others this year, but others who probably aren't up to the job are left to be outmuscled while Dustin takes an easier job.

I know i'm repeating what many reporters have said, but its a good point and i can't for the life of me understand why Fletch as our best defender doesn't play on the best forwards.

 

[DonsRule]

Why doesn't he play on the best forwards. I don't buy the idea that he gets taken to far away from goal, surely he is a better bet on Barry Hall and others this year, but others who probably aren't up to the job are left to be outmuscled while Dustin takes an easier job.

I know i'm repeating what many reporters have said, but its a good point and i can't for the life of me understand why Fletch as our best defender doesn't play on the best forwards.

Why - oh why am I even bothering.

Fletcher plays as Full back. Who ever plays Full forward, Fletcher will take.

 

[Dan26]

I've always been of the opinion that Fletcher is a great full back, but doesn't have a great footy brain when taken into other parts of the ground.

I like to see him stay at full-back, because he's a natural there. He is not a natural anywhere else, and the coaching staff, thank God, seem to share this view.

 

[Big John]

I agree that Fletch is much better and much more comfortable at full back, but he is still better prepared and would do a better job than anyone else on the list at holding down the oppositions best forward even if they do play at CHF.

 

[M29]

Sheedy is fine with him playing two positions. Full Back and Full Foward. I would have thought this would have been a year to try someone else at fullback and let Fletcher handle CHB for a few weeks. We'll be screwed even more in a few years when we're left with the likes of Lovett-Murray and Welsh holding the likes of Gherig and Lynch to 14 goals.

 

[Crave]

Well, he IS our last line of defence, so being able to sit at FB allows him to have that freedom of playing on our last line. To have him further up ground would have him more consistently looking like a spectator than anything else. Besides, Hall has far greater body mass than Fletcher...dont want Fletcher having to deal with shoulder injuries in his twilight as for example Carey did in his latter years.
This is where Bradley needs to step up at some stage and take on some of these key forwards while he has youth on his side.

 

[DaSawx]

It's not easy for anyteam to deal with 2 gun forwards, let alone us. Forget it, Bradley is not a CHB, until someone else is recruited McPhee is our best bet

 

[Jack-Packenham]

I've always been of the opinion that Fletcher is a great full back, but doesn't have a great footy brain when taken into other parts of the ground.

I like to see him stay at full-back, because he's a natural there. He is not a natural anywhere else, and the coaching staff, thank God, seem to share this view.

So any other team should just play there best forward 20 metres out from goal so they can match up on Solomon or McPhee. Then put some ordinary player in the goal square for Fletcher to pick up. e.g. Pies play Maxwell at full forward on Fletcher and play Rocca 20 metres out from goal. Just keep kicking it to Rocca on Solomon and let Maxwell lead Fletcher away from the ball.

You guys are sticking up for Sheedy who is coaching poorly on this issue.

 

[vast]

So any other team should just play there best forward 20 metres out from goal so they can match up on Solomon or McPhee. Then put some ordinary player in the goal square for Fletcher to pick up. e.g. Pies play Maxwell at full forward on Fletcher and play Rocca 20 metres out from goal. Just keep kicking it to Rocca on Solomon and let Maxwell lead Fletcher away from the ball.

You guys are sticking up for Sheedy who is coaching poorly on this issue.

Hows bomber thompson going?

 

[keepzitreal]

I wouldnt mind him up forward even if it is pinch hitting. I know his important down back and all but its not like we're winning games right now with him down there.

I think he'd be a tough matchup because of his height and speed and would demand the football and present a good option. His an accurate long kick too so i just cant work out after 13 years why we cant at least try him there, esp now with Lloyd gone.

 

[Jack-Packenham]

Hows bomber thompson going?

Great response.

Debate the issue, don't just throw insults around.

 

[Longy413]

So any other team should just play there best forward 20 metres out from goal so they can match up on Solomon or McPhee. Then put some ordinary player in the goal square for Fletcher to pick up. e.g. Pies play Maxwell at full forward on Fletcher and play Rocca 20 metres out from goal. Just keep kicking it to Rocca on Solomon and let Maxwell lead Fletcher away from the ball.

You guys are sticking up for Sheedy who is coaching poorly on this issue.

You're not really good at this.

The reason Fletcher stays at full back is because he has the ability to zone off, read the play and help out other defenders. If he's at FB, he'll get to the contest 20-30m out from goal.

If opposition coaches want to play their best forward further up the ground, good. The further away from goal the better, because where does Fletcher stand when the next kick comes in?

Regardless, if Rocca was 20m out from goal Fletch would play on him. Just like he played on him last time.

 

[Jack-Packenham]

You're not really good at this.

Bradshaw
Thompson
Pavlich
Hall

You reckon I am not good at this. The facts are key forwards dominate against the bombers and Fletcher either gets chopped up or hides from them.

 

[Jack-Packenham]

You're not really good at this.
Regardless, if Rocca was 20m out from goal Fletch would play on him. Just like he played on him last time.

Barry Hall plays 20 metres out from goal, so why didn't he play on him.

 

[Jack-Packenham]

You're not really good at this.
The reason Fletcher stays at full back is because he has the ability to zone off, read the play and help out other defenders. If he's at FB, he'll get to the contest 20-30m out from goal.

Worked well on Saturday on Barry Hall.

 

[Longy413]

Those blokes kicks goals on most full backs, that's why they are considered some of the best in the competition.

Hall kicked 6, he got two from free kicks that the commentators (their opinion, not mine) said should not have been payed. Of course if you had of seen the game you'd know that Hall perhaps wasn't as dominate on the scoreboard as the stats suggest and part of that was because there were periods of the game where he pushed high up the ground.

If you had of seen the game, you'd also know that Fletcher did spend time on Hall.

You'd also know that Michael O'Loughlin is a pretty good footballer.

 

[vast]

Great response.

Debate the issue, don't just throw insults around.

I didnt realise he was coaching so poorly that you would consider that question an insult. Would it make you happy if we just said that scarlett is a better fullback.

 

[Karlostj]

Bradshaw
Thompson
Pavlich
Hall

You reckon I am not good at this. The facts are key forwards dominate against the bombers and Fletcher either gets chopped up or hides from them.

Fletcher played on Pav for most of the game against Freo, until he went off injured...

 

[Crave]

Bradshaw
Thompson
Pavlich
Hall

You reckon I am not good at this. The facts are key forwards dominate against the bombers and Fletcher either gets chopped up or hides from them.

You need to consider that its pretty difficult when Hall and other great forwards have some outstanding delivery into their forward line. A great forward can position himself between his opponent and the ball and take a mark out on the lead. Fletcher cant do it al on his own if his teammates arent negating their opoosition inthe middle.

 

[Ealesy]

The Freo game is the prefect example of why he plays at fullback.

Smartest move Connolly has ever made. Directed whoever was playing at full-forward (ie had Fletcher playing on them) simply to lead up out of the forward 50m to get Fletcher out of there. Worked a treat too!!

Fletch is a fullback, that is what he understands and does best, he isn't half the player when he is taken from his comfort zone of the last line of defence.

He also doesn't play on the apes like Hall and Brown simply because the one problem he's always has had is playing on big strong forwards who like the one -on-one contests, he simply doesn't have the body to go with them in these contests.

 

[Corsairs]

Bradshaw
Thompson
Pavlich
Hall

You reckon I am not good at this. The facts are key forwards dominate against the bombers and Fletcher either gets chopped up or hides from them.

Look at who else we have back there. Solomon - people forget that our back flanker/pocket of a few years ago is now expected to play on key forwards. McPhee - back flanker. Bradley - still learning and IMO not a CHB. Lee - 3 or so games. Fact is Fletcher IS our backline. Yes, not playing him on Barry Hall etc has cost us 6 goals or whatever, but the flip side is the number of goals he's stopped doing what he's doing. Our lack of other options in the back line is another issue, Fletcher is the best full back in the league and therefore plays full back. Also, by and large the ball has been coming into the opposition forward line a lot more and under less pressure than in previous years. Suggesting Fletcher hides from key forwards is ridiculous - one of the gutsiest players around.