Fletcher Roberts (born 3 June 1993) is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played for the Western Bulldogs in the Australian Football League (AFL).
| Fletcher Roberts | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Roberts in August 2018 | |||
| Personal information | |||
| Full name | Fletcher Roberts | ||
| Date of birth | 3 June 1993 | ||
| Original team(s) | Sandringham Dragons (TAC Cup) | ||
| Draft | No. 11, 2012 pre-season draft | ||
| Height | 196 cm (6 ft 5 in) | ||
| Weight | 92 kg (203 lb) | ||
| Playing career1 | |||
| Years | Club | Games (Goals) | |
| 2012–2019 | Western Bulldogs | 51 (0) | |
|
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 2019. | |||
| Career highlights | |||
| Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com | |||
Early life
editRoberts was educated at De La Salle College[1] and Melbourne Grammar School[2] and attracted attention after kicking four goals in the last quarter of the 2011 TAC Cup Grand Final to lead the Sandringham Dragons to victory.[3] He was then recruited by the Bulldogs in the 2012 Pre-season Draft, with pick #11.
AFL career
editRoberts made his AFL debut in round 20, 2012, against Richmond at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.[4]
Roberts struggled to hold down a spot in the senior side in 2014, playing only five games, but started to show signs of developing into a tall defender for the Bulldogs' VFL side Footscray. The highlight of the season was in the final round against Richmond's VFL side at Punt Road Oval. Trailing by 33 points in the final quarter, Footscray fought back to snatch the lead, only for the Tigers to steady with a goal and seemingly have the game won. With seconds remaining, Roberts took a pack mark and as the siren sounded, lined up from 60 metres. He kicked truly to give Footscray a memorable three-point victory and secure second place on the VFL ladder.[5] Sadly, Roberts would miss Footscray's 2014 VFL premiership triumph through injury.[6]
In 2016, Roberts was not selected until the Round 6 clash against North Melbourne due to recovery from an injury interrupted pre-season,[7] but would then play 15 of the remaining 16 games during the home-and-away season. He was one of the players dropped for the Elimination Final, but would be recalled for the Preliminary Final to replace the injured Matt Suckling. Despite suffering an early facial injury, Roberts returned to play arguably his best game for the club, holding the dangerous Jeremy Cameron goalless as the Bulldogs advanced to the Grand Final.[8] After some uncertainty early in the week leading up to the Grand Final, it was announced that Roberts retained his place in the team ahead of Suckling,[3] which meant that the Bulldogs would field a team that had no experience in an AFL Grand Final. In the match, Roberts combined with Joel Hamling to shut down Sydney's twin threats of Lance Franklin and Kurt Tippett, limiting their output to just one goal to help the Bulldogs clinch an emotional 22-point win, ending their 62-year premiership drought.
Roberts is currently playing for the Port Melbourne Football Club in the Victorian Football League.[9]
Personal life
editRoberts studied a Bachelor of Psychology at Deakin University.[10]
He grew up in the Melbourne suburb of Murrumbeena and played junior football for Murrumbeena Junior Football Club.[11]
Statistics
edit- Statistics are correct to the end of the 2019 season[12]
G
|
Goals | K
|
Kicks | D
|
Disposals | T
|
Tackles |
B
|
Behinds | H
|
Handballs | M
|
Marks |
| Season | Team | No. | Games | Totals | Averages (per game) | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | B | K | H | D | M | T | G | B | K | H | D | M | T | ||||
| 2012 | Western Bulldogs | 18 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 5 | 21 | 7 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 8.0 | 2.5 | 10.5 | 3.5 | 0.5 |
| 2013 | Western Bulldogs | 18 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2014 | Western Bulldogs | 18 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 19 | 16 | 35 | 10 | 10 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 3.8 | 3.2 | 7.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| 2015 | Western Bulldogs | 18 | 12 | 0 | 1 | 55 | 61 | 116 | 41 | 19 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 4.6 | 5.1 | 9.7 | 3.4 | 1.6 |
| 2016# | Western Bulldogs | 18 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 72 | 92 | 164 | 47 | 25 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 4.0 | 5.1 | 9.1 | 2.6 | 1.4 |
| 2017 | Western Bulldogs | 18 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 55 | 40 | 95 | 27 | 13 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 5.5 | 4.0 | 9.5 | 2.7 | 1.3 |
| 2018 | Western Bulldogs | 18 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 4 | 22 | 7 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 9.0 | 2.0 | 11.0 | 3.5 | 0.5 |
| 2019 | Western Bulldogs | 18 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 8 | 18 | 4 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 5.0 | 4.0 | 9.0 | 2.0 | 1.5 |
| Career | 51 | 0 | 2 | 245 | 226 | 471 | 143 | 72 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 4.8 | 4.4 | 9.2 | 2.8 | 1.4 | ||
Honours and achievements
editAFL
- Team
VFL
- Team
- VFL premiership: 2014
References
edit- ^ "Fletcher Roberts: Just A Suburban Boy". www.footyalmanac.com.au. Retrieved 14 July 2024.
- ^ "Congratulations to our Old Melburnian sportsmen". Melbourne Grammar School. December 2016.
- ^ a b Landsberger, Sam (30 September 2016). "Fletcher Roberts filled with confidence ahead of remarkable Grand Final appearance". Herald Sun.
- ^ "McCartney happy to stay patitent". Sky News. 13 August 2012. Retrieved 14 August 2012.
- ^ "VFL: Footscray top Tigers after siren". westernbulldogs.com.au. 25 August 2014.
- ^ Beveridge, Riley. "Joel Hamling and Fletcher Roberts: Western Bulldogs duo go from VFL heartbreak to AFL premiership". Fox Sports.
- ^ "Season review: Fletcher Roberts". westernbulldogs.com.au. 24 October 2016.
- ^ Cherny, Daniel (26 September 2016). "AFL grand final 2016: Fletcher Roberts waits ahead of Western Bulldogs selection". The Age.
- ^ "Giving Back Fletcher Roberts on Opportunities and Education Outside Footy". 25 March 2021.
- ^ "Elite Athlete Program Profiles". Deakin University. Retrieved 10 August 2020.
- ^ The Unlaced Podcast (12 May 2021). The Unlaced Podcast: Fletcher Roberts - Mental Resilience #22. Retrieved 24 July 2024 – via YouTube.
- ^ "Fletcher Roberts Stats". AFL Tables. Retrieved 18 October 2016.
External links
edit
- Fletcher Roberts's profile on the official website of the Western Bulldogs
- Fletcher Roberts's playing statistics from AFL Tables
- Match ratings from Inside Football