Brisbane youngster Jaspa Fletcher hung his premiership medal around his dad, and former Fremantle captain, Adrian’s neck just moments after the final siren as a tribute to the man who helped him to become an AFL player.
Fletcher achieved his premiership dream at just 20 years of age and in his 41st game after being recruited as a father-son selection in the 2022 national draft. His dad played 231 games for Geelong, St Kilda, Brisbane and Fremantle, including as Dockers skipper, but only crossed the 100-game threshold required for father-son picks at the Lions.
Jaspa said he wouldn’t have developed into an AFL player without his dad’s support.
“He was out on the field and I ran to him straight away,” Fletcher said.
“I gave him a big hug and told him how much I love him and am thankful for him. I even gave him a wear of the medal because he didnt quite get there.. It means a lot to me. He gave it straight back, but he deserves it just as much as I do.
“He’s been huge. The amount of work we put in when I was young, I can’t thank him enough. I call him every day of a game and ask him a couple of questions about how I can best put myself forward.
“His first message was to go and enjoy it and soak it up, it’s the best day of the calendar. But play tough and use workrate. Those are the two things that if I do that well I can normally put myself in good stead.”
Fletcher has already achieved more in his first two seasons than most players manage in their entire careers. But he refused to fall into the trap of thinking the team would quickly rebound from last season’s loss to Collingwood.
He was so determined to use the pain of that loss as motivation that he listened to audio of the final siren before pre-season training sessions.
“It’s pretty surreal. I wouldn’t have picked to play in a grand final last year and the amount of heartbreak we had as a group. It drove me all the off-season. I used to listen to the final siren before a big running session,” he explained.
“To get back is a super special moment. Last year helped us heaps. In the moment you don’t realise that when you’ve lost a granny it’s going to hold you in good stead.”
