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Stepping into Rodney Eade's footsteps at Hawthorn was another talented, pacy wingman from Tasmania in the shape of Sandy Bay recruit Darrin Pritchard.. A member of the Hawks' 1988, 1989 and 1991 premiership sides Pritchard was arguably the most exciting wingman in Australia at his peak. He represented both his home and adopted states at state of origin level, skippering the former on three occasions, and was named in the 1989 VFL Team of the Year. After sustaining a broken leg in 1995 he made a creditable comeback but was never quite the same player. He retired after the 1997 season having played 211 VFL/AFL games. |
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The
label 'legend' is bandied about quite indiscriminately these days but it
would be hard to disagree with its appropriateness in the case of Ian
Harlow Stewart. Born in the western Tasmanian mining settlement of
Queenstown, where footballers do not have the luxury of grass to cushion
their falls, Stewart is one of an elite band of just 4 players to have won
the coveted Brownlow
Medal on 3 separate occasions. Although neither strongly built
nor especially athletic looking he was enormously tough and resilient, and
his outward appearance belied enormous, some would say unique, native
ability. Indefatigably accurate when kicking with either foot,
Stewart was also deceptively strong overhead (in the 1966 season, for
instance, he took more marks than any other player in the VFL), and so
courageous that he frequently won possessions that logic told you he had
no right to. He was also extraordinarily elusive, seldom being
caught with the ball - small wonder that the umpires took note to the
extent of awarding him more Brownlow votes than any other player of his
era.
Ian Stewart's senior career began with Hobart in 1962 where he played 13 senior games and was selected in both of Tasmania's interstate games that year, against the VFA and the VFL. In the latter game, playing in the centre, he gave clear notice that he was a star in the making by outpointing his direct opponent on the day, Geelong's Alistair Lord, who later that season would win the Brownlow Medal. Wooed across the Bass Strait by St Kilda the following year he rapidly formulated an irresistible partnership with fellow Taswegian Darrel Baldock which was largely responsible in 1966 for steering the Saints to their first, and so far only, senior premiership. After 7 seasons and 127 games with St Kilda Stewart's career looked to be waning but in 1971 he moved to Richmond and immediately won another Brownlow to add to the two won previously in 1965 and 1966. While at Punt Road he linked up to great effect with another high profile Tasmanian player in the shape of Royce Hart. Stewart's 78 games with the Tigers included the victorious grand final of 1973 and took his final VFL games tally to 205. He originally retired midway through the 1974 season only to make a handful of appearances the following year before finally calling it a day for good. |
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Left Centre Wing - Adrian Fletcher (Glenorchy, Geelong, St Kilda, Brisbane, Fremantle, Williamstown) |
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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. |
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