My standards haven't changed at all. Birchall has been good in all of his games, so the fact he has missed 2 doesn't concern me,
Shaw was playing very poorly before he got injured.
I stand by Waters, he has been okay, but he is the best choice for the flank.
He got thumped by Monfries, had to go forward to get a kick. Can't recall that happening to Fletcher this year
Lake plays the role Fletcher does, but does it playing on the best forward, in a much worse team.
Not true.
Lake was on Lynch, Markovic had Kennedy rd 1 - Kennedy kicked a huge bag.
Petrie had his best game of the year on him. He's had 3 good games (Coll, GC & GWS), he's been average and no, he hasn't been taking top quality forwards all the time.
Fletcher is made to look good because of the defenders around him, yes he does good things, but he's not AA.
Who?
Most of the year our most experienced defender outside Fletch has been Dempsey (
just hit 60 games).
He's been the one covering, teaching, guiding guys like Hibberd, Carlisle, Hardingham, Heppell. All still very raw.
Or is it that venerated superstar Ricky Dyson who's been making him look good..... erm...
Scarlett's had the same established, experienced backmen (Mackie Lonergan Enright Hunt Milburn all 100+ gamers) around him for best part of 8 years. Weren't they "making him look good" ?
O'Brien & Maxwell had Presti & Johnson (150 gamers) when they were AA.
Same for Birchall (Gibson Guerra Burgoyne 150+gamers), and Waters has Glass & Hurn (200 & 100 gamers) every week.
Why would he been AA now at 37 or whatever he is, and not for the last 10 years? My memory tells me he's made it once before.
Honestly it beats me too, there are questionable decisions every year.
Pavlich over Fletch for FB possibly the best in recent years but O'Brien > Fletch is a pretty good one too.
You just have to ignore all of that crap and just judge how they've done their job.
Fletcher's job is that third tall, organise the set-up, get to a lot of contests, get a spoil in, and rebound the ball.
Most weeks that's the same role as Johnson (or are you going to tell me Dawson/McPharlin are there as 3rd tall/rebounders?) or Scarlett or Glass or Lake have.