As the Bombers prepare for a challenging match against Port Adelaide tomorrow at Etihad, the club paused briefly today to celebrate the 35th birthday of veteran superstar Dustin Fletcher.
Bombers' coach Gary O’Donnell marvelled at the on-going ability of the AFL's oldest player.
“The game can catch up on you like that, but I played with Dustin in the Premiership in ‘93 and in only three years time there’ll a twenty year reunion if he’s still playing,” O’Donnell said to Bomber.tv.
“He’s been a fantastic player over a long period of time, and that’s how you judge players, on their longevity.""
O’Donnell said that Fletcher’s playing career still looks bright despite being almost six years older than the next most senior Essendon player, Mark McVeigh,
“He’s such an efficient player, he doesn’t make too many blues and doesn’t really extend himself that much but still has a big impact on games,” O’Donnell said.
“He just knows what to do, when to do, where to run to, how to cut things off and generally doesn’t turn the ball over either. He’s been a fabulous player.”
Essendon young-gun Henry Slattery also expressed his awe of Fletcher, saying that this year has been one of his best.
“I suppose with his knowledge and how important he is to the team we don’t want to lose him really, you just want him to keep playing,” Slattery said.
“It’s just really good that he’s still playing very well and he’s still enjoying his footy, so who knows how long he’ll play for.”
Tomorrow afternoon’s Round 7 clash against Port Adelaide at Etihad Stadium will be Fletcher’s 319th game for Essendon.
He will move into second on the all-time Bombers' games-played list in Round 9 when he runs out for his 321st game.
While Fletcher turned 35 today, the club was also celebrating a different number with news Essendon has passed the 40,000 member mark.
