How the ‘Baby Bomber’ who got thrown to the wolves became a hall-of-fame 400-gamer

Champion Essendon defender Dustin Fletcher started his AFL career off-script as he lined up to contest the centre bounce against Carlton beanpole and premiership ruckman Justin Madden in his first match.

Two hours later he was part of one of the game’s most memorable draws when a set shot from Carlton’s Stephen Kernahan to win the match after the siren went out on the full.

By the end of the season, Fletcher was Kernahan’s opponent in the grand final as “the Baby Bombers” stormed to an unlikely premiership with the 17-gamer playing full-back on the game’s best forward.

Kernahan kicked seven, but Fletcher ended the day a premiership player, having rocked up to pre-season expecting to combine reserves and school football.

During that opening season, when he turned 18, he missed a match against the Brisbane Lions to play for Essendon Grammar (where he was studying year 12) under the coaching of his dad, Bombers great Ken Fletcher.

But the Bombers’ coach, Kevin Sheedy, saw Dustin’s precocious talent and decided not to delay exposing him to the top level.

A week before the school game he had restricted Adelaide’s Tony Modra – who was at the peak of his powers – to just three goals, and in 33 one-on-one contests stopped the Crows hero from winning all but four. He was being paid $1000 a game to take on Tony Lockett, Gary Ablett and Jason Dunstall in a golden era for full-forwards.

At his induction to the Australian Football Hall of Fame on Tuesday night, Fletcher spoke about his debut against the Blues, telling host Gerard Whateley, “I think I played one game of schoolboy football and there was an injury to Anthony Daniher ... I was summoned to come into Sheeds’ office on the Friday morning, and he gave me the news that I was going to make my debut against Carlton.

“He waved me down the race. I was near the back of the huddle … and he said, ‘Young fella, we’re going to change things up’. This is 10 minutes before the game started. ‘We’re going to move our ruckman from the ruck to full-forward, I want to have a look at you in the ruck’.

“Justin was about eight foot [tall] and probably weighed 120 kilos. I was 6′5″, 79 kilos and I think I got the first hitout, straight to Greg Williams, to Craig Bradley [by handball], the ball gets kicked to Stephen Kernahan, and I think he kicked a goal, so I never played in the ruck again, and I was absolutely rapt.”

One of the game’s most storied careers was underway, a premiership player before leaving school, a 198-centimetre defender with long arms who could tangle up forwards like an octopus in marking duels.

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