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Fletcher's career over

Fletcher's career over

11/08/2009 9:46 PM

West Coast premiership midfielder Chad Fletcher's AFL career appears to be over after Eagles' coach John Worsfold said the club's youth policy meant he was unlikely to get a farewell game at Subiaco.

Worsfold confirmed on Tuesday the out-of contract 29-year-old would not be offered a new deal by the club, saying it was unlikely he'd be selected just to play a farewell match.

The coach said he remained in contention for selection purely on the basis of his excellent WAFL form with Subiaco, where he gathered 35 possessions last weekend.

But he admitted the club would select a developing young player like Tom Swift over Fletcher purely to get as much game time into the youngsters as possible before next season.

"The fact that Chad hasn't played for quite a while, my gut feeling is that farewell games are generally for guys that are in the side and playing," Worsfold said.

"But to bring a player, who hasn't been in the side for a number of weeks, in just to play a farewell game, I think is very rare and I don't know if there's a lot of value in that."

"Chad's been such a great player for the footy club and achieved so much and there's a lot of factors to take into account ... (but) it just so happens that in the last year of Chad's contract, we've been in a position where we have to look to the future fairly quickly."

"That means opportunities for some of those more senior players have been more limited."

"But the big thing is that they haven't been because he's chucked the towel in or his forms been poor, I think his attitude has been outstanding and the way he's gone about it, he's given himself every chance but it's out of his hands."

Worsfold said fellow veterans Ash Hansen, Brent Staker and Tyson Stenglein were in a different position as they are under contract until 2011. But the trio may be the subject of trade negotiations along with out-of-favour ruckman Mark Seaby.

The coach also said veteran David Wirrpanda's form warranted the 30-year-old playing on for another season, incredibly his 15th in the AFL after making his debut in 1996 as a 16-year-old.

 
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