AFL Odds: Veteran Bomber Still Hungry
January 3rd, 2015 by TJ DilferWe don’t know if you’ve been keeping up with the long-running saga that’s still been playing out at Essendon. We’ve mostly steered clear of it in these pages – in part because we’re not sure the effect it really has on the AFL odds we’re seeing, but also because it’s a long and complicated story and we’re not sure what we think of it yet.
And another man who’s happier ignoring the scandal is veteran Bomber Dustin Fletcher – he’s got bigger and better things on his mind, he says, and he’s still hungry for more chances at Finals glory: ‘I learnt pretty early in my career that you don’t play footy just to fill up the numbers, you play footy to play finals and try to get to that last week of September. Some people don’t get the chance to play in finals and Grand Finals. If I had a shot at that it would mean everything, but they’re hard to get, 1993 and 2000 are a long time ago. I know it’s hard, but I’m prepared to put in the work.’
Which is exactly the right attitude to take, you would think, and one that will hopefully help set Essendon back on track in the 2015 season. It will be very interesting to see how the Bombers hold together as a squad, and how they fare in the season – they’re currently getting AFL odds of $31.00 to win the flag, but there won’t be too many who see them as out-and-out contenders. Fletcher could have a big role in keeping them competitive as they look to put recent events behind them over the course of the season, and on the way he could become only the third man in the history of the sport to play 400 AFL games. That’s an incredible achievement by a true professional – and a great example for players at Essendon and at every other club in the AFL…
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