Fletcher's junior club was the Paddington Colts in the Eastern Suburbs District Junior Rugby League. He started his top-level career at the Sydney Roosters in the second row in the 1997 ARL season. Despite only 24 National Rugby League appearances, Fletcher was selected for the Australian team to compete in the end of season 1999 Rugby League Tri-Nations tournament. In the final against New Zealand he played at second-row forward in the Kangaroos' 22-20 victory. Over the years Fletcher would gain 13 caps for the Australian national side and also play 14 games for New South Wales in the State of Origin matches.
One of the highlights of Fletcher's Sydney Roosters career was his appearance at second-row forward in the 2000 NRL Grand Final, their first in 20 years. He also helped Australia inflict a humiliating defeat on the New Zealand national team 52–0 as well as a 3–0 whitewash of Queensland in the State of Origin series. Fletcher is perhaps best known in Origin circles for his hand grenade try celebration which he performed in 2000 series where NSW thumped QLD 56-16. It is believed that the try celebration forced Queensland to change their whole strategy towards Origin and it created a pathway for Queensland to win fourteen of eighteen series since 2006 (including a record eight straight between 2006 and 2013). Former Queensland player Wendell Sailor said “As a Queenslander, you never forget that". Queensland Origin great Gorden Tallis had previously spoken about how that try celebration eventually led to a shift in the State of Origin balance of power which saw Queensland win back the Shield in 2001. Former player Matthew Johns claims that the try celebration started a Queensland dynasty. Former Queensland coach Chris Close spoke about Fletcher's try celebration in 2016 "I thought it was disgraceful act and a disgraceful show of disrespect, You would certainly never, ever see that from any Queensland team, It still burns. F---ing oath it does".[3][4]
Fletcher achieved even more success in the 2002 season. He played for the Roosters from the interchange bench in their 30-8 win over the New Zealand Warriors in the 2002 NRL Grand Final in front of 80,130 fans at the Telstra Stadium. He scored the final try in the 74th minute in what was his 135th and final appearance for the red, white and blue, before moving to rivals the South Sydney Rabbitohs.[5]
South Sydney RabbitohsEdit
Fletcher left the Roosters and moved to perennial strugglers the South Sydney Rabbitohs in 2003. Fletcher was soon installed as the club's captain after signing due to his playing pedigree. In 2003 he won the George Piggins Medal as the club's best and fairest player of the season.[6]
The Rabbitohs' captaincy was stripped from him after an altercation on the pitch with Parramatta Eels player Dean Widders in which Fletcher made a racist comment towards Widders.[7] It turned out to be the turning point in the Rabbitohs' season, with Ashley Harrison taking the captaincy from him and the Rabbitohs winning most of their matches under him in a late season surge which saw them avoid a third consecutive wooden spoon.[8]
He later apologised for the event, saying: "I apologise unreservedly for comments that I made to Dean Widders in yesterday's game. The comments were totally unacceptable and for that I am sorry. "My actions have set a very poor example for kids who follow Rugby League and these types of comments cannot be tolerated in our game."[9]
Fletcher playing for Wigan on 4 September 2007
Wigan WarriorsEdit
Before the scandal that led to Fletcher being stripped of his captaincy, banned for 1 game and fined A$10,000 he had agreed to a move to England to play for Super League club; Wigan Warriors after three years at Souths. Fletcher joined the Wigan club in 2006 in time for the pre season training but was sidelined for the opening four rounds of Super League after needing emergency Bowel Surgery in early January.
Fletcher's début came against Warrington Wolves on 10 March 2006 at the JJB Stadium in Wigan, and made an instant impact as a substitute scoring his first try three minutes into his first appearance. He was one of the stalwarts that helped Wigan through one of the most tumultuous times in the club's history on and off the field in 2006 with the dismissal of coach Ian Millward, the low morale within the team and seeing the once feared Wigan club sitting at the bottom of the table. Thanks to Fletcher's impact in the Second-row and the Prop positions Wigan managed the seemingly impossible and survived relegation from the Super League, finishing 7th and just missing a playoff place to local rivals Warrington.
Playing statisticsEdit
At the end of the 2007 Super League season, Bryan Fletcher retired from competitive rugby league. He had played in 125 games for the Sydney Roosters, 45 for Souths, and a further 55 for Wigan. He also played 2 games for City Origin, 14 State of Origin games for NSW and 13 Test and World Cup matches for Australia.
Personal lifeEdit
He got married in 2003, to Britt Fletcher. Together they had 3 daughters, Scarlett, Maya, and Lucca. When he retired from playing in 2007, Fletcher and his business partner Craig Markham began a cleaning company called Cleanfit. The company cleans a number of pubs, clubs and office blocks in Sydney. It also allows Fletcher, who is a qualified plumber, to utilise his trade in order to help with the business.[10]
In 2013, Bryan Fletcher was a regular presenter on Channel 9's weekly football season program "The Footy Show". Fletcher presented the "Kick for Cash" segment.
In 2014, Bryan Fletcher joined Fox Sports "Monday Night with Matty Johns' forming a duo with fellow former NRL player Nathan Hindmarsh. Fletcher and Hindmarsh participate in many challenges set by the producers. 'Fletch and Hindy' created their own spoof NRL bid team known as the 'Nepal Donkeys.[11]
In July 2018, Fletcher made the headlines after he was allegedly set up by an Uber driver buying cocaine. The Uber driver reportedly filmed Fletcher in a snapchat video saying "Look who I'm selling bags to …". Fletcher responded with "Don't say that, I don't know who this driver is, we're just hanging out it's Saturday night, I'm just in an Uber". Fletcher's manager Steve Gillis told the media "The driver asked him for a quick Snapchat video he's been set up. "Fletcher told me that he's never met the bloke, he just jumped in the back of his cab and driver pulled this stunt he's clearly been set up".[12]
In 2019, Bryan was chosen to be part of the core host ensemble for the Unibet Australia weekly television format program "At Odds".
NotesEdit
^"Bryan Fletcher - Career Stats & Summary". www.rugbyleagueproject.org. Retrieved 25 December 2022.
^. 3 September 2012. Archived from the original on 3 September 2012. Retrieved 25 December 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
^"Legends reveal truth behind famous Origin insult". News.com.au. 29 May 2017.
^"Origin grenade 'a disgraceful show of disrespect' says Close". 20 June 2016.
^. Sydney Roosters. Archived from the original on 27 March 2019. Retrieved 4 January 2019.
^. rabbitohs.com.au. South Sydney Rabbitohs. 2007. Archived from the original on 19 March 2012. Retrieved 2009-11-30.
bryan, fletcher, rugby, league, bryan, nathan, fletcher, born, april, 1974, australian, former, professional, rugby, league, footballer, played, 1990s, 2000s, south, wales, state, origin, australian, international, representative, second, forward, played, club. Bryan Nathan Fletcher born 12 April 1974 is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1990s and 2000s A New South Wales State of Origin and Australian international representative second row forward he played his club football in Australia with the Sydney Roosters and the South Sydney Rabbitohs before a stint in England with Wigan Bryan Fletch FletcherPersonal informationFull nameBryan Nathan FletcherBorn 1974 04 12 12 April 1974 age 49 Sydney New South Wales AustraliaPlaying informationHeight191 cm 6 ft 3 in Weight119 kg 18 st 10 lb PositionSecond rowClubYears Team Pld T G FG P1997 02 Sydney Roosters 125 21 0 0 842003 05 South Sydney 45 15 0 0 602006 07 Wigan Warriors 55 14 0 0 56Total 225 50 0 0 200RepresentativeYears Team Pld T G FG P1998 99 City NSW 2 0 0 0 01998 03 New South Wales 14 1 0 0 41999 03 Australia 13 6 0 0 24Source 1 2 Contents 1 Sydney Roosters 2 South Sydney Rabbitohs 3 Wigan Warriors 4 Playing statistics 5 Personal life 6 Notes 7 External linksSydney Roosters EditFletcher s junior club was the Paddington Colts in the Eastern Suburbs District Junior Rugby League He started his top level career at the Sydney Roosters in the second row in the 1997 ARL season Despite only 24 National Rugby League appearances Fletcher was selected for the Australian team to compete in the end of season 1999 Rugby League Tri Nations tournament In the final against New Zealand he played at second row forward in the Kangaroos 22 20 victory Over the years Fletcher would gain 13 caps for the Australian national side and also play 14 games for New South Wales in the State of Origin matches One of the highlights of Fletcher s Sydney Roosters career was his appearance at second row forward in the 2000 NRL Grand Final their first in 20 years He also helped Australia inflict a humiliating defeat on the New Zealand national team 52 0 as well as a 3 0 whitewash of Queensland in the State of Origin series Fletcher is perhaps best known in Origin circles for his hand grenade try celebration which he performed in 2000 series where NSW thumped QLD 56 16 It is believed that the try celebration forced Queensland to change their whole strategy towards Origin and it created a pathway for Queensland to win fourteen of eighteen series since 2006 including a record eight straight between 2006 and 2013 Former Queensland player Wendell Sailor said As a Queenslander you never forget that Queensland Origin great Gorden Tallis had previously spoken about how that try celebration eventually led to a shift in the State of Origin balance of power which saw Queensland win back the Shield in 2001 Former player Matthew Johns claims that the try celebration started a Queensland dynasty Former Queensland coach Chris Close spoke about Fletcher s try celebration in 2016 I thought it was disgraceful act and a disgraceful show of disrespect You would certainly never ever see that from any Queensland team It still burns F ing oath it does 3 4 Fletcher achieved even more success in the 2002 season He played for the Roosters from the interchange bench in their 30 8 win over the New Zealand Warriors in the 2002 NRL Grand Final in front of 80 130 fans at the Telstra Stadium He scored the final try in the 74th minute in what was his 135th and final appearance for the red white and blue before moving to rivals the South Sydney Rabbitohs 5 South Sydney Rabbitohs EditFletcher left the Roosters and moved to perennial strugglers the South Sydney Rabbitohs in 2003 Fletcher was soon installed as the club s captain after signing due to his playing pedigree In 2003 he won the George Piggins Medal as the club s best and fairest player of the season 6 The Rabbitohs captaincy was stripped from him after an altercation on the pitch with Parramatta Eels player Dean Widders in which Fletcher made a racist comment towards Widders 7 It turned out to be the turning point in the Rabbitohs season with Ashley Harrison taking the captaincy from him and the Rabbitohs winning most of their matches under him in a late season surge which saw them avoid a third consecutive wooden spoon 8 He later apologised for the event saying I apologise unreservedly for comments that I made to Dean Widders in yesterday s game The comments were totally unacceptable and for that I am sorry My actions have set a very poor example for kids who follow Rugby League and these types of comments cannot be tolerated in our game 9 nbsp Fletcher playing for Wigan on 4 September 2007Wigan Warriors EditBefore the scandal that led to Fletcher being stripped of his captaincy banned for 1 game and fined A 10 000 he had agreed to a move to England to play for Super League club Wigan Warriors after three years at Souths Fletcher joined the Wigan club in 2006 in time for the pre season training but was sidelined for the opening four rounds of Super League after needing emergency Bowel Surgery in early January Fletcher s debut came against Warrington Wolves on 10 March 2006 at the JJB Stadium in Wigan and made an instant impact as a substitute scoring his first try three minutes into his first appearance He was one of the stalwarts that helped Wigan through one of the most tumultuous times in the club s history on and off the field in 2006 with the dismissal of coach Ian Millward the low morale within the team and seeing the once feared Wigan club sitting at the bottom of the table Thanks to Fletcher s impact in the Second row and the Prop positions Wigan managed the seemingly impossible and survived relegation from the Super League finishing 7th and just missing a playoff place to local rivals Warrington Playing statistics EditAt the end of the 2007 Super League season Bryan Fletcher retired from competitive rugby league He had played in 125 games for the Sydney Roosters 45 for Souths and a further 55 for Wigan He also played 2 games for City Origin 14 State of Origin games for NSW and 13 Test and World Cup matches for Australia Personal life EditHe got married in 2003 to Britt Fletcher Together they had 3 daughters Scarlett Maya and Lucca When he retired from playing in 2007 Fletcher and his business partner Craig Markham began a cleaning company called Cleanfit The company cleans a number of pubs clubs and office blocks in Sydney It also allows Fletcher who is a qualified plumber to utilise his trade in order to help with the business 10 In 2013 Bryan Fletcher was a regular presenter on Channel 9 s weekly football season program The Footy Show Fletcher presented the Kick for Cash segment In 2014 Bryan Fletcher joined Fox Sports Monday Night with Matty Johns forming a duo with fellow former NRL player Nathan Hindmarsh Fletcher and Hindmarsh participate in many challenges set by the producers Fletch and Hindy created their own spoof NRL bid team known as the Nepal Donkeys 11 In July 2018 Fletcher made the headlines after he was allegedly set up by an Uber driver buying cocaine The Uber driver reportedly filmed Fletcher in a snapchat video saying Look who I m selling bags to Fletcher responded with Don t say that I don t know who this driver is we re just hanging out it s Saturday night I m just in an Uber Fletcher s manager Steve Gillis told the media The driver asked him for a quick Snapchat video he s been set up Fletcher told me that he s never met the bloke he just jumped in the back of his cab and driver pulled this stunt he s clearly been set up 12 In 2019 Bryan was chosen to be part of the core host ensemble for the Unibet Australia weekly television format program At Odds Notes Edit Bryan Fletcher Career Stats amp Summary www rugbyleagueproject org Retrieved 25 December 2022 Yesterday s Hero Your Sporting Hero s Bryan Fletcher South Sydney Sydney Roosters 3 September 2012 Archived from the original on 3 September 2012 Retrieved 25 December 2022 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint bot original URL status unknown link Legends reveal truth behind famous Origin insult News com au 29 May 2017 Origin grenade a disgraceful show of disrespect says Close 20 June 2016 Men s Honour Roll Sydney Roosters Archived from the original on 27 March 2019 Retrieved 4 January 2019 Club records rabbitohs com au South Sydney Rabbitohs 2007 Archived from the original on 19 March 2012 Retrieved 2009 11 30 Fletcher loses captaincy over race slur ABC News Australian Broadcasting Corporation 4 July 2005 Retrieved 10 May 2020 South Sydney Rabbitohs Rugby League Player Report Bryan Fletcher www ssralmanac com permanent dead link Fletcher Apologises Unreservedly for Racial Comments South Sydney Rabbitohs News Retrieved 29 January 2007 dead link NRL Where are they now Bryan Fletcher Archived from the original on 17 July 2014 Retrieved 30 May 2013 Hindmarsh s new team suffers dismal defeat then brays about stadium slant The Daily Telegraph 12 August 2014 Retrieved 25 December 2022 Ben Graham 31 July 2018 Footy star Bryan Fletcher says Snapchat drug video was a set up The Courier Mail Retrieved 25 December 2022 External links EditBryan Fletcher at IMDb Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Bryan Fletcher rugby league amp oldid 1178150912, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
