{"id":286232,"date":"2023-09-04T06:49:12","date_gmt":"2023-09-04T06:49:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportsloveme.com\/?p=286232"},"modified":"2023-09-04T06:49:12","modified_gmt":"2023-09-04T06:49:12","slug":"why-dees-need-fritsch-fit-and-firing-port-locks-away-georgiades-suns-do-same-with-flanders","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportsloveme.com\/rugby-league\/why-dees-need-fritsch-fit-and-firing-port-locks-away-georgiades-suns-do-same-with-flanders\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Dees need Fritsch fit and firing; Port locks away Georgiades, Suns do same with Flanders"},"content":{"rendered":"<h3>Save articles for later<\/h3>\n<p>Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time.<\/p>\n<h3>In today\u2019s AFL Briefing, your daily wrap of footy news:<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Dees sweat on fitness of finals specialist Fritsch<\/li>\n<li>Power and Suns lock away key trade targets<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>New statistics have revealed just how important Bayley Fritsch is to Melbourne\u2019s chances of beating Collingwood in Thursday night\u2019s qualifying final at the MCG.<\/p>\n<p>The Demons remain optimistic the star forward will play in the blockbuster clash despite suffering fresh bruising in his return game to the same foot he fractured in early July. Scans showed he escaped any serious damage, but he will wear a moon boot on his sore left foot in the days leading up to the match.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/static.ffx.io\/images\/$zoom_0.209%2C$multiply_0.5855%2C$ratio_1.776846%2C$width_1059%2C$x_0%2C$y_45\/t_crop_custom\/q_86%2Cf_auto\/2793fce5819541bdaf63f64e0edcfc1819a0a0e3\" height=\"349\" width=\"620\"><\/p>\n<p><span>Melbourne star Bayley Fritsch is a proven finals performer.<\/span><cite class=\"ojLwA\"><span>Credit: <\/span>Getty Images<\/cite><\/p>\n<p>Fritsch, 26, played through the concern to kick five goals in the round 24 win over Sydney, and the pre-finals bye came at the ideal time for him and Melbourne.<\/p>\n<p>Champion Data numbers reveal that no AFL player since 2019 has made a greater scoreboard impact in the finals they\u2019ve played than Fritsch, who kicked six goals in the Dees\u2019 2021 grand final victory over Western Bulldogs.<\/p>\n<p>The September specialist\u2019s total offensive impact in five finals across the past four years is 22.8 points, including 3.4 goals, one behind and 0.4 score assists.<\/p>\n<p>The only opposition player who comes close to that is All-Australian Lion Charlie Cameron (19.1), while Isaac Heeney (16.5), Eric Hipwood (16), Jeremy Finlayson (15.5) and Toby Greene (15.3) are next.<\/p>\n<p>Coach Simon Goodwin was thrilled with how seamlessly Fritsch fitted back into his forward line, which lost Jake Melksham to an ACL rupture, in another blow to an attack already missing Harrison Petty (foot).<\/p>\n<p>Melksham thrived in Fritsch\u2019s absence, to the extent Goodwin was willing to play them together.<\/p>\n<p>He ranked No.1 at Melbourne between rounds 16 and 24 for goals, inside 50 targets, marks inside 50, and marks on the lead, while he was the seventh-best inside 50 target in the competition in that time.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s been a much-spoken-about area for the whole year,\u201d Goodwin said of his forward line.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019ve been able to find different avenues to goal throughout our time, and again [against Sydney], we went with a different mix for the first time, with Joel Smith, \u2018Melky\u2019 (Melksham), \u2018Fritta\u2019 (Fritsch) and Jacob van Rooyen \u2013 and it was looking quite dynamic.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re going to have to have another look at what\u2019s possible again, but that\u2019s OK. We\u2019ll find a way.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Tom McDonald, Brodie Grundy, James Jordon and Charlie Spargo are among the Demons\u2019 options to replace Melksham.<\/p>\n<h3>Trade targets reject rival interest to re-sign<\/h3>\n<p>Trade targets Mitch Georgiades and Sam Flanders have rejected interest from Victorian clubs to re-sign at Port Adelaide and Gold Coast, respectively.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/static.ffx.io\/images\/$zoom_0.394%2C$multiply_0.7725%2C$ratio_1.5%2C$width_756%2C$x_0%2C$y_0\/t_crop_custom\/q_86%2Cf_auto\/909d68930cb58f6c53c2dd28bfeb2814177cdf8a\" height=\"390\" width=\"584\"><\/p>\n<p><span>Gold Coast\u2019s Sam Flanders and Port Adelaide\u2019s Mitch Georgiades have both signed new deals to stay at their respective clubs.<\/span><cite class=\"ojLwA\"><span>Credit: <\/span>Getty<\/cite><\/p>\n<p>Georgiades, 21, and Flanders, 22 \u2013 both first-round draft picks in 2019 \u2013 inked contract extensions until the end of the 2027 season.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/static.ffx.io\/images\/$zoom_0.12%2C$multiply_0.7487%2C$ratio_0.666667%2C$width_378%2C$x_0%2C$y_0\/t_crop_custom\/q_86%2Cf_auto\/7f93fe1192c0e4ec445eb531b35f17a904452490\" height=\"425\" width=\"283\"><\/p>\n<p><span>Jake Lever is now likely to see out his playing days at Melbourne.<\/span><cite class=\"ojLwA\"><span>Credit: <\/span>Getty<\/cite><\/p>\n<p>Fellow Power key forward Charlie Dixon, one of the last remaining restricted free agents on the market, also committed for another season, while Melbourne extended defender Jake Lever\u2019s contract until 2028 to continue their strong track record of retaining priority talent.<\/p>\n<p>Lever was already signed for next season, but the four-year extension means he is set to be a Demon for the rest of his career after starting at Adelaide.<\/p>\n<p>There was intrigue about 191-centimetre Georgiades\u2019 situation because he had been temporarily squeezed out of Port\u2019s senior side when he suffered a season-ending ACL injury playing in the SANFL.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen you look at the group we have and the relationships I\u2019ve built, you just want to be a part of it \u2013 it\u2019s too hard to leave that behind,\u201d Georgiades said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cObviously, it hasn\u2019t been my best year, but I\u2019m just really grateful for the support I\u2019ve had and for the club sticking by me. Now, I\u2019m eager to get to work and repay the faith over the next four years.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>With Dixon also re-signing, there will be stiff competition for spots in the Power\u2019s attack, with Todd Marshall, Jeremy Finlayson and the emerging Ollie Lord also on the list.<\/p>\n<p>Victorian clubs on the hunt for tall forwards, including Richmond, Hawthorn and North Melbourne, will have to look elsewhere.<\/p>\n<p>Flanders averaged almost 29 disposals after earning a senior recall in round 15 as he completely transformed his value internally and externally with a career-best burst of form. Keeping him as part of the Suns\u2019 midfield became a priority for new coach Damien Hardwick.<\/p>\n<p>St Kilda were among the clubs that expressed interest in bringing the Gippsland Power product back home.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m super excited to announce I\u2019ve signed on long term with the club,\u201d Flanders said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI feel I am starting to play some high-quality football for the club and love the playing group here \u2013 they really make me feel at home. I can\u2019t wait for what\u2019s to come next year and really wanted to be a key part of the next chapter.\u201d <em>&#8211; Marc McGowan<\/em><\/p>\n<p><b><i>Keep up to date with the best AFL coverage in the country. <\/i><\/b><b><i>Sign up for the Real Footy newsletter<\/i><\/b><b><i>.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<h2>Most Viewed in Sport<\/h2>\n<h3>From our partners<\/h3>\n<p>Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theage.com.au\/sport\/afl\/why-dees-need-fritsch-fit-and-firing-port-locks-away-georgiades-suns-do-same-with-flanders-20230904-p5e1sf.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Read Full Article<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Save articles for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time. In today\u2019s AFL<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":286231,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Why Dees need Fritsch fit and firing; Port locks away Georgiades, Suns do same with Flanders - Sports Love Me<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sportsloveme.com\/rugby-league\/why-dees-need-fritsch-fit-and-firing-port-locks-away-georgiades-suns-do-same-with-flanders\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Why Dees need Fritsch fit and firing; Port locks away Georgiades, Suns do same with Flanders - Sports Love Me\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Save articles for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time. In today\u2019s AFL\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/sportsloveme.com\/rugby-league\/why-dees-need-fritsch-fit-and-firing-port-locks-away-georgiades-suns-do-same-with-flanders\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Sports Love Me\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-09-04T06:49:12+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"mediabest\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:image\" content=\"https:\/\/sportsloveme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Why-Dees-need-Fritsch-fit-and-firing-Port-locks-away-Georgiades-Suns-do-same-with-Flanders.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"mediabest\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportsloveme.com\/rugby-league\/why-dees-need-fritsch-fit-and-firing-port-locks-away-georgiades-suns-do-same-with-flanders\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sportsloveme.com\/rugby-league\/why-dees-need-fritsch-fit-and-firing-port-locks-away-georgiades-suns-do-same-with-flanders\/\",\"name\":\"Why Dees need Fritsch fit and firing; Port locks away Georgiades, Suns do same with Flanders - Sports Love Me\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportsloveme.com\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2023-09-04T06:49:12+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-09-04T06:49:12+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportsloveme.com\/#\/schema\/person\/74db1979fe71b5ea01513ec1ce5bc609\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportsloveme.com\/rugby-league\/why-dees-need-fritsch-fit-and-firing-port-locks-away-georgiades-suns-do-same-with-flanders\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/sportsloveme.com\/rugby-league\/why-dees-need-fritsch-fit-and-firing-port-locks-away-georgiades-suns-do-same-with-flanders\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportsloveme.com\/rugby-league\/why-dees-need-fritsch-fit-and-firing-port-locks-away-georgiades-suns-do-same-with-flanders\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/sportsloveme.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Rugby League\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/sportsloveme.com\/category\/rugby-league\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Why Dees need Fritsch fit and firing; Port locks away Georgiades, Suns do same with Flanders\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportsloveme.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sportsloveme.com\/\",\"name\":\"Sports Love Me\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/sportsloveme.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportsloveme.com\/#\/schema\/person\/74db1979fe71b5ea01513ec1ce5bc609\",\"name\":\"mediabest\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportsloveme.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d7cef2e0d8d634cb49d54f7c48b549a1?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d7cef2e0d8d634cb49d54f7c48b549a1?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"mediabest\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Why Dees need Fritsch fit and firing; Port locks away Georgiades, Suns do same with Flanders - Sports Love Me","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/sportsloveme.com\/rugby-league\/why-dees-need-fritsch-fit-and-firing-port-locks-away-georgiades-suns-do-same-with-flanders\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Why Dees need Fritsch fit and firing; Port locks away Georgiades, Suns do same with Flanders - Sports Love Me","og_description":"Save articles for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time. In today\u2019s AFL","og_url":"https:\/\/sportsloveme.com\/rugby-league\/why-dees-need-fritsch-fit-and-firing-port-locks-away-georgiades-suns-do-same-with-flanders\/","og_site_name":"Sports Love Me","article_published_time":"2023-09-04T06:49:12+00:00","author":"mediabest","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_image":"https:\/\/sportsloveme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Why-Dees-need-Fritsch-fit-and-firing-Port-locks-away-Georgiades-Suns-do-same-with-Flanders.jpg","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"mediabest","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/sportsloveme.com\/rugby-league\/why-dees-need-fritsch-fit-and-firing-port-locks-away-georgiades-suns-do-same-with-flanders\/","url":"https:\/\/sportsloveme.com\/rugby-league\/why-dees-need-fritsch-fit-and-firing-port-locks-away-georgiades-suns-do-same-with-flanders\/","name":"Why Dees need Fritsch fit and firing; Port locks away Georgiades, Suns do same with Flanders - Sports Love Me","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/sportsloveme.com\/#website"},"datePublished":"2023-09-04T06:49:12+00:00","dateModified":"2023-09-04T06:49:12+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/sportsloveme.com\/#\/schema\/person\/74db1979fe71b5ea01513ec1ce5bc609"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/sportsloveme.com\/rugby-league\/why-dees-need-fritsch-fit-and-firing-port-locks-away-georgiades-suns-do-same-with-flanders\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/sportsloveme.com\/rugby-league\/why-dees-need-fritsch-fit-and-firing-port-locks-away-georgiades-suns-do-same-with-flanders\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/sportsloveme.com\/rugby-league\/why-dees-need-fritsch-fit-and-firing-port-locks-away-georgiades-suns-do-same-with-flanders\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/sportsloveme.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Rugby League","item":"https:\/\/sportsloveme.com\/category\/rugby-league\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Why Dees need Fritsch fit and firing; Port locks away Georgiades, Suns do same with Flanders"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/sportsloveme.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/sportsloveme.com\/","name":"Sports Love Me","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/sportsloveme.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/sportsloveme.com\/#\/schema\/person\/74db1979fe71b5ea01513ec1ce5bc609","name":"mediabest","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/sportsloveme.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d7cef2e0d8d634cb49d54f7c48b549a1?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d7cef2e0d8d634cb49d54f7c48b549a1?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"mediabest"}}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsloveme.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/286232"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsloveme.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsloveme.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsloveme.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsloveme.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=286232"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sportsloveme.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/286232\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsloveme.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/286231"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsloveme.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=286232"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsloveme.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=286232"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsloveme.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=286232"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}