Jaspa’s journey a family matter
FORMER Brisbane AFL player Adrian Fletcher knows first-hand the successful pathways for Queensland kids who aspire to one day play at the elite level.
His son Jaspa has been a part of the Brisbane Lions Academy since he was 12 years old and has come up through the junior ranks at Coorparoo before graduating to play senior footy for Sherwood, under the tutelage of his dad.
The 18-year-old plays inside, wing or forward and has been praised for his football nous and game awareness.
Over summer, Jaspa also had the chance to train alongside the Brisbane Lions AFL squad during the pre-season as he eventually eyes a shot in the big league.
He joined fellow Lions fatherson prospect Will Ashcroft, son of Brisbane great Marcus Ashcroft, during the pre-season.
Fletcher said the opportunity to train alongside the Lions allowed his son to develop his skills further.
“The QAFL has a great footprint on the locations around Queensland,” Fletcher said.
“You’ve got 12 teams in the QAFL which is great and it’s only going to get stronger and stronger.
“You’ve got the Lions Academy in that mix as well.
“If you get to train with the Lions as a draftee or whatever, it sets you up because you can see it.
“You play against men and train with the high-performance guys in the Academy.”
Jaspa has been chosen for the 2022 NAB AFL National Academy where he will get the chance to develop his skills through expert coaching, high performance and wellbeing staff.
His dad said the next 12 months will be about handling the emotions ahead of the 2022 AFL Draft.
“At the end of the day, I’m just here to support him on his journey – whatever that looks like,” he said.
“He’s wanted to improve his game in certain areas. He knows what the schedule is for the next 12 months so he’s pretty much set for that. Now, it’s just the emotional rollercoaster to deal with that stuff.”