2021 Player Reviews: #31 Bayley Fritsch

[Demonland 73,161]

The crafty medium sized forward was Melbourne’s leading goal kicker in a premiership season. He was dangerous throughout the finals and capped things off in an outstanding fashion with six goals in the Grand Final and was runner up to Christian Petracca for the Norm Smith Medal.

Date of Birth: 6 December, 1996
Height: 188cm
Weight: 84kg

Games MFC 2021: 24
Career Total: 85

Goals MFC 2021: 59
Career Total: 118

Brownlow Medal Votes 2021: 3
Premiership Player

[Sir Why You Little 37,134]

Outstanding Year. Got better the further the season progressed. 
Bayley is clever. He is not a huge pack mark, but he will fly in a pack. 
but what he does is keep his feet, so he can make a second effort. 
he is also very good at making space. 
as an opponent he would be a nightmare. 
He just might kick a 100 in a Season 

6 in a GF is a great base to work from

[Ollie fan 3,475]

In a team which has a number of X factor players, he is an X factor player! There are some games where he can’t find the ball but to my eyes, he is always trying. And when he is in form, how can another team match up on him? Fantastic in the air, clean on the ground, a beautiful kick, fast and agile. An excellent player.

[Satan 2,881]

Improved his accuracy this year and 59 goals was pretty impressive for the player who often got the 3rd best defender. One of the reasons we had a successful year imo. Oppositions had to match up on Bbb and Tmac before The magnet. If maxxy or jacko went forward , he often got 4 defender.

[leave it to deever 17,517]

Was in striking distance of Coleman . What a player...what a year. 

Unlikely build for a high scoring fwd but it works. Probably hard to find a defender for. Takes some high grabs for his height and uses every pound he has to push off opponents. Uncanny goal sense and the best hairdo in the comp. Thanks Fritta.

Edited October 28, 2021 by leave it to deever

[Diamond_Jim 12,628]

1 hour ago, Sir Why You Little said:

6 in a GF is a great base to work from

his goal in the third quarter which started the win was a pressure goal.

And who can forget the fly and flip goal.

Thanks Bayley... saw you first at Casey and knew you were a special talent

Edited October 28, 2021 by Diamond_Jim

[DeeZone 10,135]

Bayley Frittata Fritsch what a year, what a final series and what a Hell of  Grand Final 6.2 in a granny. Fritta kick started us in the 3rd with two in 30 seconds, Bayley will burn brightly in our memories for ever more, I loved it when he kicked that second goal in the third how he ran and revved up the crowd. 💕❤️💙

[In Harmes Way 7,823]

Another 5 years like this one and he might be a chance for All Australian.

[raDeelaide 248]

Had an incredible season. Did his jumper number proud.

[durango 2,023]

I like him from the start of his career but never expected he would become a star in the making.

If he can repeat this years effort he will become an AA player.

[Guest]

❤️💙 FRITTTAAATTTAA! ❤️💙

Will never forget the skill, having not taken the mark, but staying on his feet like a cat and slotting it through anyways. What a gun!

[Wrecker46 3,020]

If I got told at the beginning of the season or even beginning of the the finals a Melbourne player would kick 6 and not win the Norm Smith I would have never have believed it. Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang.

[gs77 4,445]

Wow! Didn't realise he'd doubled his career goals tally in 2021. 59 goals and 6 in the GF! Outstanding stuff. What an asset to our forward line. Loved that Goody "mea culpa"ed on the decision to play Fritta in defence for a period in recent years. 

Huge kudos to Fritsch for both improving his goal kicking accuracy and his defensive efforts this year. 

[Maldonboy38 6,406]

Confession time. He drove me nuts. Naturally talented, great mark, great on the lead, cat like reflexes on the ground. I loved watching him play. But when he kicked for goal via a set shot it was basically "spread out boys, no-one knows where this is going!"

It appears Chocco was able to reverse this in a single year and now he looks as clean and sharp with a set shot as some of the greats. I just love watching this bloke play and find my eyes following him more than any other forward. And his leading is a thing of beauty. He often appears as a forward of a bygone era. What a wonderful 2021.

I reckon opposition coaches and mature backmen are going to make 2022 difficult for him by playing him close and being physical. I don't reckon it will work - he has bucket loads of footy smarts. 

[CHF 2,768]

Like the way he goes about his job. Not a lot of fuss or bother, just gets it done..... and gets it done very well indeed.

Should have the nickname "Sub", as in Submarine because he glides below the surface only to pop up unexpectedly to cause havoc.

Reads it well and has great reflexes and balance. I will enjoy watching him for the next few years.

[Kent 2,914]

21 hours ago, DeeZone said:

Bayley Frittata Fritsch what a year, what a final series and what a Hell of  Grand Final 6.2 in a granny. Fritta kick started us in the 3rd with two in 30 seconds, Bayley will burn brightly in our memories for ever more, I loved it when he kicked that second goal in the third how he ran and revved up the crowd. 💕❤️💙

Dont forget 7 against Geelong in the prelim. He is desceptably smart and crafty and reads the ball better than anyone at the moment

[Fritta and Turner 4,541]

MFC entry for Dancing with the Stars.

Great balance, superb leap and lightening quick on his feet.

[monoccular 17,575]

On 10/28/2021 at 7:56 PM, CHF said:

Like the way he goes about his job. Not a lot of fuss or bother, just gets it done..... and gets it done very well indeed.

Should have the nickname "Sub", as in Submarine because he glides below the surface only to pop up unexpectedly to cause havoc.

Reads it well and has great reflexes and balance. I will enjoy watching him for the next few years.

Fritz skippering a U boat?

Another of out talented players to make huge progress in 2021, our Premiership year.  Kudos not only to the individual but to all those who helped guide, develop and coach him to these great heights and engendered self belief. 

[loges 6,767]

Reckon he gets marked hard by some because he's not the most physical player but he makes up for it with his skill and smarts. 9 out of 10 commentators would have rated Nauton above him before the GF, how did that turn out?

[Hellaintabadplacetobe 4,294]

On 10/28/2021 at 1:43 PM, In Harmes Way said:

Another 5 years like this one and he might be a chance for All Australian.

Was stiff at the time Papley got the nod ahead of him, seems absolutely staggering now!

[Fritta and Turner 4,541]

Came across this vs GCS.

Will give him the benefit of the doubt and say it is an early haircut prototype.

[TRACATTACK 207]

On 10/28/2021 at 7:50 PM, Maldonboy38 said:

Confession time. He drove me nuts. Naturally talented, great mark, great on the lead, cat like reflexes on the ground. I loved watching him play. But when he kicked for goal via a set shot it was basically "spread out boys, no-one knows where this is going!"

It appears Chocco was able to reverse this in a single year and now he looks as clean and sharp with a set shot as some of the greats. I just love watching this bloke play and find my eyes following him more than any other forward. And his leading is a thing of beauty. He often appears as a forward of a bygone era. What a wonderful 2021.

I reckon opposition coaches and mature backmen are going to make 2022 difficult for him by playing him close and being physical. I don't reckon it will work - he has bucket loads of footy smarts. 

When he had a touch of the goal kicking “yips” a year or two ago it was pointed out to me that he was leaning back which somehow caused him to pull his kicks and spray them. You will notice he doesn’t do that anymore courtesy of some Chocco magic. 59 goals in a season plus finals is a mighty effort from a medium sized forward but none mightier than the 6 he drilled in the GF. Legendary stuff. 
His leading patterns are a thing of beauty. How he didn’t even make the AA squad this year is beyond me. Our very own Scarlet Pimpernel.  “ They seek him here, they seek him there, those back men seek him everywhere “. Arguably the purest footballer in the team. As you can tell, I’m a fan.

[dee-tox 4,835]

3 hours ago, TRACATTACK said:

How he didn’t even make the AA squad this year is beyond me. 

Fritta was in the 40-man AA squad.

[La Dee-vina Comedia 16,909]

On 10/29/2021 at 10:22 AM, Kent said:

Dont forget 7 against Geelong in the prelim. He is desceptably smart and crafty and reads the ball better than anyone at the moment

Not quite. It was 7 against Adelaide in Round 22. He kicked 2 in the Prelim plus 4 against Brisbane in the QF. So, 12 goals in the Finals series. A very fine effort indeed and showed that he can stand up in big games.

[leave it to deever 17,517]

A gun forward who Mark's above his height and stronger than his size would indicate.

Some incredible game winning performances including a stunning effort in the granny that was the catylist of our comeback.