Nat Fyfe facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Nat Fyfe
Fyfe playing for Fremantle in 2019
Personal information
Full name	Nathan Fyfe
Date of birth	(1991-09-18) 18 September 1991 (age 33)
Place of birth	Lake Grace, Western Australia
Original team	(WAFL)
Draft	No. 20, 2009 national draft
Debut	Round 5, 2010, Fremantle v. Richmond, at Subiaco Oval
Position(s)	Midfielder / forward
Club information
Current club	Fremantle
Number	7
Career highlights
Fremantle captain: 2017–2022 2× Brownlow Medal: 2015, 2019 2× Leigh Matthews Trophy: 2014, 2015 3× All-Australian team: 2014, 2015, 2019 (c) 3× Doig Medal: 2013, 2014, 2019 Jim Stynes Medal: 2017 AFLCA best young player of the year: 2011 AFL Rising Star nominee: 2010

Nathan Fyfe (born 18 September 1991) is a famous professional Australian rules footballer. He plays for the Fremantle Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). Fyfe is one of the best players in the league. He has won the prestigious Brownlow Medal twice. He also won the Leigh Matthews Trophy twice. Fyfe has been named an All-Australian three times. In 2019, he was even the captain of the All-Australian team. He also won the Doig Medal three times. From 2017 to 2022, Fyfe was the captain of the Fremantle team.

Early Life and Football Beginnings

Nathan Fyfe grew up in a place called Lake Grace. This is in Western Australia. He went to high school at Aquinas College in Perth. In 2009, he played junior football for Claremont. He had some amazing games that year. In one game, he kicked eight goals and got 34 possessions. He also kicked six goals in the junior Grand Final.

In 2010, he played his first senior game for Claremont. He kicked four goals in that game. Fyfe also played for Western Australia in the 2009 Under 18 Championships. He scored nine goals in four games.

AFL Career Highlights

Starting Strong: 2010–2012

The Fremantle Dockers picked Fyfe in the 2009 national draft. He was the 20th player chosen. Fyfe played his first AFL game in 2010. It was against the Richmond Tigers at Subiaco Oval. He made a big impact right away. He took an amazing mark in his first game.

A week later, he was nominated for "Goal of the Week." This was for a brilliant snap kick against West Coast. Fyfe was the 150th player to ever play for the Fremantle Dockers. He was nominated for the AFL Rising Star award in 2010. This was after a great game against the Sydney Swans. He had 23 possessions and made seven marks.

Fyfe got even better in his second season, 2011. He finished second in the Doig Medal, which is Fremantle's best player award. He was a top player for Fremantle in many areas. He was considered for the All-Australian team. Many people compared him to the famous player James Hird. Fyfe also got 13 votes for the Brownlow Medal. At the end of 2011, he signed a new three-year contract with Fremantle.

In 2012, Fyfe started the season very well. He was the best player on the field against Geelong. He had 30 possessions and kicked two goals. But he then hurt his shoulder and needed surgery. He missed most of the season because of this injury. Even though he played only nine games, he still got 14 Brownlow Medal votes. This was the second-highest for Fremantle.

Grand Final and First Brownlow: 2013–2015

Fyfe kept getting better in the 2013 AFL season. He had more possessions per game than before. He won his first Doig Medal, beating David Mundy. Fyfe helped Fremantle have a great season. They finished third on the ladder. They even reached their first ever AFL Grand Final. Fyfe had 28 possessions in the Grand Final. But Fremantle lost to Hawthorn.

In 2014, Fyfe signed a new three-year contract with Fremantle. He started the 2014 AFL season very well. But he was suspended for two weeks for a bump on a Gold Coast player. This meant he could not win the Brownlow Medal. Fyfe played his 100th game for Fremantle in Round 8. He had 37 possessions in that game. He kept playing well and became one of the best midfielders in the league.

Fyfe playing in 2014

Fyfe won the Leigh Matthews Trophy in 2014. This award is for the league's most valuable player (MVP). He also won his second Doig Medal. And he was named in the All-Australian team for the first time. Even though he was suspended, Fyfe finished with 25 Brownlow votes. This was just one vote behind the winner.

Fyfe continued his amazing form into the 2015 AFL season. He had 31 possessions and kicked a goal in Round 1. He averaged 28.8 possessions per game that season. Fyfe helped Fremantle finish first on the ladder for the first time. They won the McClelland Trophy. Fyfe played in the preliminary final with a fractured leg. Fremantle lost that game to Hawthorn.

Even with his injury, Fyfe won the Brownlow Medal in 2015. He got 31 votes. He was the first player from Fremantle to win this award. He also won his second Leigh Matthews Trophy. He was named the WA Media Awards AFL Player of the Year. And he was named in the All-Australian Team for the second time.

Captaincy and Challenges: 2016–2018

The 2016 AFL season started tough for Fyfe. He had a poor first game. But he quickly improved. He had 87 possessions and kicked eight goals in the next three games. He even kicked four goals in one game against North Melbourne. But then he broke his leg again in Round 5. He needed surgery and missed the rest of the season. Without Fyfe, Fremantle dropped from first place to 16th.

Fyfe playing in 2016

In 2017, Fyfe was announced as Fremantle's captain. He came back from his injury. His stats were a bit lower than in 2015. But he still had a strong season. He kicked 17 goals and made a career-high 96 tackles. Fyfe also played for Australia in the 2017 International Rules Series. He won the Jim Stynes Medal as the best player in the series. In July 2017, Fyfe signed a six-year contract with Fremantle. This was the longest contract in the club's history.

Fyfe was in amazing form at the start of the 2018 AFL season. He helped Fremantle win many early games. He had a career-best 43 possessions in one game. He also had 14 clearances in another game. In his 150th game, Fyfe had 30 possessions and kicked two goals. He even got a nomination for "Goal of the Year." But he hurt his hamstring in Round 15. He missed six weeks because of this.

Second Brownlow and Continued Form: 2019–2021

Fyfe started the 2019 AFL season very strongly. He had 32 possessions and 10 clearances in Round 1. He kept this great form all season. Many people thought he would win the Brownlow Medal again. He finished the season with a career-high 583 possessions. He also had his best average possessions per game (29.2). Fyfe was named in the 2019 All-Australian Team. He was even named captain of that team.

Fyfe won his second Brownlow Medal in 2019. He became only the 15th player in VFL/AFL history to win it twice. He got a career-high 33 votes. He beat the runner-up by six votes.

The 2020 AFL season was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Fyfe had a good start to the season. But he got a minor hamstring injury in Round 4. He missed only one game. He returned and played well. But he strained the same hamstring again a few days later. He missed several more games.

In the 2021 AFL season, Fyfe played almost half the season. He then injured his shoulder in Round 12. He missed three games. In Round 17, Fyfe played his 200th game. He was one of the best players on the field. He had 31 possessions and kicked a goal. But his season ended early. He reinjured his shoulder in Round 19.

Later Career and Captaincy Change: 2022–Present

Fyfe missed the first half of the 2022 AFL season. This was because of shoulder surgery. He returned to play football in the WAFL first. This was for Peel Thunder. He then made his AFL return in Round 13. Fyfe played well in Round 17. He kicked three goals and had 21 possessions. But he got another hamstring injury in Round 19. He missed three more games. He returned for the last game of the season. But another hamstring injury in training stopped him from playing in the finals.

On February 7, 2023, Fyfe decided to step down as captain. He had been captain for six seasons. On June 1, 2023, he signed a new two-year deal. This keeps him at Fremantle until the end of 2025.

In 2023, Fyfe trained as a forward. He was expected to play both midfield and forward. He played his first game as a forward in Round 1. He had nine possessions. He missed Round 2 with a foot injury. He returned in Round 8 as a substitute. He kicked a goal in that game. He played six games in a row. But then he injured his foot again in Round 16. This ended his season.

Nathan had a strong pre-season before the 2024 AFL season. He even went to India. He returned from injury in Round 1. It was against the Brisbane Lions at Optus Stadium. Fyfe played well. He had 21 possessions in Fremantle's win.

Statistics

Updated to the end of the 2024 season.

Notes

Awards and Achievements

Team Awards

• McClelland Trophy (Fremantle): 2015 (This award is for finishing first on the ladder.)

Individual Awards

• Fremantle captain: 2017–2022
• 2× Brownlow Medal: 2015, 2019 (Award for the best and fairest player in the AFL.)
• 2× Leigh Matthews Trophy: 2014, 2015 (Award for the league's most valuable player, voted by players.)
• 3× All-Australian team: 2014, 2015, 2019 (c) (Named as one of the best players in the league for the year.)
• 3× Doig Medal: 2013, 2014, 2019 (Fremantle Football Club's best and fairest award.)
• Jim Stynes Medal: 2017 (Award for the best player in the International Rules Series.)
• Australia representative honours in international rules football: 2017
• All Stars representative honours in State of Origin for Bushfire Relief Match
• AFLCA best young player of the year: 2011
• AFL Rising Star nominee: 2010 (Nominated as a promising young player.)
• 2× Western Australian Sports Star of the Year: 2015, 2019