Season in short:

The defender took a significant step in his football career, playing 12 games – the most of any year since his debut in 2012.

Roberts earned his first call up to the senior side in round five and played 10 games on the trot.

He took on a key defensive post and was matched against some of the league’s best forwards, forming a nice partnership with Joel Hamling in the back half.

Such was Roberts promise in 2015, he signed a two-year deal in July, keeping him with the Club until the end of 2017.

The defender unfortunately suffered an ankle injury in round 15 to spend four weeks on the sidelines before returning through the VFL and eventually making his way back into the side in round 23.

Roberts’ confidence was evident as he strung together consistent football, and looks set to be a key pillar in the Dogs’ defence for years to come.

Stat that mattered:

Roberts ranked third in the AFL for effective disposals per game, finishing the year at 87 per cent disposal efficiency.

What they said:

“With the work that the coaches have been able to help me with, I’ve been able to improve my game on different levels. Being able to win crucial contests and also help my teammates win their contests and being able to rebound and really get involved in ‘Bulldog ball’, which has been very exciting.” – Fletcher Roberts, September 2015

“He started off the year so well, especially the pre-season, he really grasped our style of play that we wanted to play. It was just unfortunate that he got injured… He was clearly hampered by his injuries (at the end of the year) and it hurt his body, so hopefully he can get a good pre-season under his belt and get his body right because he is such an important for us in defence.” – Rohan Smith (Western Bulldogs Assistant Coach), September 2015