Zac Fisher | 2020 Season Review

Written by Joseph Addamo

Throughout the 2020 off-season, Blue Abroad will be providing content to cover everything you need to know about the Carlton Football Club.

After a largely improved season, we will be reviewing every player that pulled on the famous Navy Blue guernsey in 2020.

This is the Blue Abroad Player Review for Carlton’s #25 – Zac Fisher.

SEASON SYNOPSIS

An injury in Round 1 delayed Zac Fisher’s season restart, but once he got going, he never looked back. ‘Fish’ showed his dynamism in 2020, reshaping himself as a small forward to complement his already well-established midfield credentials.

Among forwards in 2020, Fisher ranked elite in inside 50s per game (3), ground ball gets (5.3) and bounces (0.9). He also ranked above average for disposals (13.4), metres gained (230.1), clearances (1), tackles inside 50 (1.1) and pressure acts (13.9).

The influence of the mercurial Eddie Betts and the bond formed with the likes of Michael Gibbons and David Cuningham as small forward counterparts has served Fisher’s game well. He’ll look to take another step in his pursuit of becoming one of the game’s most influential forwards in 2021.

BEST PERFORMANCE

Suffering an ankle injury in Round 1 brought a period of rehab for ‘Fish’, even missing 9 games post the season restart. However, it didn’t take long for Fisher to find his feet in his return Round 11 game vs. West Coast at Optus Stadium, starring for the Blues on a bitter day in the West.

Kicking Carlton’s first goal of the game, ‘Fish’ soon found himself with a hat trick just before half time. He finished with a game-high and career-high 4 goals (the first time in his career that he had kicked multiple goals in a game), along with 12 disposals, 5 tackles, 3 inside 50s, 5 score involvements and 10 pressure acts.

While the Blues ultimately fell victim to the Eagles, the performance from Fisher had Blues fans out of their seats and excited at the prospect of ‘Fish’ as the small forward they’d been crying out for.

OFF-SEASON & 2021 OUTLOOK

In the aftermath of the 2020 season, Carlton wasted no time in re-signing Fisher to a further two-year contract extension on his current deal. It ties him to the club until at least the end of the 2023 season.

While in previous years under Brendon Bolton fans saw Fisher playing through midfield in a greater capacity, David Teague has opted to experiment with him inside 50 as a small forward. Fisher spoke about the influence of Eddie Betts on his adaptation to the role in 2020 and how he has forged strong partnerships with Michael Gibbons and David Cuningham rotating between forward and midfield.

Nick Austin spoke of Fisher’s commitment to adapting in his new role for the Carlton Football Club, sharing the delight of Carlton fans around the country of the exponential growth in his game:

This year Zac has shown his versatility and commitment to do everything he can to help this football club succeed. His ability to adapt to a new role up forward has added another aspect to his game… Our members and supporters enjoy seeing Zac electrify with his evasiveness and footy smarts.

2020 REPORT CARD RATING

C+

STATUS HEADING INTO 2021

Consistent Senior Player