13 Facts About Billy Stretch

Billy Stretch was born on 8 September 1996 and is a former professional Australian rules footballer playing for the Melbourne Football Club in the Australian Football League.

Billy Stretch was born to Steven and Leona Billy Stretch in Melbourne, Victoria before moving to Adelaide, South Australia at five years of age.

Billy Stretch's father played 164 games with the Melbourne Football Club and is a Keith 'Bluey' Truscott Medallist as the club's best and fairest player.

Billy Stretch attended Immanuel College and was recognised as a potential AFL player by Melbourne at fourteen years of age after playing his junior football with the Woodville-West Torrens Football Club and Henley Football Club, where he won six best and fairest awards by the age of fourteen; in addition he was named the best under 14 player in the Metro West Football Association and captained South Australia in the South Australian Primary Schools Amateur Sports Association.

Billy Stretch changed junior clubs to the Glenelg Football Club in 2009 and debuted for their South Australian National Football League reserves side in 2013.

Billy Stretch was awarded state selection for South Australia at the 2012 under 16 championships and was named in the squad as a bottom-aged player in the 2013 AFL Under 18 Championships.

Billy Stretch received mid-year state honours and represented South Australia at the 2014 Under 18 Championships; playing mostly on the wing, he was named in the best players in four out of the five round-robin matches against Victoria Metro, Western Australia, and Victoria Country twice, and played in the winning final against Victoria Metro, and was again named in the best players.

Billy Stretch was omitted the next week for the match against Richmond at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, and returned for the seventy-three point win against Gold Coast at Metricon Stadium in round seven.

Billy Stretch missed one match for the remainder of the season, the thirty-six point loss against St Kilda at Etihad Stadium in round seventeen to finish with sixteen matches for the season and a sixteenth-place finish in the best and fairest count.

Billy Stretch spent nine weeks in the VFL before returning in the three point win against West Coast at Domain Stadium in round fourteen.

Billy Stretch played three consecutive matches before being omitted for the round seventeen match against Adelaide at TIO Stadium.

Billy Stretch finished the season with nine matches and signed a contract extension, tying him to the club until the end of the 2019 season.

Billy Stretch managed a further 11 games across the 2018 and 2019 seasons before being delisted at the end of 2019.