Fraser Gehrig was born on 3 March 1976 and is a retired Australian rules footballer who played for the St Kilda Football Club and the West Coast Eagles in the Australian Football League.
24 Facts About Fraser Gehrig
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Fraser Gehrig holds the bench press record at both West Coast and St Kilda as well as being the best bench press performer in the AFL, with many additionally regarding him as the strongest and most intimidating player in the AFL.
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Fraser Gehrig grew up in Wodonga, Victoria, and attended high school at Catholic College Wodonga.
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Fraser Gehrig held the school's athletics record in the 100-metre sprint for more than 20 years.
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Fraser Gehrig began his AFL career at the West Coast Eagles playing as a utility and on the wing.
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Fraser Gehrig struggled to break into a powerful Eagles lineup during his first few years at the Western Australian club, but he stepped up in 1997 and won selection in the All-Australian team in a forward pocket.
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Fraser Gehrig had a season on the half-forward line in 1998, but he struggled with injury and form over the following two years and was traded to St Kilda at the end of the 2000 season.
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Fraser Gehrig switched to the full-forward position in 2003, and this move coincided with St Kilda's rise up the ladder, finishing 11th in 2003 and playing in finals matches in 2004,2005 and 2006.
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Fraser Gehrig became a powerful and dominant force in the goalsquare and weighed in at 109 kilograms.
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Fraser Gehrig quickly became a prolific goalkicker, booting 55 goals in 2003 and 103 in 2004.
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Fraser Gehrig won back-to-back Coleman Medals in 2004 and 2005 and was named at full-forward in the All-Australian team in 2004.
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Fraser Gehrig twice kicked 10 goals in a match during his AFL career: st Richmond and again against the Kangaroos.
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Fraser Gehrig was close to retirement at the end of the 2003 season, but coach Grant Thomas managed to convince him to play on.
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Fraser Gehrig played his 200th game in 2005, kicking seven goals against opponent Leo Barry, to help St Kilda to a 43-point win over Sydney.
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Fraser Gehrig kicked a total of 36 goals playing against Sydney.
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Fraser Gehrig signed a one-year deal at the end of the 2006 season and was again a prolific goal-kicker for the Saints, booting 59 goals from 20 matches.
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Immediately before St Kilda's last game of the 2007 season, on 1 September, Fraser Gehrig announced his retirement to the team.
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Fraser Gehrig was chaired off the ground by St Kilda players Nick Riewoldt and Justin Koschitzke, bare-chested after giving his famous number-nine jumper to a young female fan in the stands.
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Three months later Fraser Gehrig shocked many by changing his mind and deciding that he wished to continue playing with St Kilda.
20.
Fraser Gehrig revealed that he was suffering from painful arthritis, which affected his game and required surgery.
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Fraser Gehrig's subsequent return to the senior list was a precaution in case of injury to other players, though he did not play for the remainder of the season.
22.
Fraser Gehrig was involved in some off-field indiscretions during his time with both St Kilda and West Coast.
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Fraser Gehrig was charged with the unlawful assault of a woman in an alleged incident during Grand Final week in 2006.
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Fraser Gehrig was benched after the indiscretions, but it appeared to be the turning point in the match, and St Kilda eventually only lost by one point in controversial circumstances.