THE AFL's oldest player Dustin Fletcher is aiming to play 16-18 games this year but has yet to decide whether the 2014 season will be his last.
The Essendon veteran turns 39 in May and enters a record 22nd AFL season this year, when he needs just one game to break Simon Madden's club record of 378 games.
After a 2013 season when groin and abdominal injuries limited him to 13 matches, Fletcher told AFL.com.au his body was feeling "pretty good" after one of "biggest" pre-seasons of his career.
But Fletcher says it is unrealistic for him to expect to play every game this season.
"I'd like to hope if the body's right, if I'm up and about and the form's all right, I can play between 16-18 games," Fletcher said.
"That's probably just the number I've got in my head. I've learnt you never say you'll play 22 games because it's such a tough year and things can change quickly with a few injuries.
"There might be games where I don't travel interstate too.
"But the best-case scenario for me would be to play those 16-18 games at a good level – that's a pretty good year for me."
Fletcher's 2014 target is similar to that of new teammate Paul Chapman, with the former Cat saying last month he was aiming to play 16 games in his first season with the Bombers.
Fletcher admitted there were times early last season when he wondered whether his body might have had enough of AFL football.
"When you're getting older and you get injured it takes a little bit longer to heal, so there probably were some thoughts early last year about whether the body was trying to tell me something," Fletcher said.
"But in saying that, the club asked me about my body at the end of last year and I said, 'if I get a good break and do the right things over the break, I'll be fine.'
"And luckily enough I feel pretty good at the moment."
Fletcher has enjoyed the new ideas brought to Essendon this year by stand-in senior coach Mark Thompson and new assistans Neil Craig and Nathan Bassett.
Despite his vast experience, Fletcher said a willingness to continue to learn was as important to his ability to play on as maintaining his pace and game sense.
As he has done for the past three or four seasons, Fletcher will approach this season as if it's his last.
But he refuses to rule out playing on into his 40s.
"I think it's best to go into a season with an open mind because if you put yourself in the category of you know you're done or you're going to retire, it's too long a year and football is too tough a sport to make that call," he said.
"I think mentally you've got to be switched on and you've got to be able to keep learning and that's something that I'm still enjoying."
