Age of best 22

[Patty_Moz]

Which is why next year will more than likely be the first transition year. Younger players will have to start pushing their way in.

Well I'd hope so but the positions available will likely be KPF/KPB and our young players for those areas haven't shown a hell of a lot due to injuries/ development level.

And Lyon still seems to back experienced players in poor form over playing the young guys.

 

[The Speaker]

Well I'd hope so but the positions available will likely be KPF/KPB and our young players for those areas haven't shown a hell of a lot due to injuries/ development level.

And Lyon still seems to back experienced players in poor form over playing the young guys.

I think he's willing to play players if they show something, regardless of age.

Otherwise Neale and Sutcliffe would never have made their way into the best 22 like they did.

 

[Patty_Moz]

I think he's willing to play players if they show something, regardless of age.

Otherwise Neale and Sutcliffe would never have made their way into the best 22 like they did.

True Lyon has actually played the young guys more than I expected.

I suppose I'm just frustrated with the form of a few senior players and yet they never seem to get dropped.

 

[CamTinley]

Ten players over the age of 28 yesterday and only three under 24.

 

[malpaso]

Sheridan and Crozier haven't delivered a shot this year otherwise they'd be playing. Taking Crozier as an example, if he'd have put his hand up he would have played instead of Sylvia.

 

[Belnakor]

Oldest Freo side ever last night. Average age of 27.14.

It's now or never for this group.

i think this is a bit chicken little.

Mcpharlin is cooked, it will be his last year. Crowley has one more year, same with Pav, Sandi etc. drop those guys and our average age drops.

We have the 2nd best player in the comp who is only 22. I think we'll do alright.

 

[salim malik]

Sack anyone over 26 and replace with all our kids running around for Peel.
We will be closer to 18th on the ladder than 1st but who gives a flying fart we will have one of the youngest sides

 

[Patty_Moz]

There has been a fair bit of discussion on this so I decided to look into the numbers.

Here are the age of the lists and experience for season 2013, 2014 and final games GF 2013 and SF 2014:

Summary:
Our list average age was 9 months older in 2014 than at the same time in 2013 (date used was 1st October) from 24yrs 8months to 25yrs 5 months.
Experience increased from 76 games per player to 92 gpp.
Age of list in final game stayed exactly the same 26yrs 2months to 26yrs 2months- although this is largely due to the omissions of Johnson, Ballas, Mcpharlin which would have raised the age by a fair bit.
Experience of list in final game also didn't change much from 115gpp to 119gpp.

It also looks like our list will again get older again from 2014 to 2015 especially if we bring in more mature recruits, trades or FA's.

It's just numbers really but thought it was interesting to have a look and the offseason came a week earlier than I expected. Not sure where it puts us compared to the rest of the comp.

 

[Seppo]

Current list (including Gumby and Keps) on a Games vs Age. Players are sorted in age order.

Just as a point of reference, Fyfe just turned 23 the other day and Silvagni is 27 years old.

 

[beetz]

I don't think the issue is the age of our players generally, I think it's more that our better and coincidnently KP players are the oldest i.e. Pav, McPharlin, Sandi and to a lesser extent Mundy.

I would love to see Mundy play the Burgoyne half back role in the latter stages of his career.

 

[clogged]

Sack anyone over 26 and replace with all our kids running around for Peel.
We will be closer to 18th on the ladder than 1st but who gives a flying fart we will have one of the youngest sides

Another load of dumb thinking from the dumbest.

 

[Seppo]

As Ross mentioned the other day in the presser we are around 4th in the league for games for players under 24.

Looking at my table that gives us 417 games. Clancee is just under 24 and Suban is over.

 

[clogged]

As Ross mentioned the other day in the presser we are around 4th in the league for games for players under 24.

Looking at my table that gives us 417 games. Clancee is just under 24 and Suban is over.

GWS and GCS would be second and first respectively. Port third? Or Brisbane?

 

[beetz]

As Ross mentioned the other day in the presser we are around 4th in the league for games for players under 24.

Looking at my table that gives us 417 games. Clancee is just under 24 and Suban is over.

That's an interesting and relieving stat considering that bracket boasts names such as Fyfe, Walters, Neale, Sutcliffe and exciting prospects such as Crozier, Morabito, Duffy and Taberner.

 

[UFO Tatsu]

As Ross mentioned the other day in the presser we are around 4th in the league for games for players under 24.

Looking at my table that gives us 417 games. Clancee is just under 24 and Suban is over.

what it does show that "journalist" in general do not look at our list beyond the big three. new season resolution is read more BF and less new articles.

 

[Big Animal]

I don't think the issue is the age of our players generally, I think it's more that our better and coincidnently KP players are the oldest i.e. Pav, McPharlin, Sandi and to a lesser extent Mundy.

I would love to see Mundy play the Burgoyne half back role in the latter stages of his career.

Wouldn't be surprised to see Suttie (mundy mk2) and Mundy swap positions by 2016

 

[Patty_Moz]

As Ross mentioned the other day in the presser we are around 4th in the league for games for players under 24.

Looking at my table that gives us 417 games. Clancee is just under 24 and Suban is over.

Unfortunately Lyons comments are a little dated which is understandable as I doubt they check this stuff very regularly. Hill (128 games), De Boer (115), Suban (105) and Clarke (74) all turned 24 this year so we lose a whopping 422 games from the players under 24.

That takes us from top 4 to bottom 4 here's the list.

Team- Total Games for players under 24

1. Gold Coast- 971
2. GWS- 965
3. North- 734
4. Bulldogs- 713
5. Geelong- 700
6. Port Adelaide- 650
7. Brisbane- 588
8. Collingwood- 570
9. Melbourne- 551
10. Richmond- 529
11. St Kilda- 520
12. Hawthorn- 509
13. Sydney- 455
14. Essendon- 425
15. West Coast- 418
16. Fremantle- 416
17. Adelaide- 397
18. Carlton- 290

NOTE: This takes into account current lists updated with delistings from afl site. If teams cut young players they may fall a bit also as players turn 24 they will fall- ie. we lose Clancee (78) in a month.

 

[eastfreo75]

Backline
Dawson 28 Mcpharlin 32 Spurr 27 Sutcliffe 22
Druffield 29 Johnson 29 Ibbotson 26

Rucks
Sandilands 31 Clarke 24

Midfielders
Fyfe 23 Neale 21 Hill 24 Barlow 26
Mzunga 28 Crowley 30 D Pearce 28 Mundy 29

Forwards
Ballatyne 27 Walters 23
Mayne 25 Pavlich 32 Taberner 21

Backline - ok for mid/small defenders, Talls are getting older
Midfielder - 4 out of 5 top midfielders are 26 years and younger. Half our midfield needs replacing.
Forwards- are ok except Pavlich

Borderline Players outside the 22
Crozier 20, Sheridan 20, Morabito 22, Silvagni 27, Griffin 28, Suban 24, C Pearce 23, De Boer 24.

 

[manpurple]

Backline
Dawson 28 Mcpharlin 32 Spurr 27 Sutcliffe 22
Druffield 29 Johnson 29 Ibbotson 26

Rucks
Sandilands 31 Clarke 24

Midfielders
Fyfe 23 Neale 21 Hill 24 Barlow 26
Mzunga 28 Crowley 30 D Pearce 28 Mundy 29

Forwards
Ballatyne 27 Walters 23
Mayne 25 Pavlich 32 Taberner 21

Backline - ok for mid/small defenders, Talls are getting older
Midfielder - 4 out of 5 top midfielders are 26 years and younger. Half our midfield needs replacing.
Forwards- are ok except Pavlich

Borderline Players outside the 22
Crozier 20, Sheridan 20, Morabito 22, Silvagni 27, Griffin 28, Suban 24, C Pearce 23, De Boer 24.

Promising youth yet to play much
Apeness 19, Duffy 20

Generally on this front if we put a line through everyone over 27 we loose
Backs - McPharlin, Duffield, Johnson, Dawson,
Mids - Crowley, Mundy, Mzungu, D Pearce
Ruck - Sandi, Griff
Forward - Pav

Whilst there is a desire, in some quarters, to find an extra tall to work with Pav, in all honesty the above to me highlights that the focus has to change.

• IMHO Frawley becomes a must (at almost any price or next year it will be at any price)
• A Pearce and Smith need to prove that they can play but we can't spend a lot more picks on a tall KPD
  
• Replacing the run and kick of Duffield, Mzungu and D Pearce needs to be the focus for the next two drafts
• I believe that we can fill Mundy, Crowley and the Ruck rolls with existing talent (maybe not to the same level but well enough)

 

[Kunna17]

Promising youth yet to play much
Apeness 19, Duffy 20

Generally on this front if we put a line through everyone over 27 we loose
Backs - McPharlin, Duffield, Johnson, Dawson,
Mids - Crowley, Mundy, Mzungu, D Pearce
Ruck - Sandi, Griff
Forward - Pav

Whilst there is a desire, in some quarters, to find an extra tall to work with Pav, in all honesty the above to me highlights that the focus has to change.

• IMHO Frawley becomes a must (at almost any price or next year it will be at any price)
• A Pearce and Smith need to prove that they can play but we can't spend a lot more picks on a tall KPD
  
• Replacing the run and kick of Duffield, Mzungu and D Pearce needs to be the focus for the next two drafts
• I believe that we can fill Mundy, Crowley and the Ruck rolls with existing talent (maybe not to the same level but well enough)

exactly ... big point in this, is through replacing Duffield/Mzungu/D.Pearce, we shouldn't be looking so much for mid-pace runners but elite paced runners. Would add another level to our team, having said this, their replacements need to be able to play still