List Mgmt. Managing retirements.

[Hawkinspired]

I sense the club has gone the all in option in regards to managing our senior players. Burgoyne, Mitchell, Gibson, Hodge, Sewell and Hale are all out of contract at the end of next season. Lake should be able to get a 12 month extension so he will also fit into that bracket.

Should they play on beyond that there respective ages at the start of the 2016 season would be;

Burgoyne - 33
Gibson - 32
Hodge - 31
Hale - 31
Lake - 34
Mitchell - 33
Sewell - 32

It's going to be interesting to see how many of those players can get up for another season. Could be a mass exodus at the end of 2015.

IMO I'm happy with the situation. We are in a great position to go back to back, and given so many are in contract for next season it's a real testament to Graham Wright and his team for keeping the list together. I see no reason why 2015 can't be another great year for us.

Beyond that will take some serious work via free agency and trading to keep us in contention.

 

[Argy]

This will probably one of the things motivating our younger brigade. Natural retirements will see them getting their turn at the wheel sometime soon.

 

[MELTY]

The real testament to Luke Hodge is that while Ball has retired and Judd was contemplating retirement, there hasnt been one word uttered about Hodge even thinking about it.

 

[Great 2008]

Can't really like that post Hawkinspired.

 

[HODGEYROAD]

I sense the club has gone the all in option in regards to managing our senior players. Burgoyne, Mitchell, Gibson, Hodge, Sewell and Hale are all out of contract at the end of next season. Lake should be able to get a 12 month extension so he will also fit into that bracket.

Should they play on beyond that there respective ages at the start of the 2016 season would be;

Burgoyne - 33
Gibson - 32
Hodge - 31
Hale - 31
Lake - 34
Mitchell - 33
Sewell - 32

It's going to be interesting to see how many of those players can get up for another season. Could be a mass exodus at the end of 2015.

IMO I'm happy with the situation. We are in a great position to go back to back, and given so many are in contract for next season it's a real testament to Graham Wright and his team for keeping the list together. I see no reason why 2015 can't be another great year for us.

Beyond that will take some serious work via free agency and trading to keep us in contention.

Sewell/ Lake/ Hale will probably go end of 2015, the other will continue in 2016 that's my guess

 

[HODGEYROAD]

2 of the other 4 at the end of 2016, then the other remaining 2 at the end of 2017 thats my hunch

 

[TyHawk]

Sewell this year. Hale, Burgoyne and Lake the next. Hodge and Mitchell will depend on body & mind. As for Gibbo? Playing as a HB could prolong his career till 2017 and he is meticulous the way he prepares himself so no worry there for now.

 

[moginie]

This is the biggest issue facing our list management team. How do we balance a successful AFL team & a successful VFL team and not lose players to other clubs or force players into enforced or unnecessary retirement?

With the exceptions of Sewell & Hale, the rest have been playing at an acceptable standard for most of this season. There are players in the wings who, in time, can replace the retiring champions.

But for me the greatest challenge will be preparing Rioli to take over Burgoyne's role.

 

[Bumpswithagrin]

I would not be surprised to see one or two of Sewell, Hale and Lake retire at the end of this season.

 

[Hawkk]

Sewell this year. Hale, Burgoyne and Lake the next. Hodge and Mitchell will depend on body & mind. As for Gibbo? Playing as a HB could prolong his career till 2017 and he is meticulous the way he prepares himself so no worry there for now.

Why couldn't Burgoyne go on into 2016/17? I'd suggest that Hodge and Mitchell would more likely than not go before Burgoyne...

For this season I wouldn't be surprised if Lake, Hale (both have one year contracts sewn up but a flag might sway them) and Sewell (GWS) retire / get moved on by seasons end.

 

[Thaihawk]

I would not be surprised to see one or two of Sewell, Hale and Lake retire at the end of this season.

I'm inclined to agree Bumps, could be the start of gradual replacement of our aging stars.

 

[seysearles]

2 of the other 4 at the end of 2016, then the other remaining 2 at the end of 2017 thats my hunch

Mitchell 2034

 

[HODGEYROAD]

I would not be surprised to see one or two of Sewell, Hale and Lake retire at the end of this season.

Hale already signed on for 2015

 

[Smiggs Pig]

I have to agree with some earlier posts, Burgoyne (despite his age) is showing arguably the least signs of showing down as demonstrated by his All Australian nomination. Given his versatility, speed and class he could play a long time. Getting Gibson out of the key posts could allow him to play for many more years. In the short term I think Sewell will be first to go, I have strong concerns over the game moving past Hodgey very quickly, more and more he seems to get found out. Next year way well be his last and I would like to see Lewis as captain next year to prepare for this.

 

[seysearles]

I have to agree with some earlier posts, Burgoyne (despite his age) is showing arguably the least signs of showing down as demonstrated by his All Australian nomination. Given his versatility, speed and class he could play a long time. Getting Gibson out of the key posts could allow him to play for many more years. In the short term I think Sewell will be first to go, I have strong concerns over the game moving past Hodgey very quickly, more and more he seems to get found out. Next year way well be his last and I would like to see Lewis as captain next year to prepare for this.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Burgoyne

 

[WWSD]

We saw how good Mitchell and Gibson were last week, inparticular Mitchell. He could play for another two more seasons yet. Of the senior players Sewell would be the one most likely to announce his retirement this year. It's likely Lake will play on again for next year, whilst Hale and Burgoyne are also in very good form and both players should be able to go on again next year.

 

[crazywildhorse]

The thing is, if your skill set is your actual footballing skills and nous (as opposed to physical attributes), 32 is not that old. Those old guys know when and where to run and Jump.

 

[Pritchard]

If we win the flag there could be a few going out on a good note I reckon.

 

[Symons]

I think one of the things in Sewell's favour is that he wasn't ever fast.

It's a bit like Chance - he rapidly fell off a cliff in his final season, but that's because he was a Hill-esque player...he was all about his dash and speed. Once he hit 30, he was stuffed and competing against 20 year olds who could run all day.

Whereas Sewell is all about grunt and strong tackles - and he's always going to be harder and tougher than 20 year olds. In Sewell's case, his worries will be injury related. If he can overcome those, he could potentially truck on for a while.

It also depends on the makeup of the team. You can carry one or two slower players if you've got some fast players to make up for it. Fortunately, we've got Smith and Hill at the moment, which could extend the playing life of some of our older guys.

 

[Pessimistic]

While thers a few in that list, more than any other club, theres been significant time missed so having so many elder players may have worked, having enough experience around yet some opportunity for up and comers too

Sewell seemed to have gained a bit of toe last week, maybe its perception

 

[Hawkstilidie]

The real testament to Luke Hodge is that while Ball has retired and Judd was contemplating retirement, there hasnt been one word uttered about Hodge even thinking about it.

This is because Hodge isn't a man, he is a God.

 

[MuzzHawk]

I think Sewell will hang them up at the end of this year, with Hale and Lake doing so next year.

Now that Spangher (or even Schoey) seems to be moving into the backline on a more permanent level, I think we will be able to switch Gibson into a role similar to how Geelong used Scarlett at the end of his career, so I think he potentially has another 2-3 seasons after this. I wouldn't even mind seeing him in Guerra's old role as I am still feel like I need to see more from Duryea.

I'd say Mitch and Hodgy will play another 2 seasons after this. Hodge is now just a genuine utility, and as guys like Anderson and Woodward start to hit their straps, and Bruest spends more time in the midfield, I wouldn't mind Hodge spending a bit of additional time up forward.

Burgoyne will come down to his hunger more than anything, but given his versatility, he has really been able to manage himself physically over the last few seasons, and he could easily play as a permanent forward pocket or back pocket, or just continue as a utility with short bursts in the middle. I'd suspect it'll be 2-3 more seasons.

 

[Argy]

If we win the flag there could be a few going out on a good note I reckon.

They might be tempted by a threepeat.

 

[seysearles]

If we win the flag there could be a few going out on a good note I reckon.

I'd prefer them to go out on a 3peat.

 

[BobHawk]

The next 2 years or so will be very interesting. I'm pretty confident that our depth which is the result of holding on to so many players over the years at Box Hill by nurturing them with lengthy development is the result of the club's planning for the future. I really do feel that the club has done a fantastic job of this including appointing Carroll as development coordinator last year. We really are at the cutting edge.

The fact that we have over half a dozen players into their 30's playing some fantastic footy should also be highly motivating for the team to go back to back knowing that they have created this opportunity for themselves and are in such a strong position to do so. The confidence should be there.