Which older players were dropped due to poor form, and replaced with a youngster? I can’t think of any. Debuts usually come due to injuries, resting, suspensions, or to replace another fringe player.
I can remember moons and dasher being dropped, and never to return, for fresh blood. Can’t think of another time since.
So a 35 yr old will have the same speed, strength and reflexes as a 23 yr old?
depends on plenty of factors, including injury history that needs to come into consideration such as ligament and tendon recovery and if they fully recovered, bad muscle fiber tears and the gradients etc, as just another thing to keep in mind.
there are examples of players playing better into their 30’s even. Sam mitchel was an AA premiership midfielder at the ripe old age of 33, Tom Hawkins played his career best season at the age of 33 and moved like a stallion, if it was some decline of reflexes that was the reason than we would never see these instances. I’m not saying it doesn’t occur because reflexes do slow with age, but it isn’t the reason a 27 year old is elite and a 29 year old drops off in form. A professional athlete isn’t going to experience something like that in two years.
I think I’m waffling and getting off track as it’s quite a detailed chat to actually look into all the factors, not a quick big footy post