I agree with your assessment of horizon absolutely, but I just don't think the selection committee would be as bold as we'd like them to be. One part of me feels like we should be looking to select only players who would be part of that contention period unless absolutely necessary which would mean not selecting the likes of Goldsack, Macaffer, Toovey, Blair, and yes - even White.
But I just don't think they will do that, as if would cost 2016 wins. These guys will continue to get games to contribute to our win total I believe and give us the best chance at finals.
Selection will be interesting.
Even from a win in 2016 perspective while the club probably as you suggest won't be so bold, I'd back the younger guys in over Goldsack/Toovey/Blair/White/Macaffer and while it may early season mean an extra loss or two, I'd back the team in to have a stronger best 22 by seasons end once these younger guys get the games into them at AFL level.
As an example team we could go into round one with, with a view towards playing guys who may play in our next premiership team:
B: Brayden Maynard Nathan Brown Jonathon Marsh
HB: Tom Langdon Ben Reid Marley Williams
CEN: Steele Sidebottom Jordan De Goey Adam Treloar
HF: Jeremy Howe Travis Cloke Jack Crisp
F: Alex Fasolo Darcy Moore Jamie Elliott
FOLL: Brodie Grundy Scott Pendlebury Dane Swan
BENCH: Jarrod Witts Taylor Adams Tim Broomhead James Aish
To also receive regular senior games: Tom Phillips, Mason Cox, Levi Greenwood, Travis Varcoe, Jackson Ramsay, Brayden Sier (if ready later in the season), Jack Frost and Adam Oxley. With Matthew Scharenberg back in senior calculations for 2017.
Those born in 1994 and later should experience rapid development with senior games and with the development they would be able to get from those games, the late season result I'd expect to be a top 8 finish with a team more finals ready than a team utilising Macaffer/White/Blair/Goldsack/Toovey still, as they should if these young guys get full AFL seasons be surpassed by the younger talents who have relatively more dominating points of difference from an AFL play context. Tom Phillips while I couldn't quite squeeze him into that best 22, from this recent AFL draft I give him a strong chance to do a Langdon and become a regular early season and be a big part of what we do in his own right. So the young talent is there for this type of selection strategy to be viable.
It's just I lean towards your opinion that the club will play it too conservatively at the selection table and continue to show reluctance as they have in the past few seasons to push young guys past these older types who aren't dominating at their various positions.
I'll be pushing hard for the very opposite approach though with my confidence in our youth there with the talent and character in that wider group all there for them to surpass some of the clubs older role playing types.