Do we have an ageing list??

[noddy]

After reading & listening to some so-called footy experts lately & their description of our list as an aging one i had a quick bo-peep on the AFC web site & found the only ones over thirty are Bickley, Smart & Carey & surprise surprise Ben Hart is only 28 & along with Clarke 29 are our next oldest, the group in the 25- 27 bracket include Stevens, Ricciuto, Mcleod, Goodwin, Edwards & Bassett which by all reports are the age when most players are coming into their peak,
just on Benny Hart does anyone else get the impression that he could easily go on play AFL on a consistent level for many more years to come ala Bradley/Tuck,

might of forgotten Ronnie Burns,

 

[Stiffy_18]

Burns, Carey, Bickley and Smart are the only ones that are 30 or over. IMHO Hart has many more years to come (6-8 years if managed correctly). Players that are in 25-27 bracket are approaching or are at their peek and every thing below 25 is young in footy terms as all those players have some 7 or more years of footy in front of them (With exception of some).


I think our list is not ageing as we have a very good blend of youth and experience. The opinion of so called "experts" doesn't worry me one bit

 

[macca23]

Yep, good summary Stiffy. We do have a very good blend of youth and experience. I think our future looks very good.

In the next 2 years the 4 players you nominated are the only likely retirements. Bicks and Smarty at the end of this year, and maybe, only maybe, Burns and Carey, the year after.

We never had Burns and Carey last year and finished 4th. Bicks will be more than covered as Reilly and Mattner develop, with Smarty being the hardest to replace. But you would expect at least one to step up from the emerging talent of Hentschel, Rutten, Bock, Jericho and Parker.

Add in draft picks and trades, and the future looks pretty good to me.

 

[Ripper]

How about giving the really old boys sunday off.

 

[macca23]

Originally posted by RIPPER_46
How about giving the really old boys sunday off.

 

[footychick]

Last year we were the third youngest team in the AFL so aren't the crows still one of the youngest teams???

 

[crowsfan]

What happened to the saying "Age is just a number"? I don't think we do have an aging list, and even if we did, what does it matter. Like others have said, we've got a good mix of experience and youth right now, and I personally don't see any need to change our side. I'm happy with the way it is

You've got to have a balance of experience and youth in my opinion. A young average age is pointless if you don't have enough experienced players who don't know what its like to play in finals and more importnantly, pressure situations.

As for Hart, noddy, not quite sure if he would play that long. He could if he kept up his level of fitness, but that seems really really hard to do when you are that age, and he might have other interests by that time anyhow that might take away the extremely high level of motivation and desire to stay at that level.

Just my thoughts

 

[Stiffy_18]

Originally posted by footychick
Last year we were the third youngest team in the AFL so aren't the crows still one of the youngest teams???

Actually with recruiting of Carey and Burns and with the likes of Bickley and Smart a year older, we have gone to one of the oldest lists in the comp on average. Our age average is 23.9

 

[Damp Squarie]

Its all about succession planning so that when a Bickley or a Smart pull the pin we have thier replacements chafeing at the bit to "fill" that regular spot.

They are all ageing and when theyve been around a bit its the "hunger" thats important.

Look at Bickley last year, youd swear by his example that his hunger is still driving him on...despite many premierships.

 

[footychick]

Originally posted by Stiffy_18
Actually with recruiting of Carey and Burns and with the likes of Bickley and Smart a year older, we have gone to one of the oldest lists in the comp on average. Our age average is 23.9

ohh ok...yeah i 4got about all the new recruits....

 

[Spogs]

Glad this topic was brought up. In the AFL Heral Sun Season Guide, which I presume was included in the Advertiser at some stage, there's a quote from Steve Acott (who?) that anoys the poop out of me.

He says "Adelaide is a club living for the moment, trying to pinch another premiership while the seminal six - Smart/Hart/Bickley/McLeod/Ricciuto/Goodwin - are still standing."

Ok, Smart and Bickley are on the way out but how old does he think the others are?

A club is at its strongest when you have your core group of players around the 25 to 28 year old mark. You're not going to win premierships when you're relying on 21 year olds to win you games over the whole season. (See St Kilda)

I couldn't be happier with the balance of our side age wise, because it give us plenty to look forward to both short term and medium term. This almost fanatical obsession with playing young players by a lot of clubs is absurd, to the point where its becoming an excuse for coaches and supporters to explain away their perennial mediocrity.

 

[napsyd]

I think the ageing list concept comes more from the perception that we are very heavily reliant on Smart/Hart/Roo/Macca/Goody etc and that when they are gone or even a bit older and less influencial we will have nothing to replace them.

This ignores the fact that Ayres has built a very even team that can perform well even when the stars have off days.

It also places a lot of emphasis on the fact that we gave away a critical draft pick to get Carey, who by their reckoning will give us 2 years max and maybe nothing at all.

For some reason the Melbourne media does not see the progression of our youngsters and the fact that we do have quality there. Perhaps this is distance, perhaps this is deliberate ignorance, who knows.

I think we all agree we have young players in the Reilly and John**** vein, who will shock them when they make their way into the team.

Mathematically we have an ageing list, but this is a tribute to the quality of our oldies, rather than our reliance upon them. When they go (and let's hope they go out on top), we will revert to having a middle of the road list in terms of age, but one with a strong group of youngsters ready to take on the roles left by the retired players.

 

[noddy]

Agree with all those comments but it just poops me off when some scribes label us as an aging team & when they put Benny Hart in the same age bracket as Smart & Bickley that justs tops it off,
as macca23 would know age is not a barrier to all things in life,

just some of the more enjoyable ones,