Bloodstained Angel
Premiership Player
Watching Craig Bradley run around for the Blues this season it struck me how 'effective' he still is.
He may have lost a yard or two in pace and studiously avoids the really heavy body-on-body work but his sure skills, accurate long kicking and general football 'smarts' make him an asset to any team - even at 36.
Its the same for some other veteran players as well - they may have lost a little pace and stamina but are still very effective contributors. Look at a guy like Paul Salmon absolutely revelling in his career twilight. Paul Roos as well - he looked and moved like a mummified giraffe in his last couple of seasons but how effective was he as a CHB 'sweeper' ?
All of this begs the question which I am sure has been on the minds of Hawthorn fans for a while now :
Did John Platten retire too early ?
Could he as a veteran player been 'managed' a little better by Hawthorn to prolong his illustrious career ?
He was still fit, still very pacy and most importantly, still had the guts and determination to play the game as he had always played it.
Its an interesting 'what might have been' scenario to ponder.
What do the Hawks fans think ?
He may have lost a yard or two in pace and studiously avoids the really heavy body-on-body work but his sure skills, accurate long kicking and general football 'smarts' make him an asset to any team - even at 36.
Its the same for some other veteran players as well - they may have lost a little pace and stamina but are still very effective contributors. Look at a guy like Paul Salmon absolutely revelling in his career twilight. Paul Roos as well - he looked and moved like a mummified giraffe in his last couple of seasons but how effective was he as a CHB 'sweeper' ?
All of this begs the question which I am sure has been on the minds of Hawthorn fans for a while now :
Did John Platten retire too early ?
Could he as a veteran player been 'managed' a little better by Hawthorn to prolong his illustrious career ?
He was still fit, still very pacy and most importantly, still had the guts and determination to play the game as he had always played it.
Its an interesting 'what might have been' scenario to ponder.
What do the Hawks fans think ?