Players over 30

[denicat]

Can we keep them all.
Think it will hurt us long term if we do?

 

[alfy!]

Who are the players over 30?

 

[year of the cat]

Wrote this on another thread:

We have to be very careful to stagger the years in which we retire our ageing players. To have them all go out over a short time would be foolhardy for several reasons:

1. It would stifle the development of the younger players who are already at the club

2. It would limit our ability to maximise our ability to draft talent by having to take later draft picks in one or two drafts

3. It wouldn't allow a smooth transition of the younger players being able to learn off a few seasoned veterans in the same way a staggered retirement schedule would.

Like it or not Milburn should retire this year followed by Ottens and Mooney next year and Scarlett and maybe Ling the year after. Corey, Rooke and Woja also have to be worked into the equation.

 

[Vdubs]

Can we keep them all.
Think it will hurt us long term if we do?

Let's wait and see a decision by Ablett--will determine what we've got to play with.

Would not mind it at all if Milburn, Ottens, Corey and Rooke all said enough is enough end season.

We can't hang onto Gillies, Laidler, T HUNT, Simpson forever without senior game involvement. Next year is their opportunity. GC/GWS ETC. will be desperate for our young rejects if they get Mumforditis

 

[LifeSpan-Void]

Adelaide's 2010 should be a warning for Geelong if they're intending to keep them all on the list - Craig got burned pretty bad by having those 4-5 really old guys a year too long, and only when he started playing the younger guys did the Crows start showing some form. Not expecting a complete clean out, but a few of them will get tapped on the shoulder at the end of this year for sure.

 

[noclashjumpers]

The thing is, I think Bomber is so close to this group that I'm not sure he could bring himself to do it. TBH, I have a feeling he might be blinded to the fact that this could even be a problem. ....such is his faith in these guys.

If this is the case, then maybe Bomber's time may also be up? As amazing as he has been, it's possible that his legacy lies with this group of players. And that new blood on the track will need new blood at the top?

Not saying I necessarily believe this, but it has crossed my mind a few times.

 

[alfy!]

Milburn could easily go one more year, and isn't on much money.

Scarlett and Mooney have both been good this year, the former still has 2-3 left in him, the latter who knows. Who else is over 30 next year?

 

[Partridge]

We have to be very careful to stagger the years in which we retire our ageing players. To have them all go out over a short time would be foolhardy for several reasons:

1. It would stifle the development of the younger players who are already at the club

2. It would limit our ability to maximise our ability to draft talent by having to take later draft picks in one or two drafts

3. It wouldn't allow a smooth transition of the younger players being able to learn off a few seasoned veterans in the same way a staggered retirement schedule would.

Like it or not Milburn should retire this year followed by Ottens and Mooney next year and Scarlett and maybe Ling the year after. Corey, Rooke and Woja also have to be worked into the equation.

Honestly, after what I've seen in the second half of this season Corey will be getting tapped on the shoulder ahead of everyone else.

It's a reality that you must keep bringing newer and younger players into the side. Some will make it, some won't. But otherwise we're going to tip over into an abyss with no quality young players ready to take over.

It is a matter of extreme urgency that the younger players that deserve selection (that's crucial - they still should earn their spots) get opportunities next season. Starting with Round 1. That means Taylor Hunt, Laidler, Menzel, Duncan. If them getting a game means players like Rooke or Corey have to come back via the reserves tough. They are the future which is rapidly becoming the present.

I've mentioned this elsewhere, but I'm still annoyed Taylor Hunt isn't participating in the finals. His form warranted it, and his pace and dash could have been very useful. If we lose Friday night because we're too old and slow they've already gone one game too far.

 

[pinion]

i'd hate to see any of our premiership players forced out against their will or finish their careers at other clubs. i wouldn't be at all shattered if any of mooney, ottens, milburn or scarlett gave it away at the end of the year.

my gut feeling is that the backline needs some new blood and we can't fit both milburn and scarlett in there

 

[year of the cat]

Honestly, after what I've seen in the second half of this season Corey will be getting tapped on the shoulder ahead of everyone else.

It's a reality that you must keep bringing newer and younger players into the side. Some will make it, some won't. But otherwise we're going to tip over into an abyss with no quality young players ready to take over.

It is a matter of extreme urgency that the younger players that deserve selection (that's crucial - they still should earn their spots) get opportunities next season. Starting with Round 1. That means Taylor Hunt, Laidler, Menzel, Duncan. If them getting a game means players like Rooke or Corey have to come back via the reserves tough. They are the future which is rapidly becoming the present.

I've mentioned this elsewhere, but I'm still annoyed Taylor Hunt isn't participating in the finals. His form warranted it, and his pace and dash could have been very useful. If we lose Friday night because we're too old and slow they've already gone one game too far.

Completely agree with you here Partridge. I too would have liked to see T.Hunt be given a final. Although their form is ok it now worries me having Milburn, Scarlett and Lonergan all in the backline. Hunt's run and carry could have been useful. He certainly couldn't have been dropped due to poor form because every match I saw him in late in the season he was terrific.

I am obviously hoping that the old brigade have 2 more big matches left in them. But regardless of the result this year we HAVE to not just introduce these young guys into the team in 2011 but give them time to develop and get used to AFL footy. We have seen that both Adelaide and Brisbane in recent years held on to their decorated older players for a year or 2 too long and suffered the consequences. Hard decisions have to be made that hopefully avoid disrupting the morale and fabric of the club.

Rooke, Corey, Milburn, Mooney and possibly Ottens will all have to be moved on in the next couple of years. But 1 or 2 have to go at the end of this season in order to give the likes of T.Hunt, Menzel and Duncan better opportunity.

 

[denicat]

Some good posts
dont want players to go but for the future we need a couple to retire.

 

[LifeSpan-Void]

The thing is, I think Bomber is so close to this group that I'm not sure he could bring himself to do it. TBH, I have a feeling he might be blinded to the fact that this could even be a problem. ....such is his faith in these guys.

If this is the case, then maybe Bomber's time may also be up? As amazing as he has been, it's possible that his legacy lies with this group of players. And that new blood on the track will need new blood at the top?

Not saying I necessarily believe this, but it has crossed my mind a few times.

It wouldn't surprise me if he has made some kind of agreement with the '99 drafted players, in that they'll all call it a day (form pending) at the end of 2011 at the same time he does. Realistically I could see Ling, Corey and Chapman pulling the pin at the end of next year, and maybe Enright the following year. Ottens and Wojcinski may go this year, may not. Scarlett and Milburn are tricky ones because they're both the kind of players that could successfully lurk for a few more seasons. Mooney will go at the end of next year, that 12 month contract he signed will surely be his last one.

 

[thejester]

The club's re-signed Mooney on another one year contract and seems to be about to do the same with Milburn. As much as the ideas of staggering retirements and whatever are appealing, I think noclashjumpers has it right - Bomber has been extraordinarily loyal to these players and I don't see that changing, especially given that he's publicly stated he doesn't believe in premiership windows.

I also think people are overestimating the young flavours of the month, but that's probably a topic for a different thread.

 

[Gladbaqs]

I reckon the Magpies are ahead of the competition in this regard. Geelong and St Kilda tend to play with very stable line ups. Malthouse isn't afraid to regularly freshen his squad with youngsters. In that manor he found out that Jarryd Blair is now better than Shane O'Bree, for example.

Next year, with injuries and age taking their toll, will Ling, Corey, Rooke, Ottens and Mooney still be in the best 22?

The answer could still be 'yes' for any of them - but not all of them. The opportunity to replace these stars has to be granted to the younger players from round one next year.

 

[Commando]

i think our premiership players should be allowed to go on their own terms, no real need for shoulder tapping just yet as the end of 2011 will be a changing of the guard and i would expect to see Milburn, Mooney, Corey, Ling, Rooke, Wojinski retire.

Enright, Chapman, Scarlett would still have a season or two more to offer after that you would think.

i do agree with getting some more gametime into our youngsters next year, but i dont think any of our veterans deserve to be shown the door to do it.

rotations are the key.

 

[bulletproof]

None of the older players will be forced out. It is not the way Bomber operates. They even left the decision up to Harley. No one is in the state that he was in last year. Good grief he was on last legs! Ablett's departure will mean salary cap won't force it. Scarlett, ottens, Ling, Corey and Milburn will start season late giving the good young ones plenty of opportunity if they are good enough.

 

[The rabbi]

i think our premiership players should be allowed to go on their own terms, no real need for shoulder tapping just yet as the end of 2011 will be a changing of the guard and i would expect to see Milburn, Mooney, Corey, Ling, Rooke, Wojinski retire.

I think that they may just have to tap one or two on the shoulder for the future of the club.

 

[Boxhead_31]

We need to get some fresh legs into the team this game tonight has shown that we really need an injection of pace into the side need to get game time into Menzel, T Hunt, etc and to do this some very hard decision's are going to have to be made.

 

[The rabbi]

We need to get some fresh legs into the team this game tonight has shown that we really need an injection of pace into the side need to get game time into Menzel, T Hunt, etc and to do this some very hard decision's are going to have to be made.

Yep and yep. Our talls look especially slow.