Which team is in the most trouble replacing its aging players? - 2020 edition

[The Nostradamus]

^old mate is obsessed

 

[MadMundy]

Glad that the club has a good list of young players on the team now who will be looking to make a push for finals next season.

 

[Freomaniac]

Not sure why you quoted my post. I didn't even mention Freo so why are you telling me all this?

because you were chatting to another freo poster......

 

[The Nostradamus]

Essendon with key position players in Hooker Hurley and Bellchambers

harder to replace KPP than mids

 

[C Heston]

North and Carlton are in some strife IMO. Both heavily reliant on their old blokes.

 

[RedBullRacing]

Whatever happens this season, Geelong need to move on Ablett, Hawkins and Taylor, and bring in some young players.

 

[Mt Isa Mustang]

North and Carlton are in some strife IMO. Both heavily reliant on their old blokes.

Carlton has a good young midfield, a couple of young key forwards and a rising key defender.

They’ll be more than fine when the few oldies (Murphy, kruezer, Simpson, casboult) are gone.

Curnow seems a me of those guys that could play until almost mid 30s

Jones is about the next oldest at 28

 

[Jeremias]

Carlton has a good young midfield, a couple of young key forwards and a rising key defender.

They’ll be more than fine when the few oldies (Murphy, kruezer, Simpson, casboult) are gone.

Curnow seems a me of those guys that could play until almost mid 30s

Jones is about the next oldest at 28

Don’t worry about Gosha, best to ignore him.

 

[WillHayward]

Essendon with key position players in Hooker Hurley and Bellchambers

harder to replace KPP than mids

Essendon's list management is awful.

Serious issues with ageing KPPs and STILL no decent big bodied midfielder.

But hey, dont worry. Rest assured Bomber will fans will all turn feral on John Worsfold and old teflon Adrian Dodoro will carry on unscathed and blameless...

Cant blame Dods! He is a genius who wins trade week every year . Just ask him and Callum Twomey. They insist it is true.

 

[Pomsta]

^old mate is obsessed

I actually agree with both of you. He's annoying most Richmond fans as well as North ones.

However the problem with North is that the 3 old guys are in their best, and most important, 5 players on the list and I'm not sure that they will be replaced by anyone currently on the list. Higgins is a gun but I haven't seen anyone from North with the same skillset or reading of the play that Higgins has. You have nobody that will replace Goldstein (I could probably see a trade in once he retires). However your biggest loss will be Tarrant, especially with Thompson just retired. Even though you drafted a few KPBs none seems to be showing much yet.

 

[AlwaysHawks15]

Wow, kinda rude. I'm sorry but my honest opinion is that Hawthorn are going to struggle. I apologise and I don't mean to cause any offence. I'm just trying to engage in a discussion here by giving my humble thoughts on Hawthorn's prospects and, I'm sorry to say, they don't look too great. I don't like saying it but it's just how I see things. It's just my opinion and I'm sorry if you disagree with me. Merry Christmas to you and your family.

If you stopped weirdly obsessing about Hawthorn and bringing us up in almost every thread more people would take you seriously. Repeating the same rubbish over and over again give it a rest. You keep saying we have an average list, which players are actually vital for us to be a finals team?, we have more than enough to be thereabouts and that's all that matters. Half your side could be tripe but a good structure and game plan can make things work. We have more upside than you blokes who have a strange admiration for a vanilla player like McGrath.

 

[AlwaysHawks15]

Without wanting to offend, I reckon the Hawks will struggle replacing their aging players.

It's already started you goose, your taking about as much interest in other teams as the bloke in your avatar. If your going to troll try at least attempt to be clever about it.

 

[Jobe Watson]

If you stopped weirdly obsessing about Hawthorn and bringing us up in almost every thread more people would take you seriously. Repeating the same rubbish over and over again give it a rest. You keep saying we have an average list, which players are actually vital for us to be a finals team?, we have more than enough to be thereabouts and that's all that matters. Half your side could be tripe but a good structure and game plan can make things work. We have more upside than you blokes who have a strange admiration for a vanilla player like McGrath.

Well, currently you AREN'T a finals-quality team, so obviously there is some room for improvement for Hawthorn.

Gain Mitchell for 2020, but lose Impey. Gunston is on his last legs and won't be fit to start the year. Your forward line will be led by an injury-riddled tall and a kid who's played 14 games. Your #1 ruck is turning 31. Your two key pillars down back (Frawley and Stratton) are both 31 - who is your emerging talent in the key defensive stocks?

Almost 1/3 of your best 22 are over 30. That's a hell of a lot of players you'll need to phase out over the coming 2-3 years and currently I don't think you have the young talent to transition without falling down the ladder. We already saw Hawthorn drop from top 4 to 9th in one season and what's to say that fall won't continue now that a lot of your better players are starting to wind down? Hardwick, Lewis, Worpel and Scrimshaw all look good, but what about the rest of the young crop?

Hawthorn supporters sure get bitchy when you dare say that maybe Hawthorn won't be a powerhouse in the next 5 years. I'm sorry if my opinion has offended you. You'd kill to have a young talent like McGrath on your list.

 

[Neale4brownlow]

GCS - as once they hit 20 years old they move clubs.

 

[Freomaniac]

I noticed 5 people voted Freo. I want to find out who they are. Come forward and face the bastardization that is my forced opinion

 

[Foucault1989]

Obviously Geelong are going to struggle to replace their aging stars unless they top our with mature players on a dramatic scale.

I'm hopeful the transition from older to younger players will be seamless but I fear there may be a 1-2 year gap between the young blokes hitting their peak as consistent afl players and the older pillars retiring unless we trade in some 24-28 year olds.

 

[matey]

Well, currently you AREN'T a finals-quality team, so obviously there is some room for improvement for Hawthorn.

Gain Mitchell for 2020, but lose Impey. Gunston is on his last legs and won't be fit to start the year. Your forward line will be led by an injury-riddled tall and a kid who's played 14 games. Your #1 ruck is turning 31. Your two key pillars down back (Frawley and Stratton) are both 31 - who is your emerging talent in the key defensive stocks?

Almost 1/3 of your best 22 are over 30. That's a hell of a lot of players you'll need to phase out over the coming 2-3 years and currently I don't think you have the young talent to transition without falling down the ladder. We already saw Hawthorn drop from top 4 to 9th in one season and what's to say that fall won't continue now that a lot of your better players are starting to wind down? Hardwick, Lewis, Worpel and Scrimshaw all look good, but what about the rest of the young crop?

Hawthorn supporters sure get bitchy when you dare say that maybe Hawthorn won't be a powerhouse in the next 5 years. I'm sorry if my opinion has offended you. You'd kill to have a young talent like McGrath on your list.

As a nu 1 draft pick McGrath is a softer version of Murphy but with a crooked smile and I will be enjoying watching Worpel assassinating him for the next 10 years! Just my humble opinion and would be happy to be proven wrong.

 

[Slysh]

Well, currently you AREN'T a finals-quality team, so obviously there is some room for improvement for Hawthorn.

Gain Mitchell for 2020, but lose Impey. Gunston is on his last legs and won't be fit to start the year. Your forward line will be led by an injury-riddled tall and a kid who's played 14 games. Your #1 ruck is turning 31. Your two key pillars down back (Frawley and Stratton) are both 31 - who is your emerging talent in the key defensive stocks?

Almost 1/3 of your best 22 are over 30. That's a hell of a lot of players you'll need to phase out over the coming 2-3 years and currently I don't think you have the young talent to transition without falling down the ladder. We already saw Hawthorn drop from top 4 to 9th in one season and what's to say that fall won't continue now that a lot of your better players are starting to wind down? Hardwick, Lewis, Worpel and Scrimshaw all look good, but what about the rest of the young crop?

Hawthorn supporters sure get bitchy when you dare say that maybe Hawthorn won't be a powerhouse in the next 5 years. I'm sorry if my opinion has offended you. You'd kill to have a young talent like McGrath on your list.

Gunston is 28 years old... On his last legs...

 

[Jobe Watson]

Gunston is 28 years old... On his last legs...

Really dropped off in form last year and his injury worries are threatening to hamper him for another season. His best is behind him. Time to start finding the next crop.

As a nu 1 draft pick McGrath is a softer version of Murphy but with a crooked smile and I will be enjoying watching Worpel assassinating him for the next 10 years! Just my humble opinion and would be happy to be proven wrong.

Thank you for your opinion, but I respectfully disagree. But that's just my opinion.

 

[hk89]

Richmond (5)
Houli 31.7, Edwards 31.2, Riewoldt, 31.2, Rance, 30.2, Cotchin 29.8
Ross 19.3, Stack 19.8, Balta 21.2, Higgins 21.9, Bolton 21.0, Garthwaite 21.6, Graham 21.10, Baker 21,11, Rioli 22.8, Chol 22.11

Before this season I dreaded the idea of our older players moving on. Losing the likes of Cotchin, Riewoldt, Rance or Houli would send us spiraling down the ladder. Then 2019 happened. We had a horrific run of injuries to our most experienced players. At one stage all of the above plus Dusty, Nankervis and Short were out of the side yet our younger players stepped up. Now I don't hold the same fears.

Richmond did better than I thought they would when injury struck, but the reality was that they were not a top 8 side after the completion of the bye rounds. What changed after that was that players like Houli, Edwards, Riewoldt, Martin and Cotchin played almost every game up to the GF (I don't think any of their 29+ players - other than Rance - missed more than 2 games after round 14). Other teams wouldn't have been close enough to the top 8 to still make it after the injury run Richmond had before the bye rounds, so they do have handy depth, but it is still a team that would struggle to make top 8 with several of their stars out (as is any team in the competition at the moment).

 

[hk89]

You'd kill to have a young talent like McGrath on your list.

Essendon would kill to swap McGrath for Worpel. Worpel is the type of player Essendon really needed, and instead got McGrath. Another poor recruiting choice. We'd certainly find a spot for McGrath in our best 22 (his performance in the losing elimination final was one of the few optimistic signs for Essendon coming out of that game). However we have several who can play his role, so I doubt we'd be killing anyone to get McGrath to Hawthorn. If he plays a full season of games like his elimination final game, I might change my mind.

 

[juss]

I think we'll be okay in the 19/20/21 transition, it's the end of 2021 that worries me.

 

[telsor]

I think we'll be okay in the 19/20/21 transition, it's the end of 2021 that worries me.

Cotchin is the scary one.

Everyone else is replaceable (even Dusty). The replacement mightn't be as good, but a combination of a system style of play, a bit of work with the freed up salary cap on the trade market, and others coming through/stepping up should mean we probably get in the ballpark at least.

Cotchin however...Leadership like that doesn't grow on trees, and for a club whose success is largely based on system, the example he provides will be very hard to replace.

 

[Foucault1989]

Essendon would kill to swap McGrath for Worpel. Worpel is the type of player Essendon really needed, and instead got McGrath. Another poor recruiting choice. We'd certainly find a spot for McGrath in our best 22 (his performance in the losing elimination final was one of the few optimistic signs for Essendon coming out of that game). However we have several who can play his role, so I doubt we'd be killing anyone to get McGrath to Hawthorn. If he plays a full season of games like his elimination final game, I might change my mind.

Ooft. I'd be taking Mcgrath every day of the week

 

[AlwaysHawks15]

Well, currently you AREN'T a finals-quality team, so obviously there is some room for improvement for Hawthorn.

Gain Mitchell for 2020, but lose Impey. Gunston is on his last legs and won't be fit to start the year. Your forward line will be led by an injury-riddled tall and a kid who's played 14 games. Your #1 ruck is turning 31. Your two key pillars down back (Frawley and Stratton) are both 31 - who is your emerging talent in the key defensive stocks?

Almost 1/3 of your best 22 are over 30. That's a hell of a lot of players you'll need to phase out over the coming 2-3 years and currently I don't think you have the young talent to transition without falling down the ladder. We already saw Hawthorn drop from top 4 to 9th in one season and what's to say that fall won't continue now that a lot of your better players are starting to wind down? Hardwick, Lewis, Worpel and Scrimshaw all look good, but what about the rest of the young crop?

Hawthorn supporters sure get bitchy when you dare say that maybe Hawthorn won't be a powerhouse in the next 5 years. I'm sorry if my opinion has offended you. You'd kill to have a young talent like McGrath on your list.

You know your critique off by heart as we hear it every single time. Same stuff just regurgitated. You made me laugh with the key back stocks. This coming from a supporter of a club that literally gave their depth away. Both Hartley and Frost are mid 20s, not world beaters but decent enough to do a job as you should probably be aware. You have Hooker, Hurley and Ambrose and that's it and all 3 are on the verge of or in their 30s so spare me the " you guys are old" rhetoric. Stratton isn't a key player anymore the backline revolves around Sicily who is an A grade gun. You would know that if you paid more attention. Kill to have McGrath running around for us? please, we have a much better player with more scope for improvement in Worpel. No one rates McGrath except the media and your delusional supporters. Worry about how your mob with half the team in the medical room can make the 8 and win a final for the first time in 15 years instead of fantasizing of the thought that we will fall off a cliff. You spend more time thinking about it than living and breathing.