Age or wear?

[Tannin]

What makes a player too old?

Is it the simple passage of the years?

Or is it the wear and tear of constant training?

Or is it the accumulation of injuries with hard game after hard game?

Obviously, all three are factors. But where is the balance to be found? Suppose, just to pick an example completely at random, a promising player in his early twenties had to stand out of the sport for, oh, let's say two years, because of some trifling matter unrelated to injury or loss of form such as (just for the sake of argument) a suspension for tiny trace amounts of naughty chemical.

Now typically you'd expect a player to retire, on average, at about 31 or 32. Very often that retirement isn't purely age-related, his reflexes are fine, it's just that his hammies have had one too many strains, or his calves are dodgy, or his ankle has been operated on too many times already. Now suppose that player has had two years out of competitive sport: is that likely to enable him to play on a year or two longer than his imaginary identical two brother who went through 50-odd extra body-crunching games in his early twenties?

Just throwing the question out there ...

[melliot]

Your hypothesis is correct I think to a small degree only.

The degeneration of a player can be one, some, or all of those factors. It depends on the persons body and mind. We're/They're all different make ups.

I assume while suspended they can still train and therefore be part of drills etc and keep up with the club's stratigies and skills? Otherwise it will be 8 weeks of vfl before paying again anyway.

[yin-YANG]

A player is too old or not required if the body can't handle the game… there is no real age limit of 31 etc - there are some guys for whatever reason are able to play into their mid-30s and even beyond.

We have also seen some guys (e.g Rusling or Walker) just continue to breakdown, leaving the game at a young age. Quite simply the expression of your football ability and your ability to contribute is almost completely dependent upon your bodies football output.

I suspect a couple of years away from highly competitive and bone jarring activities with no real injuries and the opportunity to remain healthy would lead to an extension of your footballing life compared to your identical brother going through the typical football rigours…

[thompsoc]

The average AFL footballer lasts around 5 years.
That is not very long.
There is one point I would like to throw out there - it is that it appears to me that skinny or lean or whatever type players seem to have a longer life span than big bulky types.
Look at the 400 game club - Bartlett, Dustin F, Tuck and soon to be joined by Harvey.
Not scientific just an observation.
Nic Nat won't last very long!

[perthmagpie]

I think it is a combination of all the little things like injuries that cause a lessening of speed and agility. I was watching Steve Johnson yesterday and even though he is still playing well you can see his speed and agility is just that bit less now. Melbourne players were forcing him into making decisions he would not have had to make years ago.

[GlovemanGayfer]

I know the mother of a very high profile footballer who has been playing bone on bone in his knee since he was a teenager. I think that the little niggles are often quite large ones that are managed until they simply can't be managed any more. Any one who has seen Gary Lyon try and move around would know that he's stuffed physically yet played through injury to prolong his career.

I think talented juniors often undertake punishing physical regimes to just get a crack at the big time. Jamie Elliot's story has that who element where he finds the veteran trainer who pushed the youngster through to the next level. These kids are often elite at several sports and really don't get a physical off time. You often hear stories now of elite juniors with stress fractures, hernias etc. Perhaps the career niggles are the impact of a "misspent" youth?

[Dangles]

Yeah, it's interesting that people were saying that this was going to be Judd's last year even before his injury but there's no such talk about Luke Hodge who came from the same draft.

[HAL]

What does "this" refer to?

[RudeBoy]

Some players, like Boomer Harvey, have hardly had an injury in their entire careers. They just don't get hammy's. That's why they can keep playing for so long. Whereas others, begin to get regular soft tissue injuries, which brings their careers to an end. That's what happened to Bucks in the end. In the genes I guess.

[Tannin]

And then you have the players who are really hard on their bodies just because of the way they go about it. Dermie is the classic example, but you'd reckon Gavin Brown could have played till he was 36 if he hadn't been so crazy brave, and it's a miracle Brisbane's Brown managed to go on as long as he did. Doubtless you can think of others.

[neil]

If your an outside player and avoid injuries then you can last
If you use your body as a battering ram then your lucky to make 30

[swoop42]

Foot speed.

When you start to slow your days are numbered.

Harvey and Fletcher have been able to retain there speed and it's the main reason they're still playing.

Look at Didak in his final years.

He had lost that burst of speed he once had, couldn't kick with the same penetration and couldn't get to as many contests or create as many opportunities for himself.

He often had to be given the ball and while he had the footy nous to often do something positive with it still wasn't the same player.

[Piesnchess]

OLD Fletcher and Harvey are freaks, dont think we will see their like again, the game is too fast now, too quick, players wear out faster now, zipping all over the ground.

[perthmagpie]