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IMPORTANT // Please look after your loved ones, yourself and be kind to others. If you are feeling that the world is too hard to handle there is always help - I implore you not to hesitate in contacting one of these wonderful organisations Lifeline and Beyond Blue ... and I'm sure reaching out to our PRE community we will find a way to help. T.
PUNT ROAD END | Richmond Tigers Forum
I saw Troy Schwarz run off Michael Voss on Thursday night, and must admit that I really thought nothing of it at the time, except, perhaps, that years of playing with an admirable disregard for the future had taken their toll on the Lions' champ. However, the reaction of a number of jounos in the days since has made me rethink. We all know Journos go out of their way at times to beat any old horse into a newsworthy debate, but the number of opinions on the end of Michael Voss as we know him due to his age got me thinking.
Are we seeing the start of a new future in football, where the 30-something player with a few hundred games' experience becomes a liability in the freneticly paced game of sides like the Bulldogs? Will we soon come to a point where the footy smarts and mature body of the 33 year-old onballer will be worth less than the speed and cardiovascular performance of the 22 year-old with 50 - 60 games under his belt?
Watching the top teams today, I'm struck by the fact that they seem to play 12-15 defacto midfielders, players who pay scant regard to where the yline up on the team sheet, and simply run back into defence when the opposition have the ball and then sprint forward en masse when their team regains possession. Is this the new way of footy that all teams will try to emulate from now on? If so, what does that mean for players the likes of Greg Williams, Craig Bradley, Matty Knights, Libba and Robert Harvey? We are seeing Harvey now spending more time hooked up to the ultrasound machine trying to overcome twinged hammies than in his accustomed place in the Saints' midfield.
Given the extra pace and the sheer distance covered by players, will we soon see most guys' careers ending at about 28-29 years of age?
One of the things I have always loved about our game is the egalitarian principle that there was a place for every body type, provided you had the skills to hold your own. Soon, perhaps this will cease to be the case. Recruiters are even now branching out looking for "athletes", rather than simply good young footballers. In the next few years, will the one-paced ball magnet disappear from our game altogether? To be an AFL footballer, you may need to be either a young 6-footer with the aerobic capacity of a world champion miler or a freak of nature like Richo, with size, speed and power all in the one package.
Some of our favourite players have been the ones with the ability to win the hard ball in a close contest and get it out to a team mate in the clear. It would be a shame to see these players lost to the game for good.
Are we seeing the start of a new future in football, where the 30-something player with a few hundred games' experience becomes a liability in the freneticly paced game of sides like the Bulldogs? Will we soon come to a point where the footy smarts and mature body of the 33 year-old onballer will be worth less than the speed and cardiovascular performance of the 22 year-old with 50 - 60 games under his belt?
Watching the top teams today, I'm struck by the fact that they seem to play 12-15 defacto midfielders, players who pay scant regard to where the yline up on the team sheet, and simply run back into defence when the opposition have the ball and then sprint forward en masse when their team regains possession. Is this the new way of footy that all teams will try to emulate from now on? If so, what does that mean for players the likes of Greg Williams, Craig Bradley, Matty Knights, Libba and Robert Harvey? We are seeing Harvey now spending more time hooked up to the ultrasound machine trying to overcome twinged hammies than in his accustomed place in the Saints' midfield.
Given the extra pace and the sheer distance covered by players, will we soon see most guys' careers ending at about 28-29 years of age?
One of the things I have always loved about our game is the egalitarian principle that there was a place for every body type, provided you had the skills to hold your own. Soon, perhaps this will cease to be the case. Recruiters are even now branching out looking for "athletes", rather than simply good young footballers. In the next few years, will the one-paced ball magnet disappear from our game altogether? To be an AFL footballer, you may need to be either a young 6-footer with the aerobic capacity of a world champion miler or a freak of nature like Richo, with size, speed and power all in the one package.
Some of our favourite players have been the ones with the ability to win the hard ball in a close contest and get it out to a team mate in the clear. It would be a shame to see these players lost to the game for good.