Our veteran quandary

[RudeBoy]

We need Allan and DeMattia to really step up and demand senior spots this season. Players like Parker and Harrison might contribute as well, but it's the first two who strike me as having potential star quality about them.

I've got great hopes for TJ and Smit as well, but they might need a couple of more years to blossom.

[lazzadesilva]

The S_d S_cks have always highlighted the worst scenarios on Nick’s since the year dot and the nervous Nellie’s are their back ups! The most compelling picture is to have these veterans win another two flags, in tow with Houston and Perryman etc. That will bring us the joy we bloody deserve as long suffering Collingwood supporters

[Presti35]

As for Fogs and Ossy, doubt you'd pull them from their home states. Especially Oscar seeing as how he's also their Captain.

Fogarty has just signed on until 2031

[Born to Pie]

With the state of sports medicine, recovery techniques, managed training loads, high performance managers etc. I think the natural evolution is that players will play on beyond what we have seen from previous generations of footballers. 30 years of age is no longer the natural end of a career. Below are a team of veteran AFL players, who are all reasonably good footballers, all listed with their age at the start of the 2025 season. They all have one thing in common, they all polled Brownlow votes in 2024.

FF Toby Greene 31 Jeremy Cameron 32 Charlie Cameron 30
HF Jack Viney 32 Dayne Zorko 36 Jamie Elliott 32
C Adam Treloar 32 Patrick Dangerfield 34 Elliott Yeo 31
HB Liam Jones 34 Tom Stewart 32 Rory Laird 31
FB Scott Pendlebury 37 Steven May 33 Nic Newman 32
R Max Gawn 33 Lachie Neale 31 Stephen Coniglio 31
INT Patrick Cripps 30 Ollie Wines 30 Bradley Hill 31 James Sicily 30 Tom Liberatore 32

[Pies2016]

@Born To Pie

That is a good veterans team.
My personal opinion is that our veterans fortunes will be guided by our own clubs injury profile. If we can get a decent run with injuries and keep winning more games than losing, then we will be in a better position to manage our veterans work loads.
In 2024, we had so many injuries, those who were left standing, were forced to do to much.
The club will map out individual work loads and programs for our senior players but no amount of planning matters if these guys can’t have their work loads managed accordingly. If we can get a decent run of being relatively injury free, then our vets really should have plenty to give towards the end of the 2025 season.

[SLORT]

Great list...of the best possible outcome. How about a list of the worst outcome, with all the players over 30 that missed say 10 or more games for the season?

The issue with winning a flag has always been having the key players there at the business end of the year. The problem with veterans (as a rule of thumb) is that when they get injured they 1) miss more games before their return and 2) tend to be more likely to re-injure themselves. This overall means that you will have less players to choose from at vital stages of the season. Yes, get a run like we had in 2023 and we'll be right in it to win a flag. If not then expect a repeat of 2024.

I'm just saying that fans should always temper their expectations...the flag hasn't been a "cakewalk" since 1936.

[partypie]

Also take into consideration that the shortened season during COVID (along with all the advances in sports medicine) has probably given extra football life to some of the more senior players.

[qldmagpie67]

I don’t think the veterans hold the key to our fortunes as much this coming season
It’s time the likes of JDG Nick Josh IQ Lipinski Hill McCreery etc took ownership of the teams performances
A fit JDG is massive given how we have added midfield depth
He’s a X factor player and if you had JDG Membrey Elliott Hill McCreery all operating inside the forward 50 at any given time it would be a nightmare to cover all of them
Ideally we need the likes Allan Demattia Dean Parker to be pushing for full time spots
If we can some how keep the veterans fresh for the finals and go in with a 90% healthy list come September then we’re in a good place

[Born to Pie]

The issue with winning a flag has always been having the key players there at the business end of the year. Yes, get a run like we had in 2023 and we'll be right in it to win a flag. If not then expect a repeat of 2024.
I'm just saying that fans should always temper their expectations...the flag hasn't been a "cakewalk" since 1936.

I was pointing out that 30 is no longer the end of careers, over 30 is not a "quandry" as much as it was. In general flags go to a team that has had a good run with injuries, like us in 2023. 2024 was a bad run with injuries for us, but fixturing didn't help either.

I didn't state the flag in 2025 was ours for the taking, and Pies fans know it's never been a cakewalk

[SLORT]

2024 RETIREMENTS & DELISTINGS (over 30s)

When Player Club Age Games
Aug 6 Tom Hawkins Geelong 36 359
Apr 29 Rory Sloane Adelaide 34 255
Aug 21 Zach Tuohy Geelong 34 288
Oct 7 Levi Casboult Gold Coast 34 198
Sep 25 Charlie Dixon Port Adelaide 34 221
Aug 20 Liam Shiels North Melbourne 33 288
Aug 20 Dylan Grimes Richmond 33 234
Aug 6 Dustin Martin Richmond 33 302
Sep 24 Gary Rohan Geelong 33 204
Sep 13 Jarryd Lyons Brisbane 32 194
Aug 13 Dyson Heppell Essendon 32 253
Oct 1 Adam Kennedy GWS 32 153
Aug 22 Hugh Greenwood North Melbourne 32 121
Sep 24 Trent McKenzie Port Adelaide 32 165
Aug 21 Sam Naismith Richmond 32 33
Aug 22 Marlion Pickett Richmond 32 91
Jul 23 Sam Reid Sydney 32 181
Aug 7 Andrew Gaff West Coast 32 280
Oct 21 Alex Keath Western Bulldogs 32 109
Sep 5 Sam Day Gold Coast 32 155
Jul 31 Brandon Ellis Gold Coast 31 251
Sep 2 Chad Wingard Hawthorn 31 218
Aug 19 Ben Brown Melbourne 31 175
Sep 11 Matthew Taberner Fremantle 31 125
Oct 17 Adam Tomlinson Melbourne 31 185
Aug 29 Sebastian Ross St Kilda 31 211
Oct 3 Joe Daniher Brisbane 30 204
Aug 27 Nick Hind Essendon 30 95
Oct 21 Tom Clurey Port Adelaide 30 124

[Pies4shaw]

^ Almost all of them, with the possible exception of Daniher, already had a fork stuck in them.

[Pies4shaw]

Looking at the VFL/AFL numbers over the years, it is plain that player careers end later than they used to do:

- in 1971, only 1.9% of players who played during the year for any club were 30 or older;
- in 1980, 8.7% of players who played during the year for any club were 30 or older;
- in 2000, 9.8% of players who played during the year for any club were 30 or older; and
- in 2024, 16.7% of players who played during the year for any club were 30 or older.

So, in 1960, just 5 players 30 or older took the field. By 1980, the number was 41. By 2000, it was 57. It dropped to 41 in 2010 - but in the last 5 years, it has been 88, 93, 93, 100 and (in 2024) 110. In 2024, Collingwood played 9. Geelong played 11, Richmond played 10, Brisbane played 9, Footscray played 8, Sydney, St Kilda, Melbourne and Gold Coast played 7. West Coast and GWS played 6. Essendon and Freo played 4. Adelaide, Carlton, Hawthorn, North and Port Adelaide played 3.

The year by year figures are here: https://afltables.com/afl/stats/ages.html#bd

Of the present crop of Collingwood players, the only one who will pass 30 during 2025 will be Cameron.

[Presti35]

Filling the void left when older players give it away;

Just going back to that post, saw this today from fox footy: https://www.foxsports.com.au/afl/afl-20 ... 0c4cb7f727