Tough decisions coming on retirement for some of AFL’s biggest names, says Mick Malthouse

Lance Franklin signed a nine-year deal when he joined Sydney to be a Swan until the end of 2022. But with injuries restricting him to nine games this year, will he last another three years? Mick Malthouse gives his verdict on your club’s veterans.

Mick Malthouse, Gary Ablett, Lance Franklin

In an age-centric AFL system, one thing that needs to be made clear is that age shouldn’t be a barrier when a player is deciding whether or not to play on.

The superstars of our game are not defined by age, but by their talent and hunger.

AFL games record-holder Brent Harvey played 432 matches with North Melbourne and retired at 38. Craig Bradley played 375 games with Carlton (after 98 in the SANFL) and ended his playing career when he was almost 39.

Try telling those two champions of the game that age is a curse!

From where I sat on the outer, both Harvey and Bradley could have played on for at least another season and added great value to their respective clubs, despite their age.

No, it’s not age that gets you in the end, it’s time.

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The clock is ticking when you can no longer produce your best football on a consistent basis. When your pace is in decline and “fatigue” injuries send you to the sidelines more often.

You will be remembered as a champion, and it’s hard to imagine your team without you in it, but time catches up with everyone in the end.

Eddie Betts has been on a decline since Charlie Cameron moved to the Brisbane Lions and left him to sing the duets on his own.

We know Betts is a brilliant player. He kicked six goals against Gold Coast two weeks ago. But when his club needed him most, Betts failed to produce a goal against Essendon at home last round.

That in itself isn’t a sin. But if it starts to happen regularly, as it has this year for Betts, then your value starts to plummet.

In contrast, Gary Ablett has been extraordinary this year as a medium forward.

Gary Ablett has reinvented himself as a forward.

Eddie Betts has been dropped by the Crows.

Two years older than Betts, it just goes to show you can reinvent yourself at any age, and Ablett has done that by avoiding injury without the heavy workload and buffeting of playing in the middle too often.

On his current performance Ablett could, and should have no hesitation in going around again next year.

When a veteran is dropped to the VFL, for form reasons, it can be the start of the end. A signal that his coach and the match committee are losing faith.

Jarryd Roughead has been out of the senior side at Hawthorn longer than he has been in it this season.

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He has been a wonderful contributor and leader at the Hawks, and is much-loved by his teammates and the club’s supporters, but there doesn’t appear to be an upside to him playing on next year.

A star like Roughead needs to think about whether or not he wants to finish his career in the VFL. He will always be remembered for his outstanding achievements at Hawthorn.

There are a number of players in a similar situation to Roughead.

Collingwood’s Tyson Goldsack, Ben Reid, Daniel Wells and Travis Varcoe. Port Adelaide’s Paddy Ryder and Justin Westhoff. All six have a difficult decision to make at season’s end.

In the west, Hayden Ballantyne at 32, Aaron Sandilands at almost 37, and Will Schofield just 30, are on different playing fields.

How long have Lance Franklin and Jarryd Roughead got left? Picture: Phil Hillyard

West Coast’s Schofield is a wonderful back-up defender, as proven in last year’s Grand Final, and for that reason he is the sort of player you’d like to keep on your list for another year as support for Tom Barrass and Jeremy McGovern.

Whereas Docker Ballantyne is too often injured and, like Betts, can no longer find the goals the way he used to.

Sandilands can still ruck extremely well, but his body, it seems, can no longer be relied upon. He has been outstanding for Fremantle, but every bump and bruise has taken its toll.

Eagle Josh Kennedy is showing similar signs. As a big key forward it can be a brutal position to play, hard on the body. It will come down to whether he thinks he can hold up for another year with the constant knocks and punishment received playing this role.

It is difficult to replace good players and extremely hard to replace champions.

Kennedy would leave a massive hole at West Coast, so perhaps he could play one more year with a reduced workload (rest games).

Most ruckmen mature late. With the emergence of Reilly O’Brien at Adelaide this season, Sam Jacobs has been forced into a second-fiddle role.

But Jacobs at 31 is still a wonderful ruckman and this is where a player of his ability becomes a precious commodity.

He still has four or five good years left in him so he would make a great pick up for Brisbane, who with Stefan Martin at almost 33 and not overly tall, could use a big man back-up.

Even Greater Western Sydney with Shane Mumford, who does an incredible job but is susceptible to soft-tissue injuries, could offer a lifeline to Jacobs.

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There a many warriors in our league and when their time is up it won’t be because they are not good enough, but because they are worn out.

As wonderful as Joel Selwood is, the style of game he plays takes its toll. I’ve lost count of the number of times he has single-handedly got the Cats over the line, but it is those types of heroics that will cut his career short because you can’t keep it up no matter how tough you are.

The same goes for David Mundy, who has engineered his fair share of personal victories for Fremantle. While Jarrad McVeigh’s astonishing mental strength has kept him at the top of his game at Sydney.

Kieren Jack, 32, Nathan Jones, 32, Jordan Lewis, 33, David Armitage, 31, and Jarryn Geary, 31, like Selwood, Mundy and McVeigh, are the experienced soldiers of the competition. Loved, respected and admired.

Tapping any of these guys on the shoulder would be like shooting Bambi, but sooner rather than later they’ll need to give their bodies a rest.

Luke Hodge at the Brisbane Lions and Kade Simpson and Dale Thomas at Carlton must have found the fountain of youth because they have all been unbelievable again this year, and could play on for another one, if they want it.

Sydney’s Josh Kennedy is probably at the crossroads, like Giant Heath Shaw, who reaches a remarkable 300-game milestone this week. I reckon there are one or two years left in them, but will they take it?

What role can Kade Simpson play in Carlton’s rise up the ladder? Picture: Michael Klein

Key-position players are the hardest to let go, and the hardest to replace.

North’s Scott Thompson is an undersized key back. He is the sort of player you loathe as an opponent and love as a teammate. Year in year out he gets the best out of himself, like Harry Taylor at Geelong, who is slow in leg speed but sharp as a tack in mind.

Then there are the players who defy all laws. Shaun Burgoyne and Dale Morris, both almost 37, are like the Benjamin Buttons of the league.

Morris has had two serious knee injuries and Burgoyne a recent hamstring strain, but neither has lost pace or appetite for the contest. Neither player looks like slowing down in the near future.

I’ve saved Lance Franklin for last because I don’t know where he fits.

He hasn’t been “match fit” at all this year after pre-season surgery, but still, no player puts the fear into an opposition backline like “Buddy” does.

With his athleticism he hasn’t been as knocked around as much as other key forwards and has kept his pace. In many respects he seems to be a better one-touch mark.

He turns 33 in January. With a solid, injury-free pre-season he could still offer so much value to the Swans, so I see him going around again. Possibly for just one more year. He is contracted at the Swans until the end of 2022.

Different players, different ages, different game styles, different circumstances. No one likes goodbyes, but in footy it’s as inevitable and unavoidable as the final siren.

Originally published as Tough decisions coming on retirement for some of AFL’s biggest names, says Mick Malthouse