Mick McGuane: Where every club sits on the premiership clock

Where is your club’s list at? From oldest to youngest, find out where your team sits on the age rankings and what it means for your premiership hopes.

The art of list management is not an exact science.

During and after every footy season, club list managers are challenged to add or remove players from their 38-man primary list in pursuit of becoming more competitive.

Every club has different reasons and opinions as to where their lists are at, but primarily it must be aligned to their own philosophies, future directions and in the business of winning a flag.

In 2022, there are clubs in the premiership window, those in the middle of rebuilds and those that have bottomed out and are rebuilding from the ground up.

Adelaide has been selling the “rebuild” narrative strongly since coach Matthew Nicks arrived, after playing in a Grand Final only five years ago.

SCROLL DOWN FOR MICK’S LIST PROFILE AND PREMIERSHIP CLOCK FOR EVERY CLUB

North Melbourne is asking for a priority pick because previous selections they have made through the draft, trade period or free agency have missed the mark – or have they?

In the Kangaroos’ case, you could question whether there has been poor development coaching.

In every club there is an element of coaches blaming the recruiters for their picks and recruiters blaming the coaches for a lack of development.

The AFL should not hand North Melbourne a priority pick on a platter to cover up their incompetence when it comes to football decisions.

If the AFL relent and give the Kangaroos what they want, the 17 clubs will be on the doorstep of AFL House banging down the door.

Mick McGuane believes it wouldn’t be fair to give North Melbourne a priority pick. Picture: Getty Images

Rebuilds are tough. They are also forensically scrutinised.

The best and strongest clubs never peddle out the rebuild line because they believe in their culture, leadership, recruiting and development programs.

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Since 2013, Geelong and Port Adelaide have not finished below 10th on the ladder.

The reason is that their recruiting teams get it right and strongly believe they don’t need to bottom out to go forward and stay in contention.

The AFL has equalisation measures in place such as total player payments, draft, trades, free agency and even a soft cap with significant taxes applied if you overspend in football department expenditure.

Those are fantastic measures.

But not everything is fair — and I’m not even going to get started on the compromised fixture.

Some of Geelong’s ageing stars including Tom Hawkins are still going strong as the Cats mount a premiership tilt. Picture: Michael Klein

While I love the romance around father-son selections, it is too heavily biased towards the Victorian clubs.

For too long, Adelaide, Port Adelaide, West Coast and Fremantle have been subjected to different rules.

If your father played 100 VFL/AFL club, you can nominate as a father-son.

In Western Australia, the marker is 150 WAFL appearances and in South Australia it is 200 SANFL matches.

Plus, how do we expect Gold Coast and Greater Western Sydney to produce father-son picks given they only entered the competition in 2011 and 2012 respectively?

Collingwood has benefited greatly from securing Darcy Moore and Josh and Nick Daicos as father-son selections, but it is a clear example of how unequal the system is.

Victorian clubs are favoured in the AFL’s father-son rules, including Collingwood, which had access to Nick Daicos last year. Picture: Michael Klein

Then you’ve got the four northern clubs – Brisbane, Gold Coast, GWS and Sydney – and the free hits they receive from their academies.

In recent times, the Swans have secured Isaac Heeney, Callum Mills, Nick Blakey (father-son), Errol Gulden and Braden Campbell — all of whom were highly rated by rival clubs who could not get a look in.

Similarly, Brisbane was gifted bookend players Harris Andrews and Eric Hipwood in back-to-back drafts in 2015 and 2016 due to their Academy alignment, allowing them to concentrate on bringing in talented midfielders with their other high draft picks.

How is that fair to the other clubs?

These are just some examples of the uneven playing field that list managers have to deal with.

Aligning future recruits to match day coaching philosophies is also an important part of any List manager’s decisions.

For example, clubs that need a key defender must weigh up the way a player prefers to defend with the way their senior coach likes to defend the ground.

Sydney coach John Longmire likes his defenders to play back-shoulder, while Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley prefers his defenders to be assertive and back themselves to roll off an opponent and intercept the ball.

That’s why Aliir Aliir has become such an important recruit at Port — he fits into the way Hinkley wants his defenders to play.

Aliir Aliir has been a perfect fit for the Port Adelaide system. Picture: Getty Images

Club recruiting teams will earn their money over coming months as decision time looms on player movement, delisting and drafting.

Is Geelong too old?

It looks that way when it comes to birth certificates, but on performance it is hard to argue that’s the case.

They have 17 players that are 28 or older on their list — of which 12 are 30-plus.

The Cats can win this year’s premiership and it’s their experienced players who could be the difference.

At 34, Shaun Higgins will be moved on at season’s end.

However, Tom Hawkins (34), Joel Selwood (34), Isaac Smith (33), Patrick Dangerfield and Zach Tuohy (both 32) should all play on next year.

Does Port Adelaide have to make a hard decision on Robbie Gray, who looks to have lost some of his power and agility after an early-season injury?

Maybe, but you have to be on the inside to know what other value he provides in the locker room and in setting club culture.

Richmond trio Trent Cotchin, Jack Riewoldt and Shane Edwards have all had remarkable careers, but has ‘Father Time’ caught up with them and is it time to move them on?

You need to ensure you don’t disrupt a great culture if you do make hard calls on multiple senior players, but the Tigers have lost six games where they have lead in the final quarter this year and a lack of hunger to buy into defensive actions is usually the first sign that change is imminent.

Richmond’s defensive profile this year compared to its premiership years is poles apart.

The system is not in question, but older players within it are.

Father Time is catching up with a few Tigers, including Trent Cotchin. Picture: Getty Images

Last weekend, Adelaide had 20 players who had played under 100 games, while their opponents Collingwood had 15 players in the same bracket.

The Magpies sit 5th on the ladder, while the Crows can book September holidays.

You have to wonder if Adelaide has given their players an out with their consistent conversations about a rebuild.

Cross-town rival Port Adelaide would have entered the year thinking it was in the premiership window, but key injuries to Charlie Dixon, Scott Lycett, Robbie Gray, Orazio Fantasia, Xavier Duursma and Trent McKenzie haven’t helped the Power’s cause.

Carlton has rebuilt its list through outstanding drafting (Sam Walsh, Tom De Koning, Harry McKay and Jacob Weitering) and adding mature players through the trade and free agency period.

It might not be this year for the Blues, but they have exposed 40 players on their list this season which gives coach Michael Voss great clarity moving forward.

The Western Bulldogs need to address their tall defensive stocks if they seriously want to contend again in the short term, with Ryan Gardiner and Alex Keath needing support.

Could Liam Jones return to where his career started?

My mail is there has been a three-year deal tabled from one club, potentially Gold Coast given where he is now living.

Jones has also met with the Bulldogs, while Essendon could be another great fit.

However, given he effectively retired from Carlton he is not a delisted free agent and surely has to go through the draft — with the Blues’ permission.

Carlton has spoken of its plans to seek compensation over Jones, which is only fair under the circumstances.

But the AFL has history with adopting policy on the run.

Will Carlton be compensated if Liam Jones resumes his career elsewhere? Picture: Getty Images

Since 2012, the average age of premiership teams is 26.21.

The oldest team was Hawthorn in 2015 with an average age of 27.8 years, while the youngest was the Western Bulldogs in 2016 with an average age of 24.4 years.

Age profile is a factor in achieving ultimate success, but health is often your best friend heading into a finals campaign.

This year, Melbourne and Geelong have used the fewest players – 33 and 34 respectively.
It is hardly a coincidence those two teams sit in the top two spots on the ladder.

Familiarity and continuity is an intangible which is hard to measure, but cannot be underestimated when it comes to team synergy, trust and understanding.

Building a premiership list is an art form.

But if we are serious about having a level playing field in a national competition, all clubs should have equal sets of rules and opportunities to improve their squads each year.

Where is your club on the premiership clock?

CLUB BY CLUB 2022 LIST BREAKDOWN

ADELAIDE

Average Age: 24.0 (Youngest)

Players Used: 37 (6th Most)

Played All Matches: 3 (2nd Fewest)

Debutants: 3 (4th Fewest)

Mick’s Premiership Clock: 4 O’clock

BRISBANE

Average Age: 26.2 (3rd Oldest)

Players Used: 36 (8th Fewest)

Played All Matches: 6 (7th Most)

Debutants: 3 (4th Fewest)

Mick’s Premiership Clock: 10 O’clock

CARLTON

Average Age: 24.8 (5th Youngest)

Players Used: 40 (2nd Most)

Played All Matches: 4 (4th Fewest)

Debutants: 3 (4th Fewest)

Mick’s Premiership Clock: 9 O’clock

COLLINGWOOD

Average Age: 25.8 (5th Oldest)

Players Used: 38 (4th Most)

Played All Matches: 6 (7th Most)

Debutants: 6 (2nd Most)

Mick’s Premiership Clock: 9 O’clock

ESSENDON

Average Age: 24.6 (2nd Youngest)

Players Used: 37 (6th Most)

Played All Matches: 4 (4th Fewest)

Debutants: 6 (2nd Most)

Mick’s Premiership Clock: 6 O’clock

FREMANTLE

Average Age: 25.1 (7th Youngest)

Players Used: 35 (4th Fewest)

Played All Matches: 5 (7th Fewest)

Debutants: 3 (4th Fewest)

Mick’s Premiership Clock: 9 O’clock

GEELONG

Average Age: 27.7 (Oldest)

Players Used: 34 (2nd Fewest)

Played All Matches: 9 (2nd Most)

Debutants: 4 (7th Most)

Mick’s Premiership Clock: 11 O’clock

GOLD COAST

Average Age: 25.1 (6th Youngest)

Players Used: 38 (4th Most)

Played All Matches: 10 (Most)

Debutants: 2 (2nd Fewest)

Mick’s Premiership Clock: 7 O’clock

GWS

Average Age: 25.5 (9th Oldest)

Players Used: 37 (6th Most)

Played All Matches: 6 (7th Most)

Debutants: 4 (7th Most)

Mick’s Premiership Clock: 6 O’clock

HAWTHORN

Average Age: 24.7 (4th Youngest)

Players Used: 35 (4th Fewest)

Played All Matches: 4 (4th Fewest)

Debutants: 5 (4th Most)

Mick’s Premiership Clock: 6 O’clock

MELBOURNE

Average Age: 25.3 (9th Youngest)

Players Used: 33 (Fewest)

Played All Matches: 5 (7th Fewest)

Debutants: 1 (Fewest)

Mick’s Premiership Clock: 11 O’clock

NORTH MELBOURNE

Average Age: 24.6 (3rd Youngest)

Players Used: 35 (4th Fewest)

Played All Matches: 3 (2nd Fewest)

Debutants: 4 (7th Most)

Mick’s Premiership Clock: 2 O’clock

PORT ADELAIDE

Average Age: 25.7 (7th Oldest)

Players Used: 37 (6th Most)

Played All Matches: 7 (4th Most)

Debutants: 5 (4th Most)

Mick’s Premiership Clock: 9 O’clock

RICHMOND

Average Age: 26.8 (2nd Oldest)

Players Used: 37 (6th Most)

Played All Matches: 7 (4th Most)

Debutants: 5 (4th Most)

Mick’s Premiership Clock: 8 O’clock

ST KILDA

Average Age: 25.8 (6th Oldest)

Players Used: 34 (2nd Fewest)

Played All Matches: 7 (4th Most)

Debutants: 4 (7th Most)

Mick’s Premiership Clock: 7 O’clock

SYDNEY

Average Age: 25.3 (8th Youngest)

Players Used: 35 (4th Fewest)

Played All Matches: 8 (3rd Most)

Debutants: 2 (2nd Fewest)

Mick’s Premiership Clock: 10 O’clock

WEST COAST

Average Age: 26.1 (4th Oldest)

Players Used: 47 (Most)

Played All Matches: 0 (Fewest)

Debutants: 10 (Most)

Mick’s Premiership Clock: 3 O’clock

WESTERN BULLDOGS

Average Age: 25.6 (8th Oldest)

Players Used: 39 (3rd Most)

Played All Matches: 6 (7th Most)

Debutants: 3 (4th Fewest)

Mick’s Premiership Clock: 8 O’clock

AGE BREAKDOWN

Club, 18-22yo, 23-27yo, 28+yo

Adelaide 20, 19, 6

Brisbane 15, 17, 13

Carlton 11, 26, 9

Collingwood 18, 15, 12

Essendon 19, 18, 9

Fremantle 18, 16, 9

Geelong 15, 12, 17

Gold Coast 23, 16, 10

GWS 17, 17, 11

Hawthorn 20, 14, 10

Melbourne 16, 17, 10

North Melbourne 20, 14, 10

Port Adelaide 17, 15, 11

Richmond 17, 11, 16

St Kilda 13, 19, 12

Sydney 16, 18, 11

West Coast 13, 25, 14

Western Bulldogs 13, 18, 13

Originally published as Mick McGuane: Where every club sits on the premiership clock