Andrew Bogut calls on AFL clubs to stop writing off ageing stars

On the cusp of a second NBA title at age 34, Aussie hoops legend Andrew Bogut has had a crack at the AFL’s attitude towards veteran players.

Aussie hoops legend Andrew Bogut says AFL clubs give up on star veterans too soon.

Back in the big league and on the cusp of a second NBA title at age 34, hoops legend Andrew Bogut has urged elite Australian sporting clubs to stop writing off older players.

The 213cm giant completed an MVP-winning season in the NBL and then packed his bags for the US, helping the Golden State Warriors reach the NBA Finals.

US sporting clubs put a high-price on older players who are still motivated to prepare and teach — Vince Carter just completed his 21st NBA season, age 42, while 46-year-old Adam Vinatieri is still kicking in the NFL, 23 years after his debut in 1996.

Bogut says Aussie clubs are too quick to pension off ageing champions.

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Andrew Bogut is back in the US contending for a second NBA title with the Golden State Warriors. Picture: Getty Images/AFP

“It’s strange in Australian sport where they circle guys and say ‘hey, yeah, you’re done, you’re too old’,” Bogut told the Herald Sun last month.

“It’s really a head scratcher to me — we say we value culture more than almost anything, so if you have a good veteran, even if he’s not providing the same impact on the field, the same minutes, I think they’re invaluable in the locker room, they’re invaluable in providing aspects of professionalism that young kids can see and rub off on.

21 seasons... Vince Carter moves up the seasons played list! #ThisIsWhyWePlay pic.twitter.com/lbIsxowrqu

— NBA (@NBA) October 18, 2018

“The daily grind away from the bright lights is where their importance can’t be understated.”

Bogut believed North Melbourne champion Boomer Harvey — who retired in 2016, aged 38, as the AFL’s all-time games record holder — was pushed out too soon.

“Boomer Harvey was a prime example, he was playing great footy, even in his final year, but it felt like every year he was almost getting pushed out because of his age,” he said.

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Bogut believes Brisbane has shown the way with its recruitment of four-time Hawthorn premiership star Luke Hodge.

“If I’m the GM (general manager) of a team, whether it be NBA, NBL, AFL, NRL, and I’ve got a guy who’s been at a club 15-20 years, I’m trying to keep him around in some capacity as much as I can, even if it takes a roster spot,” he said.

“You don’t do it with every old guy, but you do it with guys who are good culturally and I think a prime example is the Lions with Luke Hodge.

“I think that was an absolute genius move by them and they’ve turned their club around, it seems, and to me it’s not surprising why.

“You get a guy like Luke Hodge, who’s been there, done that, and it’s something that definitely needs to be looked at more by Australian sporting clubs in my opinion.”

Luke Hodge has helped the young Brisbane Lions side flourish. Picture: Michael Klein

Jarryd Roughead has been dropped from the senior Hawthorn side and appears on the outer, but his experience as a former captain and four-time premier would fit the Hodge mould for a club such as Gold Coast, crying out for an experienced mentor who can help develop its young players.

Carlton has been criticised for clearing too much experience out of its list and a look at the numbers reveals the likes of defender Sam Rowe (30 when delisted), Andrew Walker (31), Michael Jamison (31), Dennis Armfield (30) and Simon White (29) made way for younger players since the end of 2016 campaign.

Former Fremantle and Gold Coast midfielder Michael Barlow and ex-Bomber Heath Hocking, both 31, are the oldest former players hoping for a lifeline in next week’s AFL mid-season draft.