Grahaml wrote:... A few older heads will leave Norwood and it seems a full rebuild is imminent.
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Good game summary. But I doubt that the second part of the statement is true. And the first half is also a bit dubious unless you meant 'older than 21'. I'd guess that Norwood will start 2016 with about the average SANFL off-season turnover of players.
It's not that 30yo+ players will be put out to pasture in the off-season... because we don't have any (any more, with 30yo Jimmy Allan of course not playing the EF, and presumably already being gone). For better or worse, the Norwood side that played today was not an old side. The next-oldest in the Norwood squad after Allan are 28yo Phillips and Newton (one played today, one pulled out injured late) and even the most critical Norwood supporters aren't suggesting they hang up the boots.
If Norwood turns over premiership players, it'll simply be because some of them went backwards in form in 2015 and to freshen up the squad, not 'cos they're too long in the tooth. Just 9 players from the 2012 flag played today—and the various comps around Australia make player movement so common nowadays, that 2 of them (Georgiou, Suckling) have had time to leave the club and come back again!
The real issue is that the coaches stuck with the 2012-14 gameplan and structures one year too long, and weren't able to find another gear in the middle-latter part of the year when it was apparent the rest of the comp had gone past us. I doubt whether mass sackings are either called for, or would fix that problem.
I don't often barrack for Centrals, but would love to see them make mincemeat of the Pahhhhhr 2nds next weekend.