This loss will be blamed on 'youth' and the 'rebuild'.
This is yesterdays team , as named :
Fremantle
B: Taylin Duman, Michael Johnson, Alex Pearce
HB: Ed Langdon, Nathan Wilson, Brady Grey
C: Bradley Hill, Nat Fyfe, Adam Cerra
HF: Shane Kersten, Brennan Cox, Cam McCarthy
FF: Hayden Ballantyne, Matt Taberner, Lachie Neale
Foll: Sean Darcy, Michael Walters, David Mundy
Bench: Ryan Nyhuis, Tommy Sheridan, Stefan Giro, Bailey Banfield
Ok, Cerra, Banfield , Duman and Giro are 'young' and been at an AFL club for nearly a year. The first 2 , do now have 20 games to their name now however....
Nyhuis, Cox and Darcy are also 'young' ...but have been in the AFL system now for 2 years or more...but have struggled to punch out games...ie 13, 25 & 15 respectively.
The rest ain't 'young'. !!
Ones about to retire, 7 of them might be considered 'A-graders' , ( Fyfe, Mundy, Neale, Hill, Wilson, Walters, Ballantyne(once upon a time) ).
The rest are at best 'B -graders' (thats perhaps a bit harsh on A Pearce) but except Brady Grey, not only have they been at an AFL club for several years now, but, most of them have now belted out 45 + games now....and some, into the 70's and 80's
I refute that yesterdays team was 'young'. And certainly not 'more youthful' than other teams trotted out this weekend.
'Other things' explain yesterdays result...not youth.!!