Looking back and reflecting on what the AFL was like from time to time, more often than not, presents a unique narrative.
All sports tend to follow trends that dominate periods of time, whether it be a type of game style, sports science or the age-old question of experience versus youth. These are just a few that have rung through the league.
After arguably the closest season on record, the 2025 campaign looms as the most intriguing, with 15 teams realistically vying for a spot in the top eight.
How they get there and what each club will prioritise in terms of list, strategy and personnel will ultimately determine who will be on top of the mountain come the last Saturday in September.
In 2024, Brisbane claimed the premiership with the sixth-oldest list in the competition; 12 months earlier, the Pies lifted the trophy with the fourth-oldest list.
Geelong won the flag in 2022 as the oldest club that year.
There has been a large shift toward retaining experience, and there's no surprise why.
Collingwood's Scott Pendlebury is living proof that age is just a number, and through sheer determination and commitment to the right resources of training, recovery and diet, the longevity of a career can be increased.
A decade ago, the average age of a player in the competition was 23.8 years.
Looking at the 2025 list breakdowns, North Melbourne, which boasts the most youthful playing group, ironically sits at an average of 23.8 years, helped by the inclusions of Luke Parker and Jack Darling.
The AFL-wide average is 25.6 years.
| No. of 30+ in 2014 |
No. of 30+ in 2025
|
|
| Adelaide | 4 | 7 |
| Brisbane | 3 | 9 |
| Carlton | 4 | 10 |
| Collingwood | 4 | 12 |
| Essendon | 2 | 3 |
| Fremantle | 4 | 5 |
| Geelong | 4 | 11 |
| Gold Coast | 3 | 6 |
| GWS | 1 | 8 |
| Hawthorn | 5 | 7 |
| Melbourne | 3 | 9 |
| North Melbourne | 4 | 4 |
| Port Adelaide | 2 | 6 |
| Richmond | 4 | 6 |
| St Kilda | 6 | 8 |
| Sydney | 6 | 7 |
| West Coast | 2 | 6 |
| Western Bulldogs | 5 | 9 |
| Totals | 66 | 133 |
(Note: Players to be 30+ by the end of year).
The mindset has shifted from players hitting "the wrong side of 30" to becoming more valuable to the list, even if their on-field output plateaus.
As we can see, the competition hosts double the amount of players above 30 heading into the 2025 year than it did a decade ago.
Former Lions captain Dayne Zorko is also one of an impressive cohort who has continued his career long past the previous standard.
Zorko put together a career-best season in 2024, claiming the All-Australian halfback slot and a premiership at age 35.
The five-time Merrett-Murray medallist gave reasons as to how that came about.
"We've (Brisbane) got a fantastic medical team, and externally, I've got a fantastic medical team that works hard to continue to keep me on the track," he said on Monday.
"Sports science has changed in that sense, and the new technology out at the moment is phenomenal.
"I think going forward, we are going to see a lot more players play up until 35, 36, 37 and maybe even 40s.
"You can't replace experience.
"One thing that all the guys who are still playing well into their 30s at the moment have all got experience in really big games, finals and know what it takes to be a professional athlete.
"That landscape has changed over the years."
Geelong has been the poster boy for defying the trends by consistently ranking amongst the oldest clubs in the competition year-on-year, which has ultimately resulted in becoming a perpetual contender.
North Melbourne has gone about rectifying a bad piece of list management at the end of the 2016 season when they essentially walked Brent Harvey, Drew Petrie, Michael Firrito, Nick Dal Santo and Daniel Wells out the door, honing in on the importance of experienced campaigners.
Port Adelaide's Travis Boak has signed on for a 19th AFL season, as has Essendon ruckman Todd Goldstein.
Collingwood's dozen, which is set to hit 30 and above in 2025, will also play a huge role in lifting the club back into finals.
Pies coach Craig McRae has gone on record about his desire to continually enlist experienced players, reflected by the acquisitions of Dan Houston, Harry Perryman and Tim Membrey, albeit at a hefty financial and draft cost.
"I say to the list mismanagement, โI don't want picks, I want players'," McRae said following the 2024 season.
"I don't want to stand still. Geelong have done it extremely well. You look at that as a platform, and you see other clubs like this year, Sydney brought players in, and it made them better."
Yes, there is still a need to head to the draft, hence why almost every club desperately wanted to take a young prospect in the 2024 intake, given how strong and deep it was.
However, the shift in what older players are to an organisation has changed dramatically.
