AFL Hall of Famer Robert Walls says Ross Lyon needs to take a leaf out of Brad Scottโs book and start focusing on developing young talent rather than continuing to play veterans on the outer.
Scottโs Kangaroos had an overall higher average age than Lyonโs Dockers on Sunday afternoon, but Fremantle had five players over the age of 30 compared to the Roos' three.
Three out of the five players over 30 that are still getting regular games at Fremantle shouldnโt still be in the side according to Walls.
He says that Danyle Pearce and Michael Johnson have been good players for the Dockers but they are well past their best and Hayden Ballantyne was โnever a very good playerโ.
โIf thereโs ever a time to make sure you start to play your young talent, itโs now, because they just havenโt stood up,โ Walls told Fox Sports Newsโ AFL Tonight.
โDanyle Pearce was a very good player, but itโs gone past him. Michael Johnson was a very good player, itโs gone past him.
โHayden Ballantyne, in my opinion, was never a very good player and how heโs getting a game now just staggers me.
โThereโs three plus-30 year oldโs that I wouldnโt play for the rest of the year.โ
In comparison, Scott has culled several senior players over the last few years including AFL games record holder Brent Harvey, Nick Dal Santo, Drew Petrie and Michael Firrito.
North Melbourne are now getting valuable game time into their younger players and it is paying off for them as they are genuine finals contenders after starting the year as wooden spoon favourites.
โHe (Scott) was prepared to cut players from the list at North, who a lot of people thought had another one to three years left in them,โ Walls said.
โSo many players, he was prepared to finish their careers โ and thatโs not easy for a coach to do. But he did it and he put young fellas in and those young players have now got their 40 to 50 games and theyโre starting to gel as a team.โ
