Analysis

Cal Twomey takes a closer look at where every club ranked for age and experience this season

Adelaide star Riley Thilthorpe and Fremantle young gun Murphy Reid. Pictures: AFL Photos

ADELAIDE will hunt this year’s flag as a mid-ranked side for age and experience, while Fremantle’s tilt at a premiership comes as one of the youngest teams in the competition.

Under AFL.com.au’s ‘rebuild ladder’, which shows where clubs are at in their respective list builds, the Crows rank ninth in their average age per team fielded this season (average age of 25.8 years) and 10th for average games played per player (99 games).

This comes despite the Crows’ ascent to be minor premiers for the first time since 2017 as they host Collingwood in Thursday night’s qualifying final at Adelaide Oval. 

The Magpies are the oldest team ever and with an average age per player of 28.7 years this season, they are nearly two years older than the next most senior group (Geelong, 26.9 years). The data, taken at the end of the home and away season, showed the Pies also have the highest average games played per player at 156.

The outliers of teams in contention against their rankings are the Crows and Dockers, particularly Fremantle, which was the fourth youngest side on average this year and the third least experienced. But the Dockers finished sixth in the home and away season and will host Gold Coast in Saturday’s elimination final. 

The Suns themselves were in the bottom half for both measures as they finally clinched their first finals appearance, with West Coast’s 18th ladder position reflected by being the youngest and least experienced team this year. 

Gold Coast players celebrate their win over Essendon in round 24, 2025. Picture: AFL Photos

Sydney’s fall out of the top eight defied its list demographics, with the Swans in the top four for both categories, while the Western Bulldogs, Melbourne and Carlton also missed out on the finals despite being in the top eight for age and games played. 

List changes at the end of this year will further shape the age and demographics of club lists, with Adelaide’s off-season additions Alex Neal-Bullen, James Peatling and Isaac Cumming lifting the Crows from third youngest and second fewest games at the end of last year to further into contention from a list build point of view in 2025. 

2025 AVERAGE AGE PER TEAM

Collingwood – 28.7
Geelong – 26.9
Brisbane – 26.6
Sydney – 26.3
Western Bulldogs – 26
Melbourne – 26
Carlton – 26
Hawthorn – 25.9
Adelaide – 25.8
Port Adelaide – 25.5
Greater Western Sydney – 25.5
Gold Coast – 25.4
St Kilda – 25.3
Richmond – 25
Fremantle – 24.9
North Melbourne – 24.8
Essendon – 24.8
West Coast – 24.6

AVERAGE GAMES PLAYED PER PLAYER 

Collingwood – 156
Brisbane – 133
Sydney – 119
Geelong – 119
Melbourne – 117
Hawthorn – 108
Carlton – 106
Western Bulldogs – 102
Greater Western Sydney – 101
Adelaide – 99
St Kilda – 97
Port Adelaide – 96
Gold Coast – 96
North Melbourne – 94
Essendon – 89
Fremantle – 86
Richmond – 85
West Coast – 76