<blockquote>Quote from Tango on March 22, 2012, 23:36 @Anthak - Buddy has been rested in the past by the Hawks. He missed the Round 24 game against the Suns last year. </blockquote> Yes, thats right .
I think Geelong has shown the way to manage teams last year. I see a lot of the top teams resting players once or twice this year. That will be Geelong, Pies, Hawks. All the other teams fighting for top 8 and top 4 are likely to keep the best players on the park. So with that being said I think resting of players is inevitable and something we are just going to have to live with. I'm not sure that you can draft around trying to avoid. It will all be dependant on how the team is positioned.
Moblets their age may be a key. The sports scientists control the agenda and their field is still in its infancy. The youngest players get nursed through the season to maximise their longevity while for the older players it's about sustainability. Players at their peak are driven to high performance and that may or may not include a rest other than the bye. As in all sciences opinions and strategies change year by year and some clubs lead and others follow. Picking where a club is (rather than what it's done in the past) and how that will effect individual players won't ever be easy.
I'm starting Chappy too. He's in a million times better shape than he was this time last year, and if he could still crack the ton then I'm going to back him in for a blinder. Always a risk of injury with him of course, and there's no way he'll play 22 games even if he's fully fit all year, but as Moblets pointed out I don't think we'll find too many players in any of the top teams playing all 22.