AGE is just a number
Discuss.
Players will come into their primes at different times and it's dangerous to assume that once a player hits some magic barrier, let's say 30, that they should be automatically expected to start declining. Players like Bingham, Hawkins or even Neil Robertson and Ronnie O'Sullivan, are arguably coming into their best years in their 30's and not their 20's. For some others it will be the other way around. Perhaps as one heads into their 40's there is a serious general decline -- Steve Davis recently described it as maybe some sort of loss of body coordination. Physical and mental decline can and does happen, but it's not wholly logical to form opinions on an era based on the ''age'' of competitors. Better would be to judge their achievements and their quality of play. Not everybody is going to play their best snooker at the age of 25. Neil Robertson recently suggested that a snooker player could/would/should be in their best form from going into their 30's up to their later 30's.
Some recent somewhat humourous things that I've read that have inspired this thread:
-That Hendry declined because of his age.
-That Ronnie at 28 would.. I think the word used was 'destroy'.. Ronnie at 38. Apparently they see the two numbers and make wild assumptions based on them.
Players will come into their primes at different times and it's dangerous to assume that once a player hits some magic barrier, let's say 30, that they should be automatically expected to start declining. Players like Bingham, Hawkins or even Neil Robertson and Ronnie O'Sullivan, are arguably coming into their best years in their 30's and not their 20's. For some others it will be the other way around. Perhaps as one heads into their 40's there is a serious general decline -- Steve Davis recently described it as maybe some sort of loss of body coordination. Physical and mental decline can and does happen, but it's not wholly logical to form opinions on an era based on the ''age'' of competitors. Better would be to judge their achievements and their quality of play. Not everybody is going to play their best snooker at the age of 25. Neil Robertson recently suggested that a snooker player could/would/should be in their best form from going into their 30's up to their later 30's.
Some recent somewhat humourous things that I've read that have inspired this thread:
-That Hendry declined because of his age.
-That Ronnie at 28 would.. I think the word used was 'destroy'.. Ronnie at 38. Apparently they see the two numbers and make wild assumptions based on them.
Last edited by NNear on 01 May 2014, edited 4 times in total.
-
NNear - Posts: 1033
- Joined: 01 March 2014
- Snooker Idol: OSullivan SDavis
