Fremantle should be looking beyond the 2016 season and giving their younger players more experience, a list management expert says.

In a ladder showing the average age of the AFL players who have appeared for their teams after round six this year, a few things stand out.

North Melbourne are by far the oldest – among those who have appeared in the first six rounds of this year, the average age has been 27.3 years old. No surprises there, they are a mature group, unbeaten this season. Their average is also somewhat skewed by 37-year-old Brent Harvey, although it does perhaps emphasise that for a tilt at the premiership, it is now or never for the Roos.

Hawthorn have fielded one of the oldest playing sides, which is to be expected for the three-time premiers. West Coast's average age is high, but nearly all their players have been aged between 23 and 30, with not many really old or very young.