<p>AFL players nowadays are playing well past the age of thirty and having longer careers. Much like some good bottles of wine, some are getting better with age.</p> <p>Get ready to delve into an esteemed group of footy elder statesmen who hold the record as the oldest listed players to take to a VFL/AFL field.</p> <p>It is worth noting, if a couple of players from present day can hang on a few extra years, they could find themselves in this list. However, it does seem that the overall record at 43-years and 50 days will stand the test of time and never be broken. We say that now, but stranger things have happened!</p> <p>So, who are the oldest ever AFL players to have stepped onto the field? Let’s find out!</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h2>Oldest Ever AFL Players</h2> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h3>1. Vic Cumberland – 43 years, 50 days</h3> <p>Playing footy well into your forties currently sounds absurd! But Vic Cumberland played way back in 1898 when he debuted for Melbourne before moving to St Kilda in 1902.</p> <p>It was the first of three stints at the Saints, where he went to cross over to South Australia to play for Sturt in 1909. It was a short but impactful stint as he was later named in the Sturt team of the century.</p> <p>Cumberland left to serve in World War 1 in 1916, and when he returned to Australia in 1919, he re-joined St Kilda for the 1920 season after recovering from his injuries. He retired at the end of that season aged forty-three as the oldest ever player to play in a VFL/ AFL game.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h3>2. Dustin Fletcher – 40 years, 23 days</h3> <p>The only modern-day player to play past the age of forty, the Bombers legend's durability was a remarkable sight.</p> <p>The skinny key defender with a booming right foot made his debut for the Bombers when he was still a schoolboy but finished his career with teenage sons walking out by his side in his last game in 2015.</p> <p>He was the third player in VFL/AFL history to reach the 400-game milestone.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h3>3. Jack Leith – 39 years, 296 days</h3> <p>After a six year, two club career in the VFA, Jack Leith forged out a 133-game career at the Demons. He topped the goalkicking charts five times for the Dees and won a flag in 1900.</p> <p>He initially retired at the conclusion of the 1908 season but returned in 1911 when Melbourne was struggling for a further two seasons. He retired for good at the end of 1912 aged 39-years old.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h3>4. Syd Barker Sr – 39 years, 239 days</h3> <p>The Barker name is synonymous with the North Melbourne Football Club. It is the name that is bestowed on the clubs best-and-fairest award.</p> <p>But would you believe that Syd Barker sr, despite playing 161 games for North Melbourne in the VFA, played the majority of his VFL career for Essendon! Scandalous.</p> <p>He played fifty-seven games across three years for Essendon from 1921-1924 before playing his final year back at North Melbourne. Playing his last game as a 39-year-old as a player-coach.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h3>5. Jim Flynn – 39 years, 181 days</h3> <p>Jim Flynn enjoyed a distinguished career across two clubs, Geelong, and Carlton.</p> <p>The ruckman played a solitary game for Collingwood in the VFA before going across to Geelong in 1897 where he played seventy-two games over five seasons.</p> <p>He crossed to Carlton in 1903 and led the Blues to their first two premierships as captains in 1906 and 1907. He relinquished the captaincy the following year and was not used by the Blues up until finals time, where Flynn would play his part in the clubs first three-peat.</p> <p>He played his final game in 1910 for Carlton in the Semi-Final after three players were accused of tanking. To this day, he is the oldest player in VFL/AFL history to play a finals game.</p> <p>So there you have it, the oldest 5 AFL players of all time. If you think these stats are impressive then check out our article on <a href="https://www.sportsbet.com.au/huddle/afl/news/most-afl-goals-all-time">the most AFL goals of all time list</a>.</p>