Pressiteated: I.1 (USA)

Another handball season is in the books, but are the Emus looking forward to a new one?

Expectations were high coming into Season 4 after an improbable Season 3 run led to a I.1 Playoff title. The Emus followed up by placing first during Season 4 regular play, but barely limped to the finish line. Intense matches in the Champions' League clearly left the Emus drained, as they failed to win a single game during the playoffs. Perhaps age is starting to show as well, as the Emus finished the season below league average in AvgOR, AvQ, and AvCL (and at league average for Age). The problem could be at the root of the system: the Emus enjoyed a fruitful crop of homegrown players during Seasons 1 and 2, but the young talent has been mostly lacking for Seasons 3 and 4. For instance:

AvQ of current team players by season pulled:

Season 1: 74.00
Season 2: 65.17
Season 3: 61.33
Season 4: 61.80

These are only the AvQ of the players deemed worthy of a roster spot. If the Emus continue to only produce players under the league AvQ (66.2) they could be in trouble. While the Emus manager has emphasized upgrading the team arena and facilities, a sputtering sports academy could force the team to bring in some foreign talent. Has age finally caught up to the streaky birds? The manager has some work cut out for him, as the numbers suggest the Emus are on the decline and could be endangered in the new season.

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