IT might bemuse Brian Smith just a little but the chances are it will also be a source of great pride that just two of his players for round one against South Sydney were alive when he started coaching at the highest level.
Not only does it reinforce Smith's experience but it also showcases the youth at the Sydney Roosters coach's disposal in 2012. Young Talent Time hasn't just been recycled on television screens this year.
Just three of the Roosters' top-25 players - captain Braith Anasta, fullback Anthony Minichiello (the two players in the squad born prior to 1984) and winger Sam Perrett - are older than 25. To put that into perspective, Smith started his first-grade coaching career 28 years ago, with Illawarra. He believes his experience is a good match for the exuberance.
''In some ways, it feels almost exactly the same as when I first started,'' Smith said. ''You've still got to do all the things you did back then. If you're not as motivated as your most motivated player then you're in the wrong job.
''I've still got that passion. In lots of other ways, it feels like, 'here I go again', and the experience of all the things that have happened to me, and to my teams, that all sits really well with me nowadays. I'm pretty comfortable with all of that.
''I think I'm in a good position to be the coach that these boys need.''
That said, Smith admitted the team was a bit of a ''mystery'' leading into round one. ''When you've got quite a few of them [youngsters], as we do, you never know how many of them are going to come good with a rush, or some of them will take a bit longer,'' he said. ''I'm hopeful we'll take the mystery out of it with consistent performances early on, and everyone recognises that we're a pretty good side.''
Minichiello, the oldest in the squad at 31, said one of the bonuses for such a youthful club was that the older players felt young again.
''Everyone knows that we've got a young group but it's an enthusiastic group … the young guys, they keep us young as well,'' he said.
''They're running around and jumping around at training, and that influences us.''
While the youngsters are the future, the likes of Minichiello and Anasta appear to be playing for theirs. Neither is contracted beyond this season, and Penrith fullback Lachlan Coote has been connected with the Roosters for 2013. James Maloney has already been signed.
However, Smith made it clear yesterday that in the case of both players, he wanted to judge form before deciding whether to extend their careers at the club.
Of Minichiello, he said: ''We'll just see how he goes. He's got opportunities in other places, and the Roosters will respect that if it comes out that that's the best thing for him to do. Our club wouldn't stand in his way.
''I'm just hoping that he puts another great season together. He's not been told that he's not required here next year. In fact, if he plays again like he did in 2011, I'm pretty sure he will be here.''
Minichiello said he would explore some options overseas, but said he ''can't see myself pulling on another jersey in the NRL''.
''I'm not worried about it at all,'' he said. ''I've been loyal to the club, and the club's been loyal to me.''