IS IT JOEL’S YEAR?
Selwood’s Brownlow bid firming
JOEL Selwood is in the form of his life, with 2017 looming as his best chance yet to finally win a Brownlow Medal.
T The Geelong skipper, who is a $13 Brownlow chan chance, could already have between 15 and 17 vote votes after a string of high-class performances that are sure to have caught the eye of umpires.
S Selwood is currently a clear leader in the Geelonglon Advertiser’s player of the year award, colle lecting 35 votes in the 5-4-3-2-1 system.
Addy journalists have named Selwood as Geelong’s best player five times — in wins against North Melbourne, Melbourne, St Kilda, Port Adelaide and Adelaide — and that could translate to 15 Brownlow votes.
Selwood could also poll minor votes in wins over Fremantle and the Western Bulldogs.
T The numbers surrounding Selwood’s season so fa far are staggering. He is averaging a careerhigh 29 disposals per match and his 15 contested poss possessions per game makes him the third-best cont contested midfielder in the competition.
Selwood is also averaging an elite seven clearances, while his two score assists per game leads the competition for midfielders. He is averaging eight score involvements per game, which sits him fourth in the competition’s midfielders.
Patrick Dangerfield ($3.25) again looms as a threat to Selwood’s medal chances, returning to form in recent weeks after playing through an injury he suffered against Hawthorn in Round 4.
Dustin Martin ($3.50) and Rory Sloane ($5.50) are also high in Brownlow Medal betting.
In comparison to the rest of the competition Selwood is also averaging above-average metres gained (384m), pressure acts (54.9) and tackles (6.1).
It puts him in a strong position heading into the second half of the year with just two of the past five Brownlow medallists polling more than 30 votes.
Nat Fyfe (31 votes) and teammate Dangerfield (35) are the only two players to get over that line.
Selwood has long been regarded as one of the AFL’s best on-ballers with the Brownlow Medal one of the few accolades missing from an amazing CV.
Since joining the Cats he has seen teammates Jimmy Bartel (2007), Gary Ablett (2009) and Dangerfield (2016) take home “Charlie”.
He finished second, a vote behind Ablett in 2013 and tied fourth in 2014.
The 29-year-old produced another trademark performance in Friday night’s crucial victory over Adelaide, racking up 35 disposals on his way to what should be three votes.
It was highlighted with a gutsy effort in a marking contest that saw Andy Otten’s stray elbow inflict a significant cut just above his right ear.
Hawthorn champion Dermott Brereton pondered whether Selwood could be the game’s toughest-ever player.
Coach Chris Scott was asked on radio on Saturday whether he regarded Selwood as tough as former teammate Michael Voss.
“We are getting into rarefied air now, aren’t we? That’s high praise indeed coming from Derm,” Scott said on SEN. “And I say that as an ex-Hawthorn supporter and a guy (Brereton) who played with Leigh Matthews as well, by the way.
“You’re right, the esteem I hold Michael Voss in is almost unparalleled. I think it is reasonable to start having that conversation when it comes to Joel now.
“The game is different so it’s hard to compare eras. Derm’s toughness was different to Joel’s toughness, but the way he has adapted to the modern game, the way he leads the team by example, does remind me a lot of Michael Voss.
“He’s not a brutal player in the way he approaches the opposition necessarily, but his attack on the ball — I can’t say that I’ve seen better attack on the ball than Joel.”