Selwood shows way
Inspirational star goes into captaincy record books
THE banner the Geelong players ran through at the start of its clash with St Kilda said everything that needed to be said: Courage, strength, skill Our skipper has it all Today he takes over as Our greatest captain of all Joel Selwood broke a 78-year record yesterday, overtaking the legendary Reg Hickey atop the list of most games — 143 — as captain of Geelong.
Throughout his career Selwood has embodied everything about the Cats’ adopted motto — greatness — but for all of that, it is his leadership that has stood out.
The reality is that while he has officially held the title of captain since Cameron Ling retired after the 2011 Grand Final, he was identified as a leader from the day he took his first step inside the club.
Be it as a result of his words or his deeds, his teammates follow him.
They always have, with or without a title.
Like most leaders, the 29-yearold has often been at his best in times of adversity.
Rare though those times have been — Selwood has a winning percentage of 75 — it is when things are not going Geelong’s way that he elevates his game. Last night was no exception. It was not his prettiest match, nor his best, but from the minute he backed into a pack to take a mark in the first quarter he had set the standard again for his teammates.
His final numbers — 27 disposals, five clearances, four inside-50s and seven tackles — will not do justice to the performance, and it should be remembered St Kilda had its own issues going into the game and during it, but the Cats were, externally at least, beginning to feel the heat after starting their season 1-2.
So, as he has done throughout his career, Selwood decided enough was enough and took it on himself to turn the ship around.
It is interesting to note that several of Geelong’s best matches last year came when Selwood was not playing.
After going down with concussion inside the opening minute against Fremantle in Round 14, the Cats produced a stirring performance — they also lost Tom Stewart and Darcy Lang throughout the game — to hang on to a two-point win.
The next week against raging hot favourite GWS they played three debutants and were without either of the Selwood brothers, Stewart and Dan Menzel, but still scraped to a draw.
Six weeks later they were again minus the skipper and suspended duo Mitch Duncan and Tom Hawkins, but surprised eventual premier Richmond at home, securing a 14-point win.
It is said that some Geelong players are in awe of Selwood but understand that without him they have no option but to be at their very best, which could help explain the courage they show when he is not out on the field.
Whatever the reason, the fact remains he is a constant presence in the minds of those he works so hard with to bring Geelong glory.
And there is no doubting that he was, at least in part, an inspiration and driving force behind yesterday’s 47-point win. Will forgive Brisbane because it has been OK in the first few weeks and Saturday was its second straight road trip – both against top four contenders – and its third in four weeks. But you can’t find an excuse for Carlton. Whatever it is that Brendon Bolton wants his players to do, they aren’t doing it. So is it a breakdown in communication that is the problem or a matter of the players not having the capacity to implement his game style? The Blues are 18th with a percentage of 61.2 and have West Coast, the Western Bulldogs and Adelaide in the next three weeks. The time for talking is done, they need a win.