Selwood weighs up VFL future, could have run with GFL club
OUTGOING Geelong midfielder Scott Selwood says he is hopeful of securing a role with a VFL club for 2020, but is unsure whether that will be with the Cats or another club.
The 29-year-old battled with injuries in the back half of his career, but was renowned for his leadership and would be a strong addition at an AFL club looking to develop young talent.
Selwood has been linked to a position at Collingwood and is weighing up the best move.
“I’m trying to work that out with my manager at the moment, in terms of what’s going to give me the best opportunity to grow,” Selwood said.
“Some of the non-AFL-aligned clubs actually give you a really good opportunity to work with a heap of guys that are coming through.
“Some of the guys that come through (state-league clubs) like Tim Kelly that aren’t affiliated with anyone, you can have a big influence on their career.
“But at the same time, if you can stay involved with the AFL-affiliated clubs, hopefully they can develop you in that sort of space and help you grow in terms of where you want to get to as well.
“I don’t really know what the role looks like, but I’ve really enjoyed this year and playing with the young guys and working with those guys and watching them develop and play games and have an impact.
“That’s probably the area that I enjoy and the area that I love and once you see them come out and play some games in finals and have a real impact, whether it be VFL or AFL, I probably got more enjoyment out of that this year than probably my own performances.
“So in a way it was probably time to realise that it’s not about me anymore a little bit, and that’s the area I enjoy, but I’ve just got to wait to see if those opportunities come up.”
Selwood played 34 games in four seasons at Geelong but finally got his body right this year to have a profound impact with the Cats’ VFL team.
While he is likely to have commitments at a higher level in 2020, he said he would be open to the prospect of playing locally if the opportunity presented itself.
“I wouldn’t be too proud to. Joel’s a proud Newtown (person), I’m a proud St Mary’s (person), so I wouldn’t be too proud,” he said. “I’d love to join those sort of teams if I was to do it, but, at this moment, I’m probably still invested in VFL level and trying to get back to that. But, an affiliation to a Geelong team would be my go.
“I’d be affiliated with St Mary’s if they’d have me, so that would be the way I go about it.”