AFL 2022: Geelong’s Joel Selwood breaks league captaincy record and where he sits among greats

Poll: Chris Scott says he has a bond with record-breaking skipper Joel Selwood that will never be broken. But he might not be the best captain in Scott’s life. We rank the top 10 of past 30 years.

Towering Geelong figures Joel Selwood and Chris Scott share a “bond that will never be broken”, as footy’s longest serving captain and coach pairing open up on a relationship they will share forever.

Selwood will go past Carlton legend Stephen Kernahan on Saturday night when he tosses the coin against Collingwood, when he becomes the most capped captainin VFL/AFL history.

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Who is the game’s finest captain of the past 30 years?

His 226 games so far have all come under Scott and the Cats have won 149 of those matches, an outstanding 65.9 per cent.

Scott said he would forever be linked with his captain, having built respect in their relationship since the very start.

“It is a bond that will never be broken, it is not to say we won’t disagree on things in the future,” he said.

“The mutual respect that has been built between us it such that nothing will ever get in the way of the relationship we have.

“We are still optimistic of what we can do in the future, we are not going to spend too much time looking back but I look forward to continuing that relationship with Joel.”

Selwood hasn’t spoken to Kernahan in the lead up to breaking his record but it is understood the Carlton champion will be part of a presentation on Saturday at the MCG.

Joel Selwood leads Geelong onto the MCG for round 1 of the 2022 season.

FOLLOW THE LEADER

Glenn McFarlane rates the best 10 captains of the past 30 years (1992 to 2022)

1. Michael Voss (Brisbane Lions)

The ultimate captain who helped to turn a team of talented individuals into one of the most successful forces in footy history. Tough, uncompromising and always willing to put his body on the line for his teammates. Almost dragged the Lions over the line late in the 2002 Grand Final when it could have slipped away, the second of three straight flags. An inspiring leader.

2. Wayne Carey (North Melbourne)

Don’t think about how his captaincy ended; think about what he did to help turn North Melbourne into one of the great teams of the 1990s. Exquisitely talented and a dominant force as a player, Carey was also a captain who led from the front and took a team from one of great potential to two premierships and seven consecutive preliminary finals. He was an All-Australian captain on four occasions.

Skipper Luke Hodge (far right) celebrates Hawthorn’s third straight flag in 2015.

3. Luke Hodge (Hawthorn)

Hodge led Hawthorn superbly in three consecutive flags from 2013-15, and was an able lieutenant to Sam Mitchell in the 2008 flag. Mitchell — himself a great captain — said of Hodge: “Hodgey’s great strength is his on-field leadership. There’s probably been no one better in the league for a generation in terms of on-field leadership.” He wasn’t always perfect off the field, but once he crossed the white line he was almost unstoppable.

4. Stephen Kernahan (Carlton)

Kernahan wasn’t only a great captain of Carlton, but he was also an inspiring leader of South Australia at a time when State of Origin mattered. Like Hodge, he led mainly by example and his teammates followed him without question as the Blues won flags in 1987 and 1995. Not only a great player, but a captain so influential that he was named Carlton’s captain in its team of the century.

5. Joel Selwood (Geelong)

Selwood has yet to lift up a premiership cup as a skipper, having played in three flags in his first five seasons as a youngplayer. But that’s not his fault. He has given his all - and a bit more for good measure. The mark of his leadership is thatCarey rates him as one of the greatest leaders of all-time. He has been named All Australian captain on three occasions andwill pass Kernahan in the captaincy games record this weekend. Perhaps a flag as skipper still beckons?

Richmond captain Trent Cotchin is a Tigers fan favourite after three flags in four years.

6. Trent Cotchin (Richmond)

Cotchin almost gave up the Richmond captaincy at the end of the 2016 season, wracked by doubt and stung by criticism. What happened next helped to change the future direction and the culture of the Richmond Football Club. He introduced a sense of vulnerability and gratitude to the once struggling club, which proved part of the catalyst for three premierships in four seasons. He showed great leaders can be different from the more demonstrative mould of Hodge and silenced the doubters who questioned his captaincy in his early years.

7. James Hird (Essendon)

Hird oversaw one of the most dominant seasons in history, leading the Bombers to the 2000 flag — with only one loss as a blemish-in his third season as skipper. In doing so, he won the Norm Smith Medal, an indication of his impact on the game and onthe playing group. He shook off a career-threatening injury to stamp himself as one of the most inspirational leaders of the modern game.

Nick Riewoldt led St Kilda to consecutive grand finals in 2009 and 2010.

8. Nick Riewoldt (St Kilda)

No premierships for Riewoldt — or St Kilda — shouldn’t be seen as a slight on his leadership. He helped to drag St Kilda outof mediocrity in the chase for that still elusive piece of silverware. Yes, he wasn’t at his best in three Grand Finals played(two in 2010), but he was critical in helping to make the Saints a more professional outfit in his time.

9. Tom Harley (Geelong)

The best captains aren’t always the best players. Tom Harley and Nick Maxwell are living proof of this. Harley wasn’t a star,but the Cats’ decision to charge him with the leadership in late 2006 helped to transform the club and deliver one of its most successful eras. He was largely responsible for changing the culture of the playing group. His three seasons as captain resulted in two flags and a runners-up. Maxwell had a similar impact at Collingwood, with their flag in 2010.

Eagles captain John Worsfold holds up the 1994 premiership cup with Mick Malthouse.

10. John Worsfold (West Coast)

This last spot was a toss-up between Worsfold and Paul Kelly, two players who added steel to West Coast and Sydney in theearly 1990s. The fact that the Eagles won flags in 1992 and 1994 — as the first non-Victorian teams to win AFL premierships — tilts the ledger in Worsfold’s favour. West Coast was a talented but not necessarily tough side in its infancy, but the hard-edge of Worsfold and coach Mick Malthouse changed all that.

Originally published as AFL 2022: Geelong’s Joel Selwood breaks league captaincy record and where he sits among greats