Joel Selwood a star ring-in for Barwon Heads’ footy team in T20 win over cricket club

Barwon Heads’ footy club took ultimate bragging rights over the town’s cricket club in an Australia Day T20 clash, with a Geelong premiership captain doing his part with bat and ball.

Joel Selwood was all smiles during an Australia Day T20 match in Barwon Heads. Picture: Mark Wilson

Twenty years since he last stepped onto a cricket ground, Geelong Cats legend Joel Selwood showed he still had a few tricks up his sleeve.

The four-time premiership Cat was a guest star in Barwon Heads’ Australia Day T20 cricket-football clash, but while the 36-year-old’s individual efforts may not have hit the heights of his under-15s days, his winning pedigree remained as strong as ever as the footy club took ultimate bragging rights over the cricket club.

Joel Selwood bowls a delivery on Sunday, as Sam Schaller watches on. Picture: Mark Wilson

Seagulls senior footy coach Sam Schaller said Selwood, a Barwon Heads resident, was more than happy to play a part in the clubs’ fundraiser when they reached out about a cameo.

“It was great having Joel down there, he said he was coming in on his last game at U15s where he got 50 not out,” Schaller said.

“Twenty years since his last hit, he was coming back on a bit of a high.

“He was great, he got a wicket or two and got a couple runs as well … everyone was pretty pumped to see him out there.”

Joel Selwood on the sidelines with son Joey and wife Brit. Picture: Mark Wilson

A strong crowd turned out for the annual event, which featured a women’s T20 curtain-raiser and an off-field appearance by social media group Marmalade.

With boundaries pulled in at Village Park, the cricket club pushed towards 200 first, though it was a total the footy club comfortably chased down in the end.

Barwon Heads FC and Barwon Heads CC men’s teams share a picture after a game. Picture: Mark Wilson

Schaller, who has played in winning sides for both the cricket and footy clubs in the past, said his group went in confident it could take it too their cricket counterparts, insisting many players were “happy to show everyone what they’ve got.”

“There’s definitely some guys in that football side that could walk into the ones or twos of the cricket club quite comfortably and they all rate themselves pretty highly,” he said.

But it was Geelong Cricket Club gun Josh McDonald, who like Selwood played a cameo for the footy club, who was unsurprisingly a standout alongside Sam Baker, a premiership player who has returned to the club ahead of the 2025 BFNL season.

“He put on a bit of a show, I think 90 odd not out,” Schaller said of McDonald.

“And little Sammy Baker got 70 not out, those two were probably the key pillars in our victory.”

Mark Howard and Joel Selwood share a laugh and a hug. Picture: Mark Wilson

Meanwhile, sports broadcaster Mark Howard – who plays C-grade for the Seagulls – made his mark for the cricket club alongside teenage son Mack.

“God love him, he takes his cricket very seriously,” Schaller said of the man known as ‘Howie’.

“He hit the ball really well, came in when they were in a bit of trouble and probably got them out of a bit of trouble which was good.”

Schaller himself was a victim of the father-son duo, striking one of Mack’s delivery into the safe hands of the older Howard.

“They were pretty chuffed with that one,” Schaller said.

Originally published as Joel Selwood a star ring-in for Barwon Heads’ footy team in T20 win over cricket club