Hamish McLachlan: Where Geelong’s tough skipper Joel Selwood gets his inspiration
JOEL Selwood may just be the toughest player in the AFL. The Geelong skipper tells Hamish McLachlan he doesn’t need to look far for inspiration.
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WHEN Joel Selwood arrived at the Geelong Football Club, they had just missed finals. By the end of his first year, they were premiers. His arrival, and the club’s success since, are intertwined.
He has built a football CV, and a reputation, that is the envy of many. He has always seemingly played without fear and with a calm confidence. I read once “he looks like Paul Newman, and plays like Cool Hand Luke”.
Dennis Cometti once famously said “Joel Selwood should arrive pre-bandaged!”.
It was a tip of the hat by Dennis to Joel’s courage that would often result in him being battered, bruised and bleeding. We spoke about a body that needed help as a kid, dealing with fear, hurdling, competing with older brothers, his one and only cricket match and the words his girlfriend might use to describe him.
HM: Four kids … four AFL players ... who is the genius, Bryce or Maree?
JS: If mum was a broodmare mum would be valuable wouldn’t she! I think they’ve both contributed equally, but differently. Mum was the boss, and Dad would go around and do all the work, and teach us that working hard was very important.
HM: They’ve done very well. What’s an idiopathic toe walker?
JS: Gee, you’ve gone back a long way! It’s when you have pointed toes, kind of like a ballet dancer. As a young kid I’d literally just walk on the end of my toes. I had it early on in my childhood. I was put in braces from a young age, until I was about 3. It was just a slight disability in the feet.
HM: It doesn’t seem to have affected you too much?
JS: Well I wouldn’t say I’m the best kick on the field, but I’m capable. It’s probably taken a yard or two off my kick. I wouldn’t mind being able to kick a 50 metre goal every now and then, but I’ll back myself in from 40.
HM: When you miss a target do you say “Sorry mate, it’s the idiopathic toe thing”
JS: I haven’t used it yet, but now you’ve brought it to my attention ….
HM: Do you remember your first competitive footy match?
JS: I do. It was out at a place called St. Francis of the Fields, which was 15 minutes out of town in Strathfieldsaye. I lined up in the number 1 jumper, and I played on the wing. I wasn’t overly happy to be playing on the wing. I was only 9 years old, and I remember I was unhappy even then! We had two school sides, and I was playing in the twos because the grade fours and under had to play in those, regardless of ability, and the grade fives and grade sixes that weren’t good enough played with us.
HM: You mixed playing with water boy and umpiring duties growing up?
JS: I did — I have basically done a football apprenticeship! My older brothers (twins Troy and Adam) were in the under 13’s. They played with Rick Ladson and Nick dal Santo. I was the water boy and the boundary umpire for their games when I was 9. It was good pay …
HM: Cash in hand?
JS: No …. a Mars Bar in hand! I think the Mars Bar was supposed to be for 5th or 6th best on ground, but they used to give it to me instead, hoping that one day I’d come through the system!
HM: They backed the right horse! I heard you’ve played one game of cricket in your life, filling in, is that true?
JS: That’s true …. how have you got hold of that?
HM: I know people who know people.
JS: You’re very good. One game of cricket. I bowled 3 overs, and there was probably about 6 no balls in there. I took three wickets, and then I made an awkward 70 with the bat.
HM: I got told you sat on off stump, and carted everything onto the leg side.
JS:(laughs) Yeah, that’s true. I don’t know how you’ve got your hands on that! I was filthy as I was sent in batting 9th …. I didn’t have much time to settle in with 3 over to go. It was the only cricket I played as I grew up doing athletics.
HM: The state hurdling champion from U/10s to U/15s?
JS: Yeah, well there abouts. Not every year, but I was always pretty close. I did Little Aths. Back then, the hurdles were over 80 metres, and then when it stretched out to the 300m hurdles, which is now the 400m hurdles if you’re in senior aths, it suited me a little bit more as I wasn’t that quick. Over 300m I could grind them down.
HM: You were in the state finals almost every year weren’t you?
JS: Yeah, I was. They were really fun years. I ran against Nathan Jones. He was a very good runner throughout his junior days, throughout primary and early secondary school. We used to run against each other all the time. We had some great battles in the 800m — I wish had some footage of it!
HM: It would have been quite an aggressive 800m!
JS: Well it was for me, because I knew that I didn’t have the speed at the end. I had to try and take it out a bit quicker, and hope that they would run out of gas and couldn’t sprint to the line in the end. It was all tactical, even back then.
HM: If I’m right, in one year you held every running and jumping record at the Bendigo Sports Centre, apart from the 100m?
JS:(laughs) It was close! I was in Bendigo, and it went from a grass track to a synthetic track, so times got quicker as a result, so it did help me out a little bit.
HM: I am told there were 15 events …. how many records?
JS: I broke 10 of the 15 records. The funny thing is that I actually still have the ribbons. Dad put it together for me as a present. I dropped it in Mark Blicavs locker only two weeks and said “Keep striving mate. This is just a reminder that you’ve been around great athletes for a long time”. He went down with his foot injury, but at least he’s got people around him to look up too!
HM: He’s surrounded by excellence.
JS:(laughs) That’s it.
HM: Are you the most competitive person you’ve ever met?
JS: I won’t deny I am competitive, but I did learn a thing or two off Stevie and Gaz.
HM: Like?
JS: It would just start with a game of table tennis, or of darts, or something very simple. They had to win. Losing dampened their days — regardless of what it was, or whom it was against. Even when we were doing handball drills, it was always about who was the cleanest. Everything was about competing. To walk into the footy club like that was a good way to learn, especially off those guys. Everything was so important to them.
HM: I heard the Selwood Olympics at Christmas is dangerous for all competing, and there is no love lost between the brothers. Is that right?
JS: It was for a while. It started out friendly, and used to just be a Christmas run that we would do back in Bendigo. It’s about a 6km track. It happens after Christmas Eve and a few drinks, because we’d usually do the school catch up on that night with the old school friends at the local pub. Then you’d wake up in the morning at about 10am, and set off. The first 3km’s were friendly, but then the pace would slowly pick up. It was always interesting because clubs were at different parts of their preseason. Troy was at Brisbane when they were at the end of their premiership success, so he was up and flying fitness wise. Scott and I were still new to the program, so we’d been left out from a few of the conditioning sessions and stuff like that. It was always interesting to see who was in front at that time of the year.
HM: You’re one of the most courageous players the games seen. Have you felt fear, and found a way to overcome it, or have you never been scared?
JS: That’s a good question. It can be seen as courageous, or silly I guess.
HM: But do you feel fear and work through it, or don’t you sense what might happen?
JS: I don’t think I’ve felt fear on the ground, but there are moments in games, or after them, where you probably sit back and you think about what you’ve just done and you realise how hurt you could have got in that contest. I think I’m getting better at making sensible decisions that might prolong my career, but competing as hard as I can, without any regard for what might or might not happen, is all I’ve ever know really. At times the game is in front of you, and you can see it all so clearly.
This year against Adelaide there were a few scenarios where I just “felt” the game, and realised what it needed. I felt like I was playing well, and I thought I could do anything. I could go for that mark, or I could go for that ground ball, I could pick it up, run it 10 metres and put it on Hawks (Tom Hawkins’s) chest. It’s not every day, or every game that you feel like that, and when you do, you go everywhere and don’t think about getting hurt as you just believe you’re totally in control of the situation.
HM: You understand the spots that you put yourself in, but there’s something that won’t allow yourself not to put yourself there.
JS: At times. I was lucky that early days. I did so much bodywork with Brendan McCartney and the other big bodies in Max Rooke, Cameron Ling and Joel Corey when they were men, and I was still a kid. I got smashed from a young age, but then on the weekend I’d only go out and play like the sub. I felt like I was so lucky that I was playing 60 per cent of the game back then. I’d start every quarter on the bench, and I’d come off once a quarter. The way that I got introduced to footy at a young age was more based around the training. It was more important than playing, not that I knew it back then.
HM: 6th year as Captain — 3 times All Australian skipper. Do you have to do anything consciously as captain that doesn’t come completely naturally to you?
JS: The thing that I find myself doing often, is just reminding myself that the most important person, when captaining, is yourself. And I don’t mean that selfishly, or arrogantly. What I mean is that you need to keep reminding yourself about doing the right things, on and off the field, all day every day. You need to set the standard on every level. These days we have players coming and going from different clubs. It’s easier for them just to see me train well, and it’s easy for them to see me prepare for a game, or do a recovery, or be on time, or early, or clean up or help out do something the right way. I keep telling myself that I have to do what I expect of others, and just lead and do it that way.
HM: After your first game, Leigh Matthews said you were “A first gamer that looked like he’d played 200 games”. Why do you reckon you were able to deal with it, seemingly so effortlessly?
JS; He must have been talking about game 2 or 3 …. my first game was a horror against the Bulldogs in Round 1 of 2007. I had about 8 touches, and 4 free kicks against! I was in Ken Hinkley’s forward line at that stage. After that game he said he was never letting me inside 50 again! I haven’t forgiven him, so I enjoy kicking goals against Port now!
HM: You found it easy early though.
JS: I was just so lucky to be at the right place at the right time, especially with the individuals I had around. I had stars around me, everywhere, that had no egos. They just got to work, and they had the talent. For me, I just wanted to impress them, earn their respect, and just work as hard as I possibly could. I could earn their respect from training and I could earn their respect from games, but there was just a behavioural aspect too. From a young age, I was lucky to have an insight through Troy and Adam who had gone through the system. I knew what it was about.
HM: Your first year was fairly surreal. You start off scratchy, and you win the grand final by 119 points after winning the Rising Star. Was there a moment in the granny where you looked around and enjoyed it?
JS: I didn’t really know what it was all about, to be honest. I was a footy fan, and I was a fanatic growing up. The year just went so quickly; it went so quickly for all of us. My body felt really good, and I got looked after a few times with rests as well. Then I got to a grand final, and I think we were up by 60 points at half time. We were just so on the ball. The 3QT speech from Bomber was “Don’t let yourselves down now. You’ve played a great three quarters; don’t be remembered for that shit last quarter” so I never had the composure or presence to look around and see what was going on…..I think I was still worried we could lose! We still needed to have the foot on the throat, and we had to make sure we finished the business.
That’s what I remember out of the game. I’ve never really watched it back thoroughly, because the game changes so quickly. I only enjoyed this year when we got back together. Then you actually remember a few things that happened throughout the game. It does make you proud looking back on it, but in my own way, I was just a young kid playing with his mates.
HM: Have you watched any of the three wins back?
JS: I’ve watched 2011 more than the others, just because I was older, and a little bit more mature. I had to take over from Lingy after that, too. It was the one that I probably enjoyed the most, because we did it with a backs against the wall sort of effort all year.
HM: Bobby Skilton, Paul Roos, Tony Lockett, Gary Snr. So many unbelievable players have never won a granny. Did you actually realise how significant your achievement was?
JS: I had no idea! I had no idea at the time …. I probably thought I did. It was too much to digest, and probably even the second one too. It was 2009, and it was the one that we had to win. I can’t say it wasn’t enjoyable, because it was, but there was so much pressure that we just had to win that one. We were Geelong, and we wanted to be the best. We thought that we were better than any other side by so much, but we knew at some point that would have to finish, and one flag wasn’t going to be enough. I had no idea at a young age, and that’s what made the 2011 win the more enjoyable one out of all of them.
HM: Did you realise at the time what it meant to Geelong?
JS: No, I didn’t, because I didn’t know Geelong as a town well enough. I wish I did then as it would have made it all even more significant. I was living with a host family the Jenner family, and I’d either be there or at the footy club. I knew the area a little bit, because you start doing things within the community, but I didn’t really have the attachment at that stage. But now, to know what it was like, especially what happened that grand final night of 2007, it turned the lights back on in the town and made the place relevant again.
HM: It was a city changer.
JS: Yep, it was, big time. 2007 was absolutely. The Costa Brothers, Ford, Cotton On, Alcoa and a few other business I believe were holding the city up pretty much, and the club gave everyone a reason to be proud and happy.
HM: You won in 2007 and 2009 …. but lost the Grand Final in 2008. When I say “the 2008 Grand Final” what is your immediate emotion?
JS: Disappointment that we got it wrong. Again, I was young, but I think I could have picked it up a bit. We were playing okay footy at the time, but we could have been playing much better.
HM: When you say could you have “picked it up”….picked up what?
JS: The little things that we needed to be doing to get everything right for that day. I think in the year before, everything was just about having the eyes on the prize, whereas in 2008, we may have skipped over a few things, and not had that attention to detail that we needed.
HM: Attention to detail seems to be a huge component of successful individuals lived. I’ve asked Bart Cummings what it takes to be a great racehorse trainer, and Roger Federer to be playing as well at 35 as 23. It’s the same response. It’s attention to detail.
JS: When it comes down to the individual it’s about attention to detail, and their role within the team. It is simplistic, but I agree with them. Get the detail right, and the bigger picture stuff takes care of itself.
HM: When you were asked to be captain, who asked you, and was there any hesitation?
JS: There probably was a bit, but I prepared myself that it might be the case. Whether it was or it wasn’t, I would’ve been okay with it. I’d just done a trip to Uganda with Dad, to get a bit more culturally prepared on life, because I needed to feel uncomfortable. When I returned I caught up with Tom Harley and Cameron Ling, who are both past captains. I had a corridor chat with Chris Scott when we were walking into the meeting and about to do the vote, and he said “It will be you. Will you be fine with that?” It was as simple as that, and I got on with it. I was comfortable with it because the guys that were voting on it were guys that I’d played enough footy with. Corey Enright, Jimmy, Joel Corey, Matty Scarlett; they all wanted me to be captain. I felt like I had their respect, and I knew that I wasn’t going to do it alone. I was going to be helped along the way.
HM: So you’d gone to Uganda with Bryce to feel uncomfortable, to get into a position where if you were chosen, you’d be ready. That’s the extent you go to.
JS: Pretty much. I was lucky enough that it was possible to do it at the time. To go with Dad was lucky too, because he was the guy that I learnt most out of growing up. He would drive us to Melbourne to go to the footy. Mum was the same though, I shouldn’t just single Dad out! They both did an unbelievable job, but at that time, Dad was the lucky one that got the trip with me.
HM: How much do you enjoy playing alongside your brother now?
JS: We haven’t done it enough yet!
HM: Is there something slightly different when you’re playing with Scott?
JS: There has been, yes, especially in the first game that we played together. You can pretend it isn’t different, but it is. It is pretty special. Last year he was coming back from a foot injury, and I just wanted him to play well. He’s his own worst critic, and he was never going to play as well as he wanted too. I was on the ground trying to get him the ball. I knew that was going to be the case. I was a huge supporter of him coming home.
HM: I was looking at your numbers the other day. Do you know how many games you’ve played in that have been decided by 1 or 2 points?
JS: No, I don’t. I bet there’s been a few.
HM: 16.
JS: Yeah? And a few draws?
HM: Do you know how many you’ve won of the 16?
JS: I’ve been lucky; I reckon probably 13 or 14 of them.
HM: 15.
JS: Is that right? Wow.
HM: Why do you think that is? You could be 3-0 and you’d be lucky, or 4-1 and be lucky. 15-1 is not luck.
JS: A lot of those wins were throughout the era where we had good players that could just do the right thing at the right time, and knew how to play with each other better than what the other sides did. Of late, we’re slowly getting to that point where it’s in Sydney’s favour. We’ve nearly played 70 games with each other in this group that we’ve got coming through, and we’re starting to feel that. We just know that there’s enough time, and there’s no panic within the group. If we keep doing the right things, we’ll get there eventually.
HM: I was looking at your numbers, and this is not so much a question as a statement of fact. 558 players have played 200+ games. Only one in the history of the game has got a better win percentage than you.
JS: Oh no, who’s got me?
HM: Harry Collier, who was the co Brownlow Medal winner in 1930, at 76.3%. Do you know what yours is? 76.0%. He’s got you by 0.3%.
JS: Is that right? God I’ve been lucky to be where I am. It’s good to do these articles every now and then Hame to take a time to realise the journey and again in say that how lucky I am.
HM: You described your girlfriend Brit recently as “Caring, hardworking and positive”. How would she describe you in three words?
JS: She’d probably describe me in a similar way I hope. She knows that I’m caring, so that would probably be the best one. Definitely positive, and loving. I hope she would think I am hard working, and respectful too.
HM: Solid combo.
JS: Yeah, it’s a pretty easy household that we try and live in. We enjoy being around each other, and we enjoy having fun.
HM: And enjoy doing ads together?
JS: We have done a couple of ads together, and that’s part of the having fun! I’ve dragged her into it.
HM: How much of an input do you have in the Selwood Boys book series?
JS: Well I’m the main character so I have a fair bit!
HM:(laughs) But do you help write?
JS: We all sat around the table and we got the help of the author, Tony Wilson. A lot of the stories were built off me, but it was fun sitting down with the brothers. We sat down for about 5 or 6 hours to go through a lot of things and they became the book. It was fun to do.
HM: Just on stories. Stevie J is on his official “Stevie J Farewell Tour”. What’s your best Stevie J story, or memory?
JS: The best of them probably can’t be told in a Sunday paper Hame! I used to live with Hawks (Tom Hawkins) and I was never invited to a game a golf with Tom and Steve due to them being off a single figure golf handicaps, and anyone that wasn’t didn’t get invited!
Tommy Hawkins says when you were playing golf against him you would end the round on the highest of highs after beating him, or the lowest of lows after losing. If he won, he would be telling everyone the next day. On the other hand, if anyone was to beat him, they weren’t to tell anyone or it would be seen as bad sportsmanship. Once Tom and Steve had a $100 on the game. Tom was playing well and Steve had struggled most of the day.
Tom had the game all sown up with 3 holes to go. As he always does when he is down, he offers me a side bet. $150 on the last 3 holes. We shake hands, he flicks the switch and plays the last 3 holes in 2 under. I won the day, but he won the cash! In true Stevie J fashion, he jumps in the car flashing his big smile and huge teeth showing, and he swings out of the car park sideways with his window down holding the cash he’d just won off me yelling “thanks for coming tommy boyyyy!!!” He is amusing, and he is a big moment player, on the field, and on the golf course.
HM: And Bomber Thompson?
JS: He was just this very casual coach, and he had this casual coaching method. He was so confident within the group. He knew when to push our buttons, but he knew when to sit back, like when he had that sandwich in the coaches box over at Subiaco. He just had sheer confidence in the group. To say the joke about Shannon Burns before the ‘07 Grand Final ...
HM: What was that?
JS: I can’t remember exactly what it was, but it wasn’t even funny. It was just to get everyone to calm down a little, and relax and get the mood right. Everyone was so on edge, and Shannon was just the easy one to pick on. Bomber just said something stupid, but at that time as an 18-year-old, you just laugh at anything the coach says, even if it’s not that funny!
HM: It’s a pretty good line at 3QT. Don’t let yourselves down.
JS: Yeah. He knew that it was important.
HM: What do you reckon life looks like after footy?
JS: I think it’s in football, not that Brit would want to hear that right now! I just have the love for it. The week to week goals that you can actually get out of business of football are just so rewarding. I’m 11 years in now, and I can see a Sam Simpson coming through the system. He’s straight out of school, weighing 70 kilos, being thrown up against the premiership favourites in Sydney, and against GWS. You can see he’s scared, but he just goes out there and handles it like a little pro. It just makes you proud to be a part of a program that can give so much. He just wants to get better and better. It’s easy working with professionals I reckon!
HM: So coaching more than management?
JS: Probably coaching. I enjoy the admin — I enjoy the thought of putting a list together. Steven Wells has done a great job with our list for a long time, he’s given us a chance to play off at the right time of the year more times than not.
HM: Who has inspired you most in life?
JS: I don’t have to look far to get that answer — it’s my brothers. I got to look up to Troy and Adam, and then I got to watch Scott. He just wasn’t going to take no for an answer, and he was definitely going to get drafted. They were the ones that were always in front of me. I probably had the most talent out of all of them, but they were the ones pushing me to get better again and it still even happens today because it would make them better too.
HM: Are you a better player because you were competing against you’re older brothers as a young kid?
JS: Definitely. No question. They would sit on the bench press at home, and I’d try and lift as much as them, even though I was 4 years younger. I wouldn’t get near it, but it only took me 6 weeks for me to get to what they were lifting. Then they would lift more again, so I’d try and catch up to them. That was just the competitive household that we lived in.
HM: Off field, you are in high demand from brands wanting to partner with you. How do you select what you do, and who you do it for?
JS: From a young age, kids just stood out for me. I enjoyed being around kids, and helping kids, so the Auskick program is just an easy one I love. I can make a difference to the winner’s life — which I find really satisfying. Early on at Geelong I did a lot of hospital visits, and I actually really enjoyed doing them too. The Geelong Hospital back then was a pretty run down place that needed a fair bit of work. We were going to see these kids, and it was just a rough environment that, if nothing was done about it, would still be the same today as it was back then. I was lucky enough that the Cotton On group wanted to do something about it. It’s changed the place, and it’s saving kids travelling from rural areas, Warrnambool and Colac for example all the way down to Melbourne. Now they can just go to the Geelong Hospital and get back home.
HM: You are an ambassador for Run Geelong which raises funds for kids in the Geelong Community?
JS: Yeah, It’s my eighth year being ambassador, and over that time we’ve raised over $3m. It started out as a small run on a wet Sunday morning in November, and they got 2000 participants for the first year, and it has built from there. In the second year, when I got involved for the first time and thought that I could make a bit of a difference, we got 8000 participants. Going from 2000 to 8000 in a year, last year we had 14,500 participate and yes we will beat that number this year again on Sunday 19th of November. I realised at a young age that the brand could actually help out the community a bit. This was something that was right up my alley. It’s a fun run where 100% of the registration fee goes straight back into supporting children’s health and wellbeing in the local community via Barwon Health. I’m one of the fortunate ones that gets to see that it’s actually helped change the Geelong Hospital, and see how well equipped it is now. First a children’s ward, then a maternity ward, and now the plan is to develop a paediatric and adolescent rehab unit.
HM: You genuinely enjoy helping people.
JS: I do. It’s just the way we were brought up. We weren’t spoiled as kids or anything like that. We didn’t need pats on the back, it was more about what we could do for others, and you learn that giving to people in need is a lot more enjoyable than receiving from people.
HM: It’s important. Last one — are you a chance to play again this year?
JS: I am yeah — the surgery couldn’t have gone much better, well I wasn’t awake for it, but that’s what I have heard. I honestly think I will.
HM: Let’s hope it is in the last game of the season.
JS: That would be nice — thanks Hame.
— Registrations for Run Geelong on Sunday 19 November, or Run Ballarat on Sunday 22 October can now be made via runaustralia.com.au
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