Mick Malthouse on the current captains in the AFL and what makes a great skipper

Max Gawn wears his heart on his sleeve. But Mick Malthouse has noticed an unfortunate effect the captain can have on his team when his body language rubs off the wrong way.

03/10/2010 NEWS: 03/10/2010 NEWS: Collingwood Family Day at Goschs Paddock. Capt. Nick Maxwell and with the Premiership Cup in front of the huge crowd.

A great player doesn’t always make a great captain.

Having the talent and skill is one thing. Communicating well, providing motivation and inspiration, and maintaining calm, is another thing.

Nick Maxwell wasn’t Collingwood’s greatest player in the club’s most recent premiership year, but he was its greatest leader.

Captains are the coach’s gateway to the team during a game. It is essential they can deliver and sustain the game plan, the strategies and discipline.

2010 Collingwood captain Nick Maxwell with coach Mick Malthouse lifting the premiership cup.

While the coach gets a fair amount of airplay, the captain is also the face of the club. They wear the responsibility of the players and the scrutiny of the team. They attend football meetings, events with sponsors and supporter groups, and media commitments. It’s a lot. And that’s just off field.

It’s no wonder that the likes of Jack Ziebell and Scott Pendlebury are playing freer football this year after passing on the captaincy at their respective clubs, with more time on their hands to focus purely on their own game.

I’m not privy to any of the current clubs’ internal politics or reasoning for captain selection, but knowing what is required, I do know that it is with great thought and consideration that the match committee recommends someone to represent their club as skipper.

So therefore, I am always slightly bemused when a club can’t decide or won’t hand the responsibility to a single person. Having three joint captains at Sydney – Callum Mills, Dane Rampe and Luke Parker – doesn’t quite gel with me.

Sydney captains Dane Rampe, Callum Mills and Luke Parker along with their leadership group. Mick Malthouse is slightly bemused at the five clubs who don’t have a single captain. Picture: Phil Hillyard

When Adelaide gave the job to Jordan Dawson, it took many in the football community by surprise, but he has proven to be an ideal choice. Adelaide’s improvement can be largely attributed to his direction, support and example on field.

When Marcus Bontempelli was first awarded the Bulldogs’ captaincy I wondered if he would be too distracted as player to lead well on the ground. How wrong I was.

He has been singularly instrumental in getting the Dogs over the line on several occasions. He sets an extraordinary example in toughness, passion, and a never-die spirit. These are the characteristics of a true leader.

One of my all-time favourite players and new Greater Western Sydney captain, Toby Greene, probably shocked a few with his appointment, given he has had some lengthy absences from the game for ill-discipline. But he plays on the edge, for his team and his teammates, and he stands up for them, sometimes to his own detriment.

Greene showed last week that when the chips are down to never give in, and with that bravery he kicked the winning goal against arch rival Sydney.

He is a tough a player, but it’s his commitment to his teammates that places him in the top echelon of captains as far as I’m concerned.

Another who wears his heart on his sleeve and has been an outstanding servant of his club, is Max Gawn. Not only is he a match winner, but his whole demeanour is reflective of how Melbourne plays. If he is having a rare downer unfortunately so do the Dees. So much so, that I’m sure Gawn has come to realise that his body language is transferred straight to his teammates. This is inspiring most of the time, but at times too can have a negative impact.

Can Max Gawn’s body language have a negative impact on Melbourne? Picture: Getty Images

It’s interesting that I mention Gawn in the same breath that I mention Gold Coast’s Jarrod Witts, but there are similarities. Witts’ co-captain is Touk Miller. Miller is an eye-catcher, but it seems that the fortunes of the Suns ebb and flow with Witts being on the field, or off injured, or interchanged.

Witts is a man-mountain and commands respect from his teammates and the opposition. And given his background in rugby union and cricket, he has been an outstanding appointment by Gold Coast.

Like Darcy Moore at Collingwood, who sacrifices his own game every weekend for the betterment of his club.

An inspirational spoil is worth a lot more than a run down the ground with the ball.

The opposition stats drive him to nullify his direct opponent and his teammates’ opponents around him.

Moore’s Anzac Day speech left the football world in awe of a young man who has a sense of history and a great sense of goodness.

Darcy Moore is impressing as the leader of the Pies. Picture: Getty Images

The jury is out on the new captains, not because they can’t lead, but that they are in their infancy as club leaders. The combination of Lachie Neale and Harris Andrews at the Brisbane Lions, Essendon’s Zach Merrett, Fremantle’s Alex Pearce, the Hawks’ James Sicily, and North Melbourne’s Luke McDonald and Jy Simpkin. There is no doubt they are fine young men fit for the challenge, but the test will be their longevity in the job and how they respond to adversity.

The one player I really rate is James Sicily, but his credentials as captain are yet to be cemented. The Hawks are struggling, and he has already made a public error of assessment on the Tasmanian team. That is not fatal. But being one of the best players in a young Hawthorn team not only means he must perform well as a key back against some brilliant forwards, but he will also be scrutinised to the nth degree because he is following in the footsteps of outstanding Hawthorn captains like Luke Hodge, Ben McEvoy and Sam Mitchell.

James Sicily has made a bumpy start to life as Hawthorn skipper. Picture: Michael Klein

Patrick Cripps has been hailed as a potential premiership cup holder. Though as a Brownlow medallist he is put to the test every week. He is fortunate that the adoring Carlton supporters are distracted by how many goals Charlie Curnow or Harry McKay kick each week, but none-the-less, Cripps must lead strongly for the Blues to have any chance at a flag.

Patrick Dangerfield has taken over from one of the greatest ever captains in Joel Selwood. They are not easy shoes to fill. A Brownlow medallist, a premiership player, and in the system for 15 years, unfortunately Dangerfield will be compared to Selwood every week. It’s an unfair reality.

Patrick Dangerfield is making the Geelong captaincy his own. Picture: Michael Klein

A slow start to the season didn’t help his cause, but he has responded in a fashion you would expect from a true champion. He is dominating on field and his teammates are following.

St Kilda’s Jack Steele, Port Adelaide’s Tom Jonas, and the combination of Dylan Grimes and Toby Nankervis, and to a lesser degree, Luke Shuey (injured), are the quiet achievers. Steele will come under more scrutiny as the Saints show more prowess on the ladder.

History has shown that great leadership is not always associated with premierships.

But it is a fact that premierships are won by great leadership.

Originally published as Mick Malthouse on the current captains in the AFL and what makes a great skipper