Mooney column: Dangerfield deserves chance to prove himself as captain

The knives have been out for Patrick Dangerfield, but critics have been too quick to judge the Cats’ skipper, writes Cam Mooney.

Patrick Dangerfield has endured a tough start to life as captain of the Cats. Picture: Daniel Pockett/Getty Images

PATRICK Dangerfield is finding out a lot about himself as a leader right now.

It’s hard enough when you’re learning on the job, and you’re the captain of a club that is expected to do big things, a team that is pressing for back-to-back flags.

Patrick Dangerfield speaks to his teammates during the clash against Carlton. Picture: Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images.

It’s also difficult for Pat when he’s filling the shoes of Joel Selwood, who is one of the AFL’s greatest ever captains.

Selwood was universally admired and respected. He was the ultimate captain.

He was the heart and soul of the Cats.

Now, I listened with interest about Nathan Buckley’s remarks that Danger isn’t a “heart and soul” player.

But it’s very rare that you get a “heart and soul” player as your skipper.

Tom Harley didn’t fit that description, but he was the best captain I played under at Geelong.

Tom was an excellent communicator, brave in the contest — all of those things — and he was exactly what we needed at the time.

So it’s tough to tick every box as a leader.

You’re not always going to get the perfect person for the job.

And when you’re coming off a premiership — and you start the season 0-2 — the pressure is going to be on you as captain, and the club.

What Pat needs to establish is what sort of leader he wants to be.

Will he be the leader who is tough and inspirational?

Will he continue to carry the Cats on his back and win games of football off his own boot?

Luke Hodge was an inspirational captain for the Hawks. Picture: David Callow/AFL Media.

Or is he the Luke Hodge type, who seizes the moment when his team is two goals down in the last quarter and takes the game by the scruff of the neck?

Will he be Michael Voss or Mark Ricciuto and smash through a pack with his head over the ball?

Or is he a communicator? Is he someone who provides encouragement and instruction and helps players understand what they need to do, a la Tom Harley.

Does he help deliver the coach’s message to the group?

In many ways, Patrick’s natural game is to play with aggression. He’s fearless, and at times, has no regard for his own safety.

He’s the guy who says ‘jump on my back boys’ and cracks in for the next contest.

So my advice for Pat is to be himself and attack the footy.

He just needs to be the captain that continues to throw his head over the ball and that’s when his teammates will follow.

Joel Selwood has left big shoes to fill. Picture: Daniel Pockett/AFL Photos/via Getty Images

Over the last few weeks when the chips have been down, that’s when you need your captain and your best players standing up.

Asides Jeremy Cameron, very few have stood up for Geelong in the first two rounds.

A lot of people had their views on who should be captain – Tom Stewart or Danger.

I wanted Tommy Stewart for longevity, but Pat was a good choice.

And to judge a bloke on the back of two games … it’s too early. We need to give him a chance.

It must be said, the knives have been out for Dangerfield early.

But the Cats could have easily won the first two games and we’d be sitting here saying ‘hasn’t this been a seamless transition?’

Things haven’t gone to plan, but over the next three weeks, the Cats are likely to turn their season around.

They’ve got Gold Coast, then Hawthorn and West Coast, so Geelong could be heading into round 6 at 3-2 and no-one would be questioning Dangerfield’s credentials.

So let’s not jump up and down too early.

I think the group as a whole needs to lift, not just the captain.

They have looked short of a gallop in their first three games, and I’m including the practice match against Brisbane.

I just feels like it’s taking the Cats longer to get into the groove of the season, which can happen after winning a premiership.

The Cats have felt the absence of Tom Stewart. Picture: Quinn Rooney/Getty Images

They have also lost their three best defenders in Tom Stewart, Jack Henry and Jake Kolodjashnij, so the backline is young and inexperienced at present.

Tom Hawkins is also struggling for fitness.

It looks as though he needs another block of training.

Trying to build your fitness while you are playing is tough. He needed a bigger run in.

So things haven’t been easy, but by round 6 when they play Sydney, that’s when we’ll get a true test of where the Cats are at.

Originally published as Mooney column: Dangerfield deserves chance to prove himself as captain