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‘It’s been going on for too long’: Former Geelong skipper Joel Selwood on booing and sport
By Benjamin Law
Each week, Benjamin Law asks public figures to discuss the subjects we’re told to keep private by getting them to roll a die. The numbers they land on are the topics they’re given. This week, he talks to Joel Selwood. The 35-year-old is a former AFL player and captain of Geelong until the team won the 2022 grand final making Selwood the longest-serving skipper in AFL history. His latest memoir is All In.
Joel Selwood: “Booing is something I don’t understand. It’s been going on for too long and I don’t know if we need it.”Credit: Josh Robenstone
POLITICS
Politics is essentially about values. What are yours and where did you get them from? From Mum and Dad. I was one of four boys growing up in a working-class family in Bendigo. Life wasn’t easy, but it was simple and we loved it. Dad coached my junior basketball side and gave everyone the same amount of court time no matter how good they were, the colour of their skin or whether or not they had a disability. It was about making sure you respected everyone.
You were appointed captain of Geelong at 23, won the AFL Players Association Best Captain Award and were skipper of the All-Australian team three times. What makes a good leader? Well, I think people confuse that quite a lot. Generally, it’s just about being a half-decent person. Make sure you’re a good person, look out for others and have fun while you’re doing it. People can go over the top with [leadership], which can make it a real burden.
In what ways do you think Australia could be doing better in terms of sport? Booing is something I don’t understand and never have. It’s been going on for too long and I don’t know if we need it in our sporting landscape.
What does it feel like to be on the receiving end of it? It doesn’t affect the individual that much because of all the adrenaline [you’re experiencing in the moment]. Whether it’s loud booing or cheering, it doesn’t make too much difference. It’s more about the people around you: especially the kids who are watching on. They ask their parents, “Why are they booing this individual?” A lot of the time, parents don’t have an answer for them.
This brings to mind the notorious booing saga with Adam Goodes. How do you reflect on that? It was a sad time in Australian football. One of the very best players ever to grace our game and the way that he ended up going out, being booed when he should’ve been cheered … few could achieve what he has.
MONEY
You grew up in a working-class family. What were the things that you never went without? Well, I didn’t go without love and care from Mum and Dad, or a good fight with a brother along the way. Or going to school and getting a good education. And our childhood was filled with sport: athletics, basketball, football. In saying that, it wasn’t easy. Dad would work extra jobs mowing people’s lawns so we could play those basketball games.
What didn’t you have access to? Right now, I’m on a big, eight-week holiday with my wife and newborn that I would never have been able to do in my childhood.
Professional athletes are often earning substantial amounts of money at a very young age. Is that a dangerous combination? No doubt. I’ve seen it happen: it works well for some people, not so well for others. I feel quite fortunate that from a young age, I had really good people around me making sure I had financial structures set up properly.
You are now technically retired. How do you earn money, Joel? I’m fortunate. I’m still employed by the Geelong footy club and [NRL club] Melbourne Storm. Then I freelance through my management group. I’m lucky in the way that my career ended – with a big win. There was a story to tell and people wanted to hear it.
What do you love spending money on, and what do you really resent spending money on? [Laughs] My wife’s sitting at the other end of the table. I spend a lot of money on family and that’s the best investment I could make. I resent spending so much money on petrol at the moment!
SEX
Why did you fall in love with your wife, Brit? As you say, you’re sitting across the table from her as we speak. Here’s your chance to be romantic. We were young at the time: I was 25-ish, Brit was probably about 21. We just got along really well. It was easy being with each other. And she’s very good-looking, which helps!
You and Brit faced some serious challenges bringing your son, Joe, into the world. We married at the start of 2020 and tried to conceive a child the normal way. By year’s end, we’d worked out that we needed help– I have a low sperm count – so we did IVF. Jeez, we learnt a lot over the next two years; my appreciation of what a woman has to go through has grown enormously. Brit was unbelievable. Little Joe here, he’s going to know, one day, just how incredible his mum was.
What strengths do you bring to your relationship? I’m hard-working and loving and I put my family first. We have fun.
Where’s the room for improvement? There’s plenty of room for improvement. I could be a better listener. I know that I’m not a finished product; I’m always willing to improve.
What’s better? Good sex or winning a grand final? Well, you only get to experience winning a grand final … [grins] well, for me, four times.
Joel Selwood’s All In will be published by Hardie Grant on August 2. An extract will appear on Saturday in The Age.
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