By Jon Pierik
Football’s longest-serving captain has hailed Joel Selwood as a modern-day “warrior” and the right man to equal – then pass – his leadership record.
Stephen Kernahan, the Carlton great and leading goal-kicker who led the Blues for a VFL-AFL record of 226 matches between 1987-97, said he could not think of a better man to usurp his record, one he has held since passing Essendon legend Dick Reynolds (224) in his final season.
Selwood will equal Kernahan’s record when he runs out against the Swans in Sydney on Friday night, having overtaken Reynolds (224), Nick Riewoldt (221), Ted Whitten (212) and Michael Voss (210) over the past year.
Joel Selwood was in good form against the Bombers in round one. Credit: Getty Images
“I took it off Dick Reynolds, and he said some lovely things about me. I can say nothing but great things about Joel Selwood,” Kernahan told The Age.
“He has been around a long time, and he is still going. He is a warrior. I have always loved the way he played. I couldn’t think of a better, more apt, bloke to have it, and he is still getting it done.
“Trent Cotchin changed his game to be a hard, contested midfielder, and Joel Selwood has always been that. If you have those sorts of blokes in the midfield leading your side, they are just gold. Cotchin has done it, Joel Selwood has done it for his whole career.
“Good luck to him to have the record. He is the most deserving bloke to have it.”
Selwood replaced fellow triple-premiership great Cameron Ling as skipper in 2012, a role he was destined for since making his presence felt as soon as he walked into GMHBA Stadium in 2006.
The midfielder has exemplified toughness, courage – club officials have lost count of the number of times his face has been bloodied – a desire for excellence and a willingness to do whatever is required to keep the Cats in the premiership hunt.
Kernahan, a three-time John Nicholls medallist and eight-time All-Australian, said it was fitting that Selwood, a three-time best and fairest and six-time All-Australian, was also a one-club player.
The Blues have often attempted to poach stars from rival clubs, but Kernahan said there was never any point seeking Selwood.
Joel Selwood is chaired off the field after Geelong’s second semi-final win against GWS last year. Credit: Getty Images
“He is one bloke Carlton probably didn’t go for. Sometimes you just know blokes aren’t going anywhere. I am glad he is a one-club player,” Kernahan, also a former Blues’ president, said.
“We have probably said ‘g’day’ here and there. I don’t know him well, but I have never heard a bad word about Joel Selwood.”
Of course, the Blues could have taken Selwood with the No.1 overall pick of the ’06 national draft, but Bryce Gibbs was their man. Gibbs, also a midfielder, played 231 games for the Blues (and 31 for the Crows). Selwood, having had cartilage removed from his knee, sparking concerns about his longevity and pace, slipped to No.7. Of those taken before him, only Travis Boak remains in the system.
That Selwood, 33, has held the role for as long as he has in an era when the public and media scrutiny can be unrelenting is a testament to his mental fortitude and his standing within the club.
Stephen Kernahan, pictured holding the 1987 premiership cup, is happy to see Joel Selwood equal his record. Credit: The Age
“I guess it has saved them [Geelong] having two or three captains, having a stand-out like him. I think that is always a good thing,” Kernahan said.
“I was lucky enough to have 10 blokes who could have tossed the coin at Carlton in my time – Diesel [Greg Williams], Braddles [Craig Bradley] and SOS [Steve Silvagni]. To have someone there the whole time brings stability and brings the young blokes through. He is a ripper. I have loved watching him play and still do.”
Wayne Carey, a two-time premiership captain and arguably the greatest player in the game’s history, last year wrote in The Age that Selwood had “star power”, particularly as he had been given the captaincy ahead of champion teammates, including Jimmy Bartel, and rated him equal to Kernahan and Voss as the greatest captains he had seen.
Joel Selwood’s toughness has been a trademark of his game throughout his AFL career.Credit: Getty Images
“Central to his leadership has been his durability and consistency, which is even more remarkable when you consider how he’s played the game. Selwood has never asked a teammate to do something he wasn’t willing to do first,” Carey said.
Selwood, unlike Kernahan and Carey, isn’t yet is a premiership captain. Kernahan, like Selwood, was made captain at only 23, the former in his second year after crossing from South Australia alongside Peter Motley and Bradley. Kernahan was a pivotal figure in the 1987 and ’95 premierships, later being named skipper of the Blues’ team of the century, even ahead of the legendary John Nicholls.
Selwood has ensured the Cats have been in premiership contention for most of his leadership tenure, falling just short of the ultimate success in the 2020 grand final against Richmond.
While Carey said Selwood would go into a league of his own should he be a premiership skipper, Kernahan said Selwood’s standing was not bruised in any way by him not having done just that.
“He has still got three flags under his belt [as a player]. I don’t think he would wonder one iota about that one,” Kernahan said.
“He has been close, they have been knocking on the door the last few years. I bet he would love one to finish, but I don’t think three flags is a bad way to go.”
As Kernahan noted of Selwood’s overall career: “He has one more flag than me.”
Most Games as Captain (sole and co-captain)
226 Stephen Kernahan (Carlton career 1986-97)
225 Joel Selwood (Geelong 2007- )
224 Dick Reynolds (Essendon 1933-50)
221 Nick Riewoldt (St Kilda 2001-17)
212 Ted Whitten (Footscray 1951-70)
210 Michael Voss (Brisbane 1992-2006)
190 Matthew Pavlich (Fremantle 2000-16)
188 Trent Cotchin (Richmond 2008-)
188 John Nicholls (Carlton 1957-74)
184 Wayne Carey (North Melbourne 1989-2001)
* Source: AFL season guide 2022
Keep up to date with the best AFL coverage in the country. Sign up for the Real Footy newsletter.