Mark Robinson: Patrick Dangerfield should be Geelong’s next captain

Since 2012, the captaincy at the Cattery was never even a thought, but with Joel Selwood now gone, Mark Robinson says the new captain should be just as much of a certainty.

Patrick Dangerfield of the Cats. Picture: Michael Klein

Watching the 2022 grand final twice over summer, there’s a fair argument Patrick Dangerfield should’ve won the Norm Smith Medal.

Watching him play many times over the past decade, there’s even a stronger argument that Dangerfield should be the next captain of Geelong.

Joel Selwood’s replacement will be named in the coming weeks, and although some players will have a say, and some staff, it will be ultimately decided by coach Chris Scott, chief executive Steve Hocking and head of football Simon Lloyd.

It’s a rare event for the Cats.

Every year since 2012, Selwood was automatically captain from the first day he arrived back for pre-season. But without him, the Cats have some thinking to do.

Dangerfield is 32 – 33 in April – and, touch wood, has set his mind on playing for at least another three years.

Captaincy is simply not about you being given the role, it’s about you earning the role.

It’s about performance on the field, and leadership and respect among teammates.

It’s about setting standards behind closed doors, which is always difficult for outsiders to judge, and dealing with corporates, the AFL and the community.

Dangerfield, from afar, ticks all boxes.

Patrick Dangerfield was pivotal in Geelong’s grand final victory. Picture: Quinn Rooney/Getty Images

On the field, Dangerfield is an inspiring figure. He plays football in a coat of armour, such is his battlefield mentality, and although the body has given him some issues in recent years, this summer he hasn’t missed a training session.

His off-field demeanour and involvement – he is president of the Players Association – adds to his CV. He can lead from the front with a voice and conviction, which itself is a quality not everyone is presented with.

He is primed for the captaincy, if not perfect for it.

All-Australian defender Tom Stewart and Mr Reliable Mark Blicavs are the other two leading candidates. Certainly, the three of them have their quirks.

Stewart is a champion defender and Blicavs is a consistent team-first player, but let’s not beat around the bush: Dangerfield is one of the greats.

We like to think of captains being able to plonk the team on their backs – think Voss, Hird, Carey and Hodge, and in recent years Cotchin and Gawn, and carrying it to victory. By inspiration or brute force. Dangerfield’s done that for a decade without the mantle.

Last year, he was best on ground in the preliminary final and, in this opinion, also in the grand final.

2022 GF: Smith v Dangerfield

	Isaac Smith	Patrick Dangerfield
Disposals	32	27
Metres gained	772	469
Contested possessions	11	19
Uncontested possessions	21	8
Score involvements	14	13
KFC SuperCoach points	156	133

Not on the day, mind you. Only after watching the game twice more on replay were Dangerfield’s acts more greatly appreciated.

Isaac Smith was the gazelle on the outside and Dangerfield was the lion on the inside.

It really depends how you judge impact. There’s a theory in GFs that an outside player who racks up metres is easy on the eye, and more so when they kick goals, but because it’s a slog in the midfield, where bodies pile on bodies in pursuit of the ball, the firestarters can be undervalued.

In fact, it’s probably underplayed how tough Dangerfield is. He’s played 300-plus games, producing incredible consistency of toughness and commitment. Always, when he gets bashed he gets up, and he never whinges.

Cats great Doug Wade didn’t miss Dangerfield’s efforts last September. “I love Patrick Dangerfield, who to my mind was clearly best on ground in the 2022 grand final,’’ Wade told colleague Jon Anderson on Sunday

Some Geelong officials agree. Although the best-and-fairest votes from each game are never made public by the Cats, it’s believed Smith and Dangerfield couldn’t be separated.

It could be the same with the captaincy: Appoint co-captains.

But if it’s to be one man and you believe in natural-born leaders, then Dangerfield is the obvious selection.

Originally published as Mark Robinson: Patrick Dangerfield should be Geelong’s next captain