Coach Chris Scott has revealed that Geelong champion Joel Selwood kept his plan to retire a secret from his teammates so they could stay focused on winning the AFL premiership.
Selwood received the ideal send-off last Saturday when the Cats defeated Sydney in the grand final. In the last quarter, the 34-year-old scored a storybook goal, setting off an emotional outburst that suggested his 355th game would probably be his last.
At a press appearance on Wednesday, Selwood declared that he would be ending his illustrious career.
In the final months of the year, win, lose, or draw, Selwood said, “I made the decision about six weeks ago that this would be the moment to terminate my playing days at the Geelong footy club.”
“I played every game as if it were my last, because the game is incredibly difficult; you have to give it your all. I knew I had to just buckle down for the next six weeks and make sure I finished the work once I made the decision that was going to be it.
Before making a choice, Selwood and his management consulted with former Geelong players Patrick Dangerfield, Mitch Duncan, Tom Hawkins, and Tom Stewart as well as club CEO Steve Hocking.
“They all want me to continue playing. That won’t be the case, he assured. “I made the decision that everyone would take care of me if I left next year at a rate of probably 85%, but I had to go all in. Simply put, I couldn’t do it.
Selwood is the third consecutive Geelong captain to step down following a championship, including Cameron Ling and Tom Harley in 2009. He is the first player in Geelong history to have captured four championships (2007, 2009, 2011, and 2022). He also holds the club record for games played with 355 appearances over 16 seasons. He also took part in two futile championship games (2008 and 2020).
This year’s championship game saw Selwood make a record-breaking 40th finals appearance, one more than Hawthorn veteran Michael Tuck.
Selwood was intimately associated with Geelong coach Chris Scott for 12 years, and Scott claimed that both on and off the field, the gritty midfielder would be “irreplaceable.”
Before the Cats’ victory over West Coast in round 23—which propelled them into the finals series—Selwood told Scott in a secret meeting of his choice.
Joel’s capacity to prioritise and care for others was something Scott frequently noticed about him. “When all things are considered, he’s the best player I’ve ever seen and the best Geelong football club representation you could ever conceive,” the author said.
“Even when the chance arose for him to share in the spotlight, his top concern was to make sure that his choice didn’t have a detrimental effect on anyone else. He did a great job of explaining to the other players the need of keeping [the choice] a secret so they could concentrate on their collective performance as the playoffs approach.
Selwood ended his career with 245 games as captain after earlier this year breaking Carlton great Stephen Kernahan’s 226-game record for most games as an AFL/VFL club captain.
After going seventh overall in the 2006 draught, he spent his whole playing career at Geelong, where he also won a premiership and the Rising Star award in his rookie year.
Selwood, who has led the Cats since 2012 and has been named Geelong’s best and fairest three times, is a six-time All-Australian. In addition, he has received praise for his moral integrity and won the Jim Stynes Community Leadership Award this year.
