Universal Love Joel Selwood - 300 Games for Captain Courageous

[Art Vandelay_]

From his first training session late in 2006 through to game 299 today Joel has approached footy the same way. Go harder and lower than everyone else.
He has been a major reason we transitioned into a club that were 'nearly men' into the dominant side that got it done. He set the standard very early on and the rest followed on from that.

Our longest serving captain. A walk up entrant to both our club Hall of Fame, and the AFL's. His record speaks for itself.

• 3× premiership player: (2007, 2009, 2011)
• 6× All-Australian team: (2009, 2010, 2013 (captain), 2014 (captain), 2016 (captain), 2017)
• 4× AFLPA Robert Rose Most Courageous Player Award: (2009, 2012, 2013, 2014)
• 3× Carji Greeves Medal: (2010, 2013, 2014)
• Geelong captain: (2012–)
• AFLPA best captain award: (2013)
• Herald Sun Player of the Year: (2014)
• Ron Evans Medal: (2007)
• AFLPA best first year player award: (2007)
• AFLCA best young player award: (2008)
• Pre-season premiership player: (2009)
• Michael Tuck Medal: (2009)
• Australian IRS captain: (2014)

Congratulations to Joel, and these sad flogs better not repeat Boris and let him (and Gary) down next week.

 

[catempire]

Legend

 

[Baudolino]

Legend of both the club and the AFL.

If the boys don't put in a performance for this man, who has put himself on the line for them umpteen times over the years, they can gtfo.

 

[Down at K Park]

Imagine if we lost to the gold coast on his 300th. Shudders.

 

[Spazz Cat]

From his first training session late in 2006 through to game 299 today Joel has approached footy the same way. Go harder and lower than everyone else.
He has been a major reason we transitioned into a club that were 'nearly men' into the dominant side that got it done. He set the standard very early on and the rest followed on from that.

Our longest serving captain. A walk up entrant to both our club Hall of Fame, and the AFL's. His record speaks for itself.

• 3× premiership player: (2007, 2009, 2011)
• 6× All-Australian team: (2009, 2010, 2013 (captain), 2014 (captain), 2016 (captain), 2017)
• 4× AFLPA Robert Rose Most Courageous Player Award: (2009, 2012, 2013, 2014)
• 3× Carji Greeves Medal: (2010, 2013, 2014)
• Geelong captain: (2012–)
• AFLPA best captain award: (2013)
• Herald Sun Player of the Year: (2014)
• Ron Evans Medal: (2007)
• AFLPA best first year player award: (2007)
• AFLCA best young player award: (2008)
• Pre-season premiership player: (2009)
• Michael Tuck Medal: (2009)
• Australian IRS captain: (2014)

Congratulations to Joel, and these sad flogs better not repeat Boris and let him (and Gary) down next week.

2007 Rising Star too if we want to get technical.

 

[cats_09]

Fantastic achievement by the captain

Pretty sure there would have been a few who would have questioned if Selwood's body would hold up to the rigors of 300 games considering his style of play - always putting his head over the ball and doesn't take a backward step

Thoroughly deserving of reaching the 300 game milestone

 

[Chinacats]

Great player. He plays like we imagine we would play for the cats. All heart and passion. Congrats champ!

 

[dazbroncos]

Gun - has played the game as it should be played, Lead from the front and not ever asked another to do something he has not already done himself. Puts his body on the line every week, week in week out, head over it and never backs down.
Loves the club, loves the game and loves his teammates.

The greatness of him probably wont be noticed until he's gone and it takes 2 blokes to cover his absence.

A truely generational player.

Congrat skip.

GO Catters

 

[someday-somehow]

Gun - has played the game as it should be played, Lead from the front and not ever asked another to do something he has not already done himself. Puts his body on the line every week, week in week out, head over it and never backs down.
Loves the club, loves the game and loves his teammates.

The greatness of him probably wont be noticed until he's gone and it takes 2 blokes to cover his absence.

A truely generational player.

Congrat skip.

GO Catters

Beautifully put, I can't argue with any of that.

 

[Overhang]

IMO he's the greatest ever player to put on the hoops and play for this club, was a gun from the get go.
I never thought he would get to 300 given how much is body has taken from him putting his head over the ball week in week out and given how much he carried this team on his shoulders during the 14-15 when we collectively lost Chappy, SJ, J Kelly, Corey, he was battered week in and week out during those years before Danger arrived.
It's difficult to find one club champions in this day and age but he really is, if I recall didn't he sign a contract early in the 2010 season at under market value despite big offers from GC to help us try and keep Gaz and the team together.

 

[cats_09]

Who wants a Selwood bobblehead, complete with bandage

 

[winty]

Can remember a game against Freo on ANZAC Day early in his career where we were getting pumped (were down by about 7 goals midway through the 2nd term) when a 19yo Selwood decided to pull the team onto his young shoulders and went into beast mode. In 15 minutes, we had gone from 7 goals down to 2 points down at the main break, and ended up winning by a point.

Just a competitive beast who puts his body on the line week in, week out. Absolute gun.

 

[cats_09]

Stolen from Facebook - note that I take no responsibility is figures are incorrect:

Just heard this stat on the radio. When Selwood played his first game, Ablett was playing his 136th game. Selwood has hardly missed a game in his career if you think he is 50 games behind Ablett now

 

[thecatattack]

Inarguably one of the greatest players ever, not only in hoops but in the history of the sport.

Never seen someone so willing to sacrifice himself for the team, whether that's a good or a bad thing due to his head knocks.

 

[Cursed Cat]

trivial fact: it will also be the 250th game Selwood has played alongside Hawkins, and if Harry is reinstated 250 for he and Joel as teammates too...

Selwood has also played in the most finals for a Geelong player (30), needs only 2 more wins to draw level with Corey Enright as the most 'winningest' Geelong player ... and I wouldn't mind betting he's right up there for the winningest 300-gamer too, would love someone to confirm (can't find the relevant stat)

 

[Baudolino]

Which season do y'all think was Joel's best? One of the threepeat years? The 30-goal 2013 season? One of the 2016-17 seasons during peak Dangerwood when him and Danger would win game after game off their own backs? It's hard to choose!

 

[James1970]

Who wants a Selwood bobblehead, complete with bandage

Had no idea Errol Flynn played in the Hoops.

 

[cats_09]

Had no idea Errol Flynn played in the Hoops.

Glad I'm not the only one who questioned the likeness to Joel

 

[BotsMaster]

Imagine if we lost to the gold coast on his 300th. Shudders.

Happened with Enright's 300th. Don't see why it can't happen again.

 

[James1970]

Glad I'm not the only one who questioned the likeness to Joel

One needs to question the likeness? It's nothing like Joel at all - just some random head-piece with a bandage stuck on.

TBH, it looks more like Sammy Newman in his younger days.

Still, not as bad this...

 

[winty]

Stolen from Facebook - note that I take no responsibility is figures are incorrect:

Just heard this stat on the radio. When Selwood played his first game, Ablett was playing his 136th game. Selwood has hardly missed a game in his career if you think he is 50 games behind Ablett now

Not quite. According to this, Selwood's 1st game was Ablett's 101st.

AFL Tables - Western Bulldogs v Geelong - Sun, 1-Apr-2007 2:10 PM - Match Stats

afltables.com

 

[Cursed Cat]

Which season do y'all think was Joel's best? One of the threepeat years? The 30-goal 2013 season? One of the 2016-17 seasons during peak Dangerwood when him and Danger would win game after game off their own backs? It's hard to choose!

2013 he was AA captain, won a Carji and polled 27 Brownlow votes - kicked the 30 goals as you mentioned, too.

Personally I liked him circa 2008/9 the best, just played some epic Beast-Mode games - then again he has made a habit of playing epic games over his career.

If I had to choose I reckon 2009 was close to his best year; he played 25 games and nearly nudged 700 disposals, for sheer output that's hard to top (and a flag as reward).

Also, after a lazy-arse bit of investigating, I'm pretty sure that once Selwood hits the 300 game mark he will have the best winning % of any player to have played 300 games: %73 if we win (and still the best if we lose).

Gordon Coventry his closest rival by this metric; Michael Tuck one of the few others with a %70 a higher winning ratio of those who have played over 300 games.

He's a Legend.

 

[winty]

Good omen. We won in Selwood's 50th, 100th, 150th, 200th and 250th games. Hopefully his 300th goes the same way.

 

[Cursed Cat]

Good omen. We won in Selwood's 50th, 100th, 150th, 200th and 250th games. Hopefully his 300th goes the same way.

Brownlow votes in all those games bar 1, too - bit slack in the 50th, Joel ...

 

[foodles05]

He's my favourite player of all time ever since I dubbed him Boywonder in his first pre-season game. Incidentally Tommy Harley stole that off me when I told him and it become Joelboy's nickname I think.

The two things they highlight his true greatness for mine are.


1. His unbelievable ability to lift himself when the team needed it and get us over the line. He has an absurd ability to raise his game and put the team on his shoulders when the need it.

2. Secondly his ability to kick goals when it counts. He just never ever ever misses when it matters. He has gone back and calmly kicked so many massive goals in his career at moments when other champions crumble under the pressure.

We will never see anyone like Joel play for Geelong ever again. If someone had to win a contest in the centre for your life it would Joel every time ahead of every player that has ever played.

I love him. Congrats great man