Opinion Rank the club captains

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Augustine

Premiership Player
Aug 28, 2013
3,239
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North Melbourne
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I would have put Swallow dead last a few years ago. How often did North roll over and die in 2013? His leadership skills have improved immensely, his game against Adelaide in Hobart this year reminded me of a Selwood or Hodge performance, dragging their team over the line. Murphy had similar leadership weaknesses but is also showing signs of improvement in my opinion. Griffen has to be one of the worst captains in VFL/AFL history!
 

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Barry_Badrinath

Brownlow Medallist
Aug 23, 2011
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Does anyone know where to find W/L records for each player as captain? You can piece them together for the years when they were officially captain but that doesn't take into account stand in games from earlier years.

Hodge: 63 wins, 14 losses, 81.8%
Jack: 35 wins, 13 losses, 1 draw, 71.4%
Selwood: 49 wins, 21 losses, 70.0%
McVeigh: 66 wins, 29 losses, 2 draws, 68.0%
Cotchin: 26 wins, 19 losses, 57.8%
Boak: 27 wins, 20 losses, 57.4%
Swallow: 33 wins, 25 losses, 56.9%
Pendlebury: 11 wins, 10 losses, 52.4%
Van Berlo: 34 wins, 32 losses, 51.5%
Riewoldt: 92 wins, 87 losses, 4 draws, 50.3%
Pavlich: 80 wins, 80 losses, 50%
Dangerfield: 11 wins, 11 losses, 50.0%
Sloane: 11 wins, 11 losses, 50.0%
Watson: 46 wins, 46 losses, 2 draws, 48.9%
Murphy: 19 wins, 24 losses, 44.2%
Adcock: 17 wins, 27 losses, 38.6%
Ablett: 23 wins, 53 losses, 30.2%
Griffen: 5 wins, 14 losses, 26.3%
Jones: 4 wins, 18 losses, 18.2%
Davis: 8 wins, 38 losses, 17.4%
Grimes: 9 wins, 45 losses, 16.7%
Ward: 8 wins, 53 losses, 13.1%

This list includes games from when they were officially captain of the club, but doesn't include games where they filled in for an injured captain.
 
Last edited:
Oct 6, 2013
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  1. Hodge
  2. Riewoldt (underrated captain)
  3. Selwood
  4. Ablett
  5. Boak(underrated captain)
  6. Pendulbury
  7. Pavlich
  8. Jack/McVeigh
  9. Watson (overrated captain)
  10. Cotchin(underrated captain)
  11. Glass
  12. Grimes/Jones
  13. Swallow
  14. Van Berlo
  15. Adcock
  16. Murphy
  17. Ward/Davis
  18. Griffen
 
Sep 8, 2014
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There are no other teams
  1. Selwood
  2. Ablett
  3. Riewoldt
  4. Pendlebury
  5. Watson
  6. Boak
  7. Hodge
  8. Pavlich
  9. Jack/McVeigh
  10. Swallow
  11. Glass
  12. Jones/Grimes
  13. Cotchin
  14. Murphy
  15. Griffen
  16. Adcock
  17. Van Berlo
  18. Ward/Davis
Good thing the players never took any notice of you when they voted Hodge as the best captain.

I assume you also ignored Selwoods appalling captaincy record in Finals.

1 win 5 losses.
 

Adam H

Norm Smith Medallist
Suspended
Aug 23, 2013
6,201
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Riewoldt being there to support Milne should have him on the top of everyones list. That is what keeps groups together.
 

Texy

Debutant
Jul 13, 2008
69
13
Gippsland
AFL Club
Collingwood
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1.Hodge
2.Riewoldt
3.McViegh/Jack
4.Pendlebury
5.Boak
6.Ablett
7.Pavlich
8.Murphy
9.Judd
10.Swallow
11.Ward/Davis
12.Jones/Grimes
13.Glass
14.Van Berlo
15. Adcock
16. Cotchin
17. Watson
18. Selwood
 
Jul 14, 2014
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So what's Cotchin done to see him ranked last (or bottom 3)? Is it because he kicked against the wind that one time?

Here's a list of captains that are worse:

Jack, McVeigh, Jones, Grimes, Ward, Davis. Can't handle the captaincy on your own boys?

Ryan Griffen. I don't think Dogs fans would even argue with this.

Jobe Watson. Undoubtably the worst captain in the league, possibly the worst captain ever. Showed absolutely no leadership when his players needed him most and ruined his club because of it.

Adcock, van Berlo and Swallow. What have these guys done to see them ranked ahead of Cotchin? Because it's certainly not their onfield exploits.

As compared to the Brave and Fearless Cotchin, Who folded faster then an umbrella against Port Adelaide in the Elimination Finals. When his team needed him most he wasn't there. They were screaming out for some direction and leadership. s**t captain. He'd be dead last on my list.
 

Barry_Badrinath

Brownlow Medallist
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As compared to the Brave and Fearless Cotchin, Who folded faster then an umbrella against Port Adelaide in the Elimination Finals. When his team needed him most he wasn't there. They were screaming out for some direction and leadership. s**t captain. He'd be dead last on my list.

1 bad final = worst captain in the league

He was fantastic in his other final.
 

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May 29, 2008
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Murphy Van Berlo Adcock Jack/McVeigh and Davis are comfortably worse captains than Cotchin.

The rest of you jumping on the bandwagon can't seem to discern from Big Footy opinion and fact.
 

Adam H

Norm Smith Medallist
Suspended
Aug 23, 2013
6,201
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St Kilda
Murphy Van Berlo Adcock Jack/McVeigh and Davis are comfortably worse captains than Cotchin.

The rest of you jumping on the bandwagon can't seem to discern from Big Footy opinion and fact.

How many games have you played under any of these blokes?
 

The Bomb

Norm Smith Medallist
Dec 17, 2010
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Boak is being way overrated in this thread, players like Pendles and Ablett way underrated, Pendles and Ablett carry their sides when the game is on the line, they kick winning goals, they always stand up and perform not only when needed, both are farking guns and I would love for either of them to captain my team.
 
Maxwell was a brilliant captain. s**t example.
Even though he wasn't the best player, he was a pretty good captain. But better than Pavlich and Riewoldt? Not quite. I did say "better captain" when referring to Maxwell, not a bad captain.
 

kade

Team Captain
Jan 16, 2008
324
264
tasmania
AFL Club
Hawthorn
Even though he wasn't the best player, he was a pretty good captain. But better than Pavlich and Riewoldt? Not quite. I did say "better captain" when referring to Maxwell, not a bad captain.
Its quite clear that Maxwell oozes leadership. He was a better captain than Riewoldt and Pav
 

dinger

Club Legend
Oct 18, 2013
2,093
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AFL Club
Port Adelaide
Boak is being way overrated in this thread, players like Pendles and Ablett way underrated, Pendles and Ablett carry their sides when the game is on the line, they kick winning goals, they always stand up and perform not only when needed, both are farking guns and I would love for either of them to captain my team.

Implying Boak can't? Boak grabbed a bad 2012 team and helped lead us to the club we are today. He's hit AA in his 2 years as captain and chose to stay on despite Geelong dangling offers in front of him at the end of 2012 - without being offered captaincy or there being any success in the team currently. He's demonstrated his resilience via sticking with us during the s**t times and is now an incredibly good quality player overall.
 

Robbo92

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Sep 28, 2008
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I'm always baffled by the amount of absolute s**t people talk sometimes.
Fair enough have your opinion on who you think is a good captain or not, but to say things with absolute certainty as if it's a known fact is pretty laughable. The only people who can tell you who is a good captain or not are the people that play under them. I don't mind people having a say on who they think is good or bad, but don't pass it off as fact, because it's not.
 

Robbo92

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For what it's worth I think Cotch is an outstanding captain. I think our turnaround this year was driven by him and I'm pretty sure that a few players actually said that, he stepped up to his role and really developed as a leader. Happy to be proven wrong but that's the impression I got this year.
 
Sep 17, 2004
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AFL Club
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  1. Selwood
  2. Ablett
  3. Riewoldt
  4. Pendlebury
  5. Watson
  6. Boak
  7. Hodge
  8. Pavlich
  9. Jack/McVeigh
  10. Swallow
  11. Glass
  12. Jones/Grimes
  13. Cotchin
  14. Murphy
  15. Griffen
  16. Adcock
  17. Van Berlo
  18. Ward/Davis

Luke Hodge is a 'middle of the road' captain

That is, the only dual premiership captain left in the competition who so happens to be one of three players to have won dual Norm Smith Medals and one of four captains to win a Norm Smith Medal...the only captain to hold the distinction of both

Meanwhile the captain that has led his side to a 1-5 record in finals is the #1 captain in the league?

Righto :rolleyes:
 

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