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The best kept secrets of AFL captaincy

The Chosen Few 2 will air on Channel 7 at 9:45pm on Tuesday night.

Anxious. Isolated. Intimidated.

They’re not words commonly associated with AFL captains.

Pete Dickson’s latest documentary shines a light on the lives of modern AFL captains, and the responsibilities and challenges that come with one of the most demanding roles in football.

But The Chosen Few 2, a sequel of sorts to 2014’s in-depth look at the lives of AFL Coaches, also highlights the light-hearted moments that come when leading an AFL team.

While a montage of the captains’ most stirring pre-match addresses of 2015 is a highlight, the moments where inspiring speeches or snippets of advice to teammates don’t quite hit the mark are just as insightful.

The captains are confident, demanding, professional and driven. But like everyone, they experience doubts and stresses, and make mistakes.

AFL 2015 Portraits - AFL Captains

At an advanced screening of The Chosen Few 2 at AFL House last week, Dickson was asked what the main difference was between interviewing captains and coaches.

“The coaches were extremely honest last year,” Dickson said.

“It was great to see the captains open up just as much, and in some cases more than the coaches.”

Captains such as Luke Hodge, Nick Riewoldt, Bob Murphy, Andrew Swallow and Jobe Watson were mic’ed up during a range of matches, training sessions and leadership group meetings.

The end product is an intimate documentary that shows players in a unique light – something players such as Geelong’s Joel Selwood are proud to have been involved in.

“Working with Pete at stages this year was a good reminder of what we love about the game,” Selwood said.

“Pete has real care for the game and the roles individuals play in a big industry, as you will see in the documentary.”

“It’s a privilege to lead the footy club. At times we forget that, even as captains.”

The Chosen Few 2 features interviews and behind the scenes access with the following past and present AFL captains including their families:  Matthew Pavlich, Nick Riewoldt, Joel Selwood, Travis Boak, Tom Rockliff, Trent Cotchin, Bob Murphy, Taylor Walker, Jobe Watson, Callan Ward, Phil Davis, Marc Murphy, Scott Pendlebury, Luke Hodge, Nathan Jones, Andrew Swallow, Shannon Hurn, Jarrad McVeigh, Kieren Jack, Stephen Kernahan, Wayne Carey, Paul Kelly and Michael Voss.

The AFL produced documentary, The Chosen Few 2 will air on Channel 7 at 9:45pm on Tuesday night.