Who’s your team’s best player?
There was a time when answering that question went a long way to picking an AFL captain, but those days are long gone.
The last four premiership cups have been raised by Jarrad McVeigh, Cameron Ling, Nick Maxwell and Tom Harley. None were their side’s best player – but each was its club’s best leader.
It takes a special type of person to lead a team – someone with a professional approach to work, a strong set of values, an ability to communicate with a range of people, and the capacity to inspire those around them.
In 2012, Essendon’s Jobe Watson was voted the AFL’s best captain by his peers. He encompassed all of the features mentioned above – and more – and has continued to stake his claim as one of the game’s great leaders again this season.
Watson is a chance to win the award again at this year’s 2013 Be the Influence AFL Players’ Awards on September 10, but is facing some stiff competition.
A comment made by Geelong skipper Joel Selwood highlights the reason picking the game’s best captain is no easy task.
Selwood was asked what he’s learned about leadership during his time as Cats’ captain, and responded, “I think it’s taught me just to be myself, more than anything.”
Collingwood skipper Nick Maxwell shares that belief.
“There are all different types of leadership, and I think it’s important to be yourself,” he says.
“Nobody’s put in a position of leadership by accident, so what you’ve done in the past has obviously shown people what you’re capable of” – Nick Maxwell
“Nobody’s put in a position of leadership by accident, so what you’ve done in the past has obviously shown people what you’re capable of.”
While the captains of each club share many similar traits, they are also faced with unique challenges, which they approach in their own way. For this reason, it’s hard to measure the influence of each captain, and decide who’s truly the game’s best.
Some young captains – the likes of Callan Ward, Phil Davis, Jack Grimes, Jack Trengove – have been required to ensure their playing groups stay positive and unified in a season that has been difficult for their clubs.
As Nick Maxwell suggests, “If you’re a team going through the process of rebuilding, you can’t be aiming for a premiership that year. You’ve got to be taking small steps and celebrating those goals as you go along.”
Maxwell stands at the other end of the spectrum – along with Luke Hodge, Matthew Pavlich and Joel Selwood – in this year demanding higher standards than ever before in an effort to edge closer to the 2013 premiership, having fallen short of the final prize last year.
Jonathon Brown, Nick Riewoldt and Matthew Boyd have seen plenty of September action in recent years but must now pass on their knowledge to lists that are rebuilding and have endured a tough season at the bottom end of the ladder.
Each of them falls into Joel Selwood’s bracket of people who “lead by example, do the simple things really well and are well respected in the workplace” – all traits required of a good leader, according to the Cats’ skipper.
Trent Cotchin, Travis Boak and Andrew Swallow are each aiming to build cultures that will see their clubs go from the fringe of the top eight to genuine flag contenders.
Kieren Jack and Marc Murphy are now leaders of their clubs, but are still learning from experienced former captains – and dual Brownlow medallists – Adam Goodes and Chris Judd, respectively.
Jack’s co-captain Jarrad McVeigh has been challenged to ensure his playing group doesn’t become complacent – having experienced premiership glory last September – while Nathan van Berlo and Darren Glass have led their sides gallantly in a year that simply hasn’t gone to plan for them.
And then there’s Ablett. The game’s best player is now also one of the AFL’s best captains, and has this season led his side in its transformation from the competition’s ‘new kids on the block’ to a team capable of taking it up to the competition’s best each week.
If this year’s Be the Influence AFL Players’ ‘Best Captain’ award were given based purely on influence on the football field, many would consider Ablett a shoe-in. But as Nick Maxwell says, “it can’t just be about tossing the coin and giving a speech before the game. It’s got to be about a holistic approach to AFL footy.”
Each captain gives more to their club than just two hours on match-day each weekend, and while only one player will be announced the year’s best captain, each captain has well and truly earned his nomination.
This year’s ‘Best Captain’ Award will be announced on September 10 at the 2013 Be the Influence AFL Players’ MVP Awards at Peninsula, Docklands.