We're here with the new Captain and Vice Captain of the Geelong Football Club, Patrick Dangerfield and Tom Stewart. Patty how does it sound to hear those words?
PD: Surreal. It's a pretty proud moment and to do it with Tom, we've known each other for a long time now we talk football every day at the footy club and at home, it'll be special.
Tell us about how you found out, who told you?
PD: It was pretty rushed leading up to into that first practice game against Hawthorn. It was announced in front of the group and I was lost for words, really, so it was really special.
Stewie, Vic Captain, congratulations to you, we've now got a formal two man leadership group, how do you see your role changing, if at all?
TS: I don't think it'll change too much. My strength is going to be in supporting Pat as well as I possibly can. Obviously being in this role for the last five years has been something I've really treasured so to continuously grow in this capacity, it’s something that I'm really proud of. Obviously serving Joel in that role last year and now Pat, two icons of the game, and to be part of this formal two man leadership group is really special, but we understand it's going to take a lot of us to take this group forward.
Patty, can you give us an insight into how you and Tom will work together?
PD: To be honest, it probably won't be too dissimilar to last year and the year before, we talk footy on a daily basis, and it's certainly not just the two of us, we're really fortunate to have a really experienced group, so whilst it sits in the decals, it extends way beyond just the two of us, so we're fortunate to have a group of 10-15 who have had a really long AFL experience, and we'll draw on that. We're not perfect, and we'll make mistakes here and there, but that's part of the journey.
Stewie, I wanted to touch on that. We've got a broad group of players here who are proven leaders. Could you describe to us how that works on game day and throughout the week? How do you guys bounce off the others?
TS: As Pat touched on, we're really fortunate in that capacity that we have a multitude of players that have experienced so many things throughout their career, a mix of Blitz,(Mark Blicavs) Category B, his journey, Tom Atkins, VFL player, Tom Hawkins, one of the greats of the game, we can touch on so many different knowledge points throughout. It's a massive strength of ours, it's an advantage that we've got that at any given moment, or any given part of the week, or game day, we can touch on those points and really get the essence of the group and what it's feeling. We will utilise everyone to our advantage. As Pat said, we're still growing and developing, and we know we're not the finished product and we're fortunate that we've got so many people that we can utlislise to make our jobs easier and also to leave a good impression on the group and have a good knowledge of what we want to stand for moving forward.
Patty, you've been a leader in Adelaide, and you've been a leader around here, AFLPA as well, how would you describe your leadership style?
PD: Dictatorship (Laughter)
TS: It's Pat's world now, we're just living in it.
PD: No, very much collaborative. I think good leadership is about making sure everyone feels really valued, delegating, and to be frank, and it's not disrespecting the role, it's hugely important and we both understand the significance of it, it's just so broad for us. There could have been easily two other players sitting here and we're so fortunate to be in this position but we've got such a wealth of experience in that area, it's drawing on all of that experience that we've got. It's never going to be each meeting or each session, the last word will never always come from Tom or myself, it's far broader than that. I think that's a special place to be because it doesn't load one person up with too much responsibility in that sense and everyone will take their turn to contribute and drive the group and address things when they need to be addressed, whatever that may be, but yeah.. dictatorship. (Laughter)
I want to talk about leadership role models. Stewie, who have you looked up to you across your journey, and even before footy, who have you looked to, to learn how to be a leader?
TS It's probably something that came to me a bit later in my career. I was probably intrigued more than anything about what leadership entailed in AFL footy. I was always quite curious as to what the group were talking about and the things they were working towards. But in terms of role models, I didn't have to look very far, Joel (Selwood) was unbelievable for me on my journey and Pat has been brilliant as well. Both different characters, Joel obviously very to the point, and very astute in how he went about things, and I think Pat's leadership is fantastic as well. He's absolutely a competitive beast and brutal on the field but he has that caring nature and that humorous side as well, which is just as important. The joy that he brings to the game of football and the way he goes about it is something I truly respect. To find such a balance between being such a competitor and also just having that joy off the field, that's something that I've had to really learn in my time. My competitiveness is something that I'm really proud of but I can take it too far sometimes and be a bit too serious, can't I?
What's the best leadership advice you received, solicited or otherwise?
PD: There's been a lot through my time in footy, this is my 16th year. Simon Goodwin was my first captain at Adelaide and I learned a huge amount from Nathan Van Berlo who took over post Goody. He was a wonderful leader in his own right. He wasn't the best player in the team but he was one that everyone looked to, commanded respect, and when he spoke everyone listened. But I think the key is not to overspeak, not to overdo it, I think you've got to provide the platform for others to feel valued and feel like their voice counts, which it does, and then as Stewie said, we learn every day from the players we have around us. We've been super fortunate to have someone like Joel who, if you hung guernseys from the rafters, he's would be up there, so I've learned a huge amount from him. I continue to learn from our players every day, from Stewie, from Hawk, from Blitz, Cam Guthrie, and that makes every day fun. It promotes growth and learning every day. Every day is different, every day is enjoyable.
Pat, what do you like about this guy? We all know how competitive he is, there mustn’t be many that you'd prefer to run out with than Tom Stewart?
PD: No, or to train against. Or to keep the group accountable to being the best you can possibly be every session that you go out on the track and I think that's a wonderful trait to have. I think he's even more balanced since having kids, (TS: Definitely) and a bit more relaxed, but he's laser-sharp in his intensity to get the best out of himself and I think that's such an important thing to have as a leader that you're performing on the field, and he's the best defender in the comp and we're lucky to have him.
With Round 1 approaching, how do we maintain the rage considering the success we had last year?
TS: I think it's pretty easy to maintain that. We've been through so many different experiences as a group, been so close, having tasted the ultimate success, it does become addictive. We're very, very keen to do it again but we understand how difficult it is so I think we've got that right balance of knowing exactly what we want and how to get it but also having that thirst and that drive to continue to grow and develop. Last night (Thursday) was a prime example of that, we had some new players come in that want to be the best they can right now which drives us to be better again. Obviously, not everything is going to be perfect, it's not going to be the same as it was last year but that's the most enjoyable part, you have to figure things out on the run and determine our own future. I don't think there's going to be any want from the group to try any harder or anything like that. We know what we want, we know what we want to achieve, and it's going to take a hell of a lot of work but we're really excited for what's ahead. Collingwood, Round 1, Friday night at the 'G. It's why you play footy, it's exactly what we're built for, it's where you want to be and we can't wait.
