A brilliant defender, a selfless teammate and an incredible leader, there is not much more you can say to describe the career of Dan Capiron.
Geelong's VFL captain will reach another sensational milestone this weekend, set to play his 100th VFL game when the Cats take on the Northern Bullants at GMHBA Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
His VFL journey began in 2015 with the Frankston Dolphins, but the defender's career was left in limbo when the club went into voluntary administration near the end of 2016.
Not knowing where to turn next, it was an iconic Geelong name that reached out and offered Capiron the chance to write the next chapter of his story in the Hoops.
"Frankston folded at the end of 2016 and I didn't really know where to go with my footy, so it was a bit of an anxiety riddled time at that stage," Capiron told Cats Media.
"I didn't know where I wanted to go with my footy or with my life.
"I was fortunate enough to receive a call from Troy Selwood, saying there was a spot down here for me if I wanted to take it. I thought I would give it a go pre-Christmas and see where it went, probably planning on signing at a local club back home in Frankston.
"It didn't take me long to fall in love with the place, the first face I saw when I walked through the door was Vic Fuller. He made me feel at home straight away, albeit he was taking the mickey out of me being from Frankston so you could imagine the jokes coming my way there."
While Capiron's connection with Geelong grew stronger, it did not take long for his positive impact on those around him to become clearly evident for all to see.
Becoming a staple on the last line of defence for the Cats, Capiron's leadership skills also developed and prior to the 2024 VFL season, it was announced that he would become captain of the team for the first time.
The star defender spoke about the privilege of captaining the side, while also noting a number of key influences that helped him to grow along the journey.
"It doesn't sit so well with me in terms of the fact that when I started in the VFL, I had some great captains in the likes of Shane Hockey and Jason Pongracic when I was at Frankston who again, were unbelievable people and I am so grateful to have met," Capiron said.
"If I can play a role like Jason and Shane did for me, if I can share my experiences to help someone that might be going through something similar here then that is a role I am willing to play.
"Meeting guys like Shane O'Bree and Troy Selwood was awesome, they were so caring and nurturing and willing to put the time and effort into me.
"Then a guy called Nathan Tweddle came along after Troy finished up, 'Cheese' and 'Tweeds' were a constant in my life for a long period of time there. I am so grateful for them, they had that father figure type role for a lot of guys coming through.
"Since then, Aaron [Black] and H [Mark Corrigan] definitely filled that 'Cheese' and 'Tweeds' void for me, given they might be a bit more like older brothers to me.
"I wouldn't change any of it for the world."
Capiron will reach his 100th VFL game this weekend, when the Cats take on the Northern Bullants at GMHBA Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
