There’s many reasons why Patrick Dangerfield chose to bring his talents to Geelong.

The Cats hope the chance for the ultimate success is the overriding factor as to why the elite midfielder traded his Crows colours to don the blue and white hoops and the no.35 jumper

But amongst those premiership hopes, the allure of a long-awaited homecoming and all that goes with it, Patrick Dangerfield chose to play his football alongside a man who – in his own words – is “someone who is universally admired for the way he plays on-field.”

That man is his inspirational skipper Joel Selwood, and someone who could not only help Dangerfield take his game to the next level but also elevate his own game to new heights in tandem with one of the competition’s most devastating midfielders.

“Success for him is no fluke,” Dangerfield recently told afl.com.au of Selwood.

“It’s something he works incredibly hard at.”

"I am sure the younger players that come to our football club would look to Joel Selwood and see just how hard he works and understand that he hasn't just been lucky to be a part of one of the great sides. He has been a huge contributor because of the hard work he puts in."

It’s this work ethic that will almost certainly see Selwood defy the odds to line up on Easter Monday against reigning premiers Hawthorn in round one.

A lingering foot complaint has continued to hold back the three-time premiership star at various stages of the pre-season, but if Dangerfield is to be believed there was no doubt his new partner in crime would ever miss the first chance he had to lead a new-look Geelong side into 2016.

"What makes him the player that he is and the person that he is? It is the hard yards that he puts in when no-one is watching, when no-one sees, when it is not measured that makes him the player he is," Dangerfield said.