GEELONG captain Joel Selwood says he’s feeling fresh and motivated after locking in a contract to play on for a sixteenth season at AFL level in 2022.
A solid season on the training track to date played a large part in his decision to go around again.
“I feel good, I have had a good run at it – continuous training,” he says.
“I’ve been out there most sessions (this year), I can’t remember the last one really that I’ve missed.
“It’s really important to train and then make sure you can back it up on the weekend.
“I just have to make sure that continues now for this last part of the year. Then I go into next year.”
The Cats captain’s exemplary training attendance record in 2021 comes after a lockdown season where short breaks between games led to reduced training loads.
“Last year, if we’re talking about that, we basically didn’t train at all,” he says
“We basically just went out and played. It’s been a while since we’ve had this run at it.”
Despite the success he has brought to the club, Selwood doesn’t dictate terms when it comes to his playing or captaincy future.
He says he simply wants what’s best for the club, and his actions appear to back up that sentiment.
Media organisations reported last week that Selwood had made a ‘six-figure sacrifice’ to help Geelong land star spearhead Jeremy Cameron.
When it comes to the title of Geelong Football Club captain, Selwood says when the time is right he’ll be happy to see the next in line take their place.
“Most years, we just weigh up the captaincy through the pre-season period, whether it’s me or someone else, and we will look at it from there but, for now, it’s just about finishing the year well,” he says.
“We talk about what’s best for the footy club, always. Whether that’s next year or the years to come, we will just wait and see.
“We will do what’s best for the club. We have a number of guys that could do it. I have got no doubt in that. Whether it’s still helpful for them for me to do it and shoulder the load for a little bit, and they can just take over when needs be, I am happy to do that, too.”
The long-time Cats leader needs to captain just 11 more game to surpass Stephen Kernahan's 226-game record for the most games captained in AFL/VFL history.
As for 2023, Selwood isn’t getting too far ahead of himself.
“When you’re 30, plus a little bit of GST, it means you’re probably just looking at one-year deals which is absolutely fine with me,” he says.
“I’ll just go one at a time at the moment and I’ll just keep enjoying it, that’s the huge bonus of being here and loving what I do.”
