Joel Selwood charges to the finish ..
There was no limping over the line for Geelong’s captain marvel, Joel Selwood, just the contrary, powering full-throttle throughout a victorious last Saturday in September, he helped push the Cats to an undeniable 2022 premiership.
Pilfering an overly indulgent in-house social media tag, they were just — “untameable” — sweeping the hapless Sydney Swans aside with the deft touch of a street-smart tomcat. The lid that had been shut tight for 16 odd weeks was firmly off.
SpeakingNick is a reader-supported venture. Free and paid versions are available. The best way to support me is by taking out a paid subscription.
As loyal subjects, we were all urged to recall this passage verbatim — “Too old, too slow, too good” — a little nauseating perhaps; yet, it rang true on many different fronts.
Joel Selwood is apt to give, not take. I believe, in this case, his thanks can be attributed two-fold.
Firstly: Coach Chris Scott and his staff, for their unwavering attention to his player-load-management; and secondly: the relentless pursuit of being the best version of himself. Self-gratitude does not come easy for the Bendigo native; however, this time around, Selwood should look squarely in the mirror.
The grand final was a game you couldn’t put down, contrary to all the detractors. I saw a captivating game of footy, which seemed to have everything; a topsy-turvy first quarter littered with nervous moments from both teams, eventually broken open by an unlikely source. The second quarter gave Sydney some claim to optimism then, with a faint heartbeat sounding, Geelong abruptly coerced them into a state of profound inevitability with a relentless intensity that was unmatched throughout the game.
Quarter three meandered along at a manageable clip - it was not the premiership quarter - this was long gone. The finale saw both sides abandoning defensive tendencies, swapping it for care-free self-nourishing play, albeit with Geelong continuing to hold sway. Sustenance was sought all over the ground, though the shining light had to be Joel Selwood’s goal — kicked in heavy traffic from the side of his right boot —which he would later give away — it was a fitting finish and one that brought widespread tears and joy, in equal measure.
Enjoying the read? If you feel like it, I’d love if you’d share this post with your friends!
It might have been the end of February, the cricket season was heading toward finals, and football wasn't far away. Crossing Kardinia Park en route to my regular Barwon river loop walk, my mind congested with cricket anomalies, as is the norm, I glanced across to see a Cats player lapping Anthony Costa oval. Yes, you guessed correctly, it was their captain, Joel Selwood.
A quick aside - why do footballers and cricketers always run ovals anti-clockwise?
Nevertheless, Selwood was running anti-clockwise, alone and with no fitness trainers in tow. His gait was unmistakable; traveling like a racehorse on top of the ground, he looked like he could spend the day there, and most of the night!
An hour later, I was traveling in the opposite direction, heading home, and yes, you guessed right again, it was no surprise to see Joel Selwood still lapping the oval at a pace unfathomable to mere mortals. My earlier exertion paled into insignificance.
Anthony Costa oval sits alongside Latrobe Terrace, the main thoroughfare of Geelong; trucks, buses, and cars continually move in both directions; it mattered little to Selwood. Prying eyes or not, he seemed immersed in his world, oblivious to the mundane existence of his admirers. He would repay them on the field, as he had done for the past 15 years.
Was the running part of his pre-season schedule? — who would know — it might well have been, then it is likely Selwood decided on some extra mayo. Irrespective, to these eyes, it was a defining image of an athlete committed to being the best version of himself, regardless of rank or age. Remember, this was February, not September. We will get to September later.
Ben Hogan, the golfer, once said, when looking for answers, "you need to dig them out of the dirt." Selwood also has an affiliation with dirt, being no stranger to the extraction process. He spent the majority of his career on the inside. Why would anyone deny him the accolades that will continue to come his way?
The burning question is: how can someone so hard on the outside be so soft on the inside?
Golfers transfix me, particularly the older generation. Ben Hogan would be at the top of that list, nicknamed, “The Hawk” — an elongated connection there — his steely determination was legendary and intimidatory at the same time. Yet, the small amount of film that exists on Hogan, paints a very different picture. It seemed he was a soft and gentle man, one who cared deeply about the game.
Joel Selwood is beloved by the Geelong faithful. Their legacy has been shaped by his very presence; the enduring spirit has never wavered. He, like Hogan, is a soft and gentle soul who seems to care deeply about everyone who crosses his path. Of this, there cannot be any dispute.
An example of this is the 1000+ hours of community work he has given up through Geelong, culminating in him receiving the Jim Stynes Award this year for his community service. Just one of many accolades that will come his way.
The original conclusion I reached when I started my column on Sunday was that Joel Selwood would play in 2023. Now the narrative sits in the past and present tense.
Joel Selwood will not play in 2022. And, realistically, what does he have left to prove to the man in the mirror?
I came to my original conclusion believing he wouldn’t be able to let go of a legacy he and others had built. I assumed he would ring every last drop from a well with no bottom. A fifth premiership, perhaps, and another year, watching the younger brigade grow and blossom, would be too much to resist.
If I had only one quote left — DRS had chewed up the rest — and it wasn’t confined to his coach, teammates, opponents or family, it would be this:
“In Selwood there is all of football: that unflagging industry; that undying spirit; that vaulting brow, often bloodied but never furrowed, beneath that unchanging Roman fringe, now surrounded in the field by all manner of exotic and eccentric haircuts (Gryan Miers? Cam Guthrie?)”
I am biased — I know — the author is arguably the preeminent cricket writer of the current era. He also a Geelong native, and a lover of the Cats.
Thank you — Gideon Haigh.
Thank you — Joel Selwood
As always, thank you for being here.
