EVEN when deciding his future in the game, retiring Geelong captain Joel Selwood’s selfless nature was to the fore.
Backed by his senior teammates to go around again in 2023, no one would have batted an eyelid if the 34-year-old warrior extended his career into a 17th.
But, despite the overwhelming support from fellow veteran duo Tom Hawkins and Mitch Duncan, deputies Tom Stewart and Patrick Dangerfield and CEO Steve Hocking, Selwood will pull up stumps on 355 games – the 18th most in VFL/AFL history.
“I could go at probably 85 per cent next year, and everyone would look after me,” he said. “But, I had to be all-in, and I just couldn’t do that.
“I’ve had such a fun year this year; amongst the playing group, amongst this football club.
“Home life’s been really good; I’m having a baby come February, which is really exciting.”
The decision was made before Geelong’s Round 23 clash with West Coast, with Selwood making his intentions known to Chris Scott the day before the game.
However, the longest-serving Cat didn’t want his call to be made public until after the club’s campaign concluded.
“The thing that continually struck me about Joel was his ability to care for others and prioritise others,” Scott said.
“When you take everything into consideration, he’s the best player I’ve ever seen and the best representative of the Geelong footy club that you could possibly imagine.
“Even when the opportunity came for him to take a bit of the limelight, his priority was to make sure that his decision didn’t negatively impact anyone else.
“He spoke really well … to the rest of the playing group around the need to keep (the decision) from everyone so they could prioritise the team performance going into a finals series.”
Selwood is unsure what his future holds and whether that will be in football.
“I had to make sure I finished the job here,” he said. “I’ll take some time now.
“My phone’s turned off, but my manager’s is on. He’s got a trade period, he tells me he’s busy, but I’m sure he’ll still take calls at different stages.
“I’m open to anything. I love working in team environments, whether that be footy or another sport.”
Twitter: @krockfootball
