Joel Selwood facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Joel Selwood |
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Selwood in 2019
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| Personal information | |||
| Full name | Joel Anthony Selwood | ||
| Date of birth | 26 May 1988 | ||
| Place of birth | Bendigo, Victoria, Australia | ||
| Original team | Sandhurst (BFL) Bendigo Pioneers (TAC Cup) |
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| Draft | No. 7, 2006 national draft | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Career highlights | |||
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Joel Anthony Selwood (born 26 May 1988) is a famous former Australian rules footballer. He played his entire career for the Geelong Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). Joel is known for being a four-time premiership player, which means his team won the AFL Grand Final four times. He was even captain for one of those wins!
Joel was also chosen for the All-Australian team six times, which is a special team made up of the best players in the league. He captained this team three times. He led the Geelong team as captain from 2012 to 2022, becoming the longest-serving captain in AFL history. He also won the Carji Greeves Medal three times, which is an award for Geelong's best and fairest player.
Joel Selwood was a very brave and consistent player throughout his career. He was known for his amazing leadership skills.
Contents
Early Life and Junior Football
Joel Selwood was born in Bendigo, Victoria. He grew up in a family that loved sports. His mother was a great runner and tennis player. His older twin brothers, Adam and Troy, were also talented footballers. When Joel was very young, he had to wear special leg braces to help him walk better.
Joel showed he was a natural athlete from a young age. He was a state champion in hurdling for many years. He often played football with older kids, which helped him get used to tougher games. At just eight years old, he played his first proper football game against kids four years older and kicked three goals.
Joel played junior football for the Sandhurst Football Club before joining the Bendigo Pioneers in the TAC Cup competition in 2005. Even though he was too young for the AFL draft that year, experts called him "the best 17-year-old in Australia." He won many awards, including Most Valuable Player for Victoria Country. He was also named in the TAC Cup Team of the Year and captained the Australian team in the under-18s International Rules Series in Ireland.
In 2006, Joel was captain of the Bendigo Pioneers. However, he had a serious knee injury that needed surgery, which ended his season early. This was his fourth knee operation in two years.
AFL Career Highlights
Starting Strong: 2007–2008
Joel was picked by the Geelong Football Club as the seventh overall player in the 2006 AFL Draft. Even with concerns about his knee, he was seen as a top talent. He made his AFL debut in 2007 and quickly impressed everyone.
People noticed how easily Joel fit into the AFL. Coaches and teammates praised his confidence and ability to make a big impact. In just his fourth game, he had 25 disposals (getting the ball) and nine tackles, earning him an AFL Rising Star Award nomination. Many compared him to star player Chris Judd because of his early success.
At the end of 2007, Joel won the Ron Evans Medal as the AFL Rising Star Award winner, getting almost all possible votes. He also won the AFLPA Best First-Year Player Award, voted by other players. He was one of only four players to win both major awards for new players.
Geelong finished first on the ladder and won the McClelland Trophy. Joel played in his first finals series and helped Geelong win the 2007 AFL Grand Final by a record 119 points against Port Adelaide. At 19, he was the youngest player in 10 years to be part of a winning Grand Final team. He was also the first player to win the Rising Star Award and a premiership in the same year.
Joel had an amazing first year, leading all new players in many stats like total possessions, tackles (a record for a first-year player), and tackles per game. He also finished in the top 20 for Geelong's best and fairest award.
In 2008, Joel continued to be a key player for Geelong. He helped the team win 21 games and secure the McClelland Trophy again. He was chosen to play for Victoria in an all-star game, becoming the youngest player to represent "The Big V" in over 12 years. He finished fifth in the Brownlow Medal voting, which is for the league's "best and fairest" player. Geelong reached the 2008 AFL Grand Final again but lost to Hawthorn. Joel's strong performance in the Grand Final earned him votes for the Norm Smith Medal.
Winning More Premierships: 2009–2011
Before the 2009 AFL season, Joel was chosen for Geelong's leadership group at just 20 years old. Geelong started the year by winning the pre-season NAB Cup. Joel was named the best player in the final, winning the Michael Tuck Medal. In Round 5, Joel played his 50th game and set a new AFL record for the highest winning percentage in 50 games, with 46 wins.
In a game against Hawthorn, Joel had an incredible 42 disposals, 10 marks, and 11 tackles, showing his huge impact on the game. Geelong reached the 2009 AFL Grand Final against St Kilda. At half-time, with Geelong behind, Joel gave a powerful speech that helped the team turn the game around. Geelong won by 12 points, giving Joel his second premiership.
Joel's great year was recognized when he became the youngest winner of the AFLPA Robert Rose Most Courageous Player Award. He also finished sixth in the 2009 Brownlow Medal and was named in the 2009 All-Australian team for the first time.
In 2010, Joel continued to shine. He signed a new contract with Geelong, showing his commitment to the club. He had a career-high 29 handpasses in one game and 20 contested possessions in another. Geelong reached the preliminary final but lost to Collingwood. Despite this, Joel won his first Carji Greeves Medal as Geelong's best and fairest player and was named in the 2010 All-Australian team for the second year in a row.
For the 2011 AFL season, Joel was promoted to vice-captain. He played his 100th game for Geelong, becoming one of the fastest players in AFL history to reach this milestone. His consistency was remarkable, playing in 100 out of 106 possible games since his debut. He was suspended for a few games during the season, which was his first suspension.
Geelong had a strong season and reached the 2011 AFL Grand Final against Collingwood. Joel had a fantastic game with 28 disposals, 7 tackles, and 2 goals, helping Geelong win by 38 points. This was Joel's third premiership in just five seasons! He was also runner-up for the Norm Smith Medal, awarded to the best player in the Grand Final.
Leading the Cats: 2012–2014
After the 2011 season, Joel was appointed captain of the Geelong Football Club, becoming the youngest captain in over a decade. He signed a long-term five-year contract, showing his dedication to leading the team.
In 2012, Geelong coach Chris Scott called Joel "probably the toughest player I've ever seen." Despite Joel's efforts, Geelong finished sixth and were knocked out of the finals in the first round. However, Joel's individual performance was excellent. He won the AFLPA Robert Rose Most Courageous Player Award for the second time and was runner-up for the AFLPA Best Captain Award. He also received life membership with the Geelong Football Club after only six seasons.
In 2013, Joel played his 150th game for Geelong, setting a club record for reaching this milestone the fastest. He also set an AFL record for the highest winning percentage among players with 150 games. Joel improved his goal-kicking, scoring 17 goals in the last 7 games of the season. Geelong reached the preliminary final but lost a close game to Hawthorn.
Joel's amazing performances in 2013 earned him many awards. He was named an All-Australian for the third time and was chosen as the captain of the All-Australian team. He won his first AFLPA Best Captain Award and his third Robert Rose Most Courageous Player Award. He was also runner-up for both the AFLPA Most Valuable Player Award and the 2013 Brownlow Medal, polling a career-best 27 votes. He won his second Carji Greeves Medal.
In 2014, Joel continued to lead Geelong. Even with a hamstring injury early in the season, he helped the team start strong. He was praised for his ability to make crucial plays, like kicking the winning goal against Carlton. Geelong reached the semi-finals but were eliminated.
Joel was named to his fourth All-Australian team and captained it for the second year in a row. He won his fourth Robert Rose Most Courageous Player Award. He also set a new club record for the most career Brownlow Medal votes by a Geelong player. He won his second consecutive Carji Greeves Medal, becoming one of only seven players in Geelong's history to win three or more.
During the off-season, Joel was appointed captain of the Australian national team for the 2014 International Rules Series against Ireland. He led Australia to victory, winning the Cormac McAnallen Trophy.
Later Career: 2015–2019
In 2015, Joel played his 200th game for Geelong, becoming the youngest player in the club's history to reach this milestone. He was also the fourth-fastest player in AFL history to play 200 games. Geelong missed the finals for the first time in Joel's career that year.
In 2016, star player Patrick Dangerfield joined Joel in the midfield, and Joel's younger brother Scott also joined the team. Geelong had a great season, finishing second on the ladder. They won their Qualifying Final against Hawthorn in a thrilling game. Joel was named to the All-Australian team for the fifth time and captained it for the third time. He had a career-best average of 28.3 disposals per game.
In 2017, Joel continued to play well, even though he missed some games due to a concussion and an ankle injury. Geelong reached the preliminary final but lost to Adelaide. Joel was named to the All-Australian team for the sixth time. He also rejoined the national team for the 2017 International Rules Series, where Australia won the Cormac McAnallen Cup again.
In 2018, Gary Ablett Jr, another star player, returned to Geelong, joining Joel and Dangerfield in the midfield. Joel played his 250th game in Round 1, becoming the third-quickest player in AFL history to reach this milestone. Geelong made the finals but were eliminated in the first week.
In 2019, Geelong finished as minor premiers (top of the ladder) for the third time in Joel's career. While Joel's individual stats showed some signs of decline, he still played important roles in big games. Geelong reached the preliminary final again but lost to Richmond. This was Geelong's third preliminary final loss in four years.
Grand Final Returns and Retirement: 2020–2022
In 2020, Joel played his 300th game, becoming only the fifth Geelong player to reach this milestone. Geelong won the game, continuing Joel's perfect record of winning all his milestone games (every 50 games). Geelong reached the 2020 AFL Grand Final but lost to Richmond.
In 2021, Joel played his 333rd game for Geelong, becoming the club's all-time games record holder, passing his former teammate Corey Enright. Geelong reached the preliminary final again but lost to Melbourne.
In 2022, Joel's 11th and final season as captain, Geelong had an incredibly strong year, winning 16 games in a row and finishing as minor premiers. Joel was a vital part of the team's success, even though he was rested sometimes due to being a senior player. He was awarded the Jim Stynes Community Leadership Award for his amazing work in the community. In Round 3, Joel broke Stephen Kernahan's record for the most games played as an AFL captain.
After many years of trying, Joel finally achieved his fourth premiership in the 2022 AFL Grand Final—his first as captain! This Grand Final was also his 40th final game, making him the player with the most finals ever played in AFL history. He played brilliantly in the Grand Final, helping Geelong win by 81 points against the Sydney Swans.
Less than a week after the Grand Final victory, Joel announced his retirement from AFL. He kept his decision a secret from most of the team to keep them focused on winning the premiership. He was the third Geelong captain in a row to retire after winning a premiership.
Player Style
Joel Selwood spent most of his career as an inside midfielder. He is considered one of the most consistent and well-rounded players in AFL history. He was known for being very physical and tough, always playing with high intensity. He also had a reputation as one of the bravest players, winning the Robert Rose Award for Most Courageous Player four times.
Joel was very good at winning the ball and earning free kicks. He had a special technique where he would lower his body and lift his arm, making it hard for opponents to tackle him legally. Other players and experts admired this skill, even if it sometimes annoyed critics.
Joel's leadership was always praised. He became captain of Geelong at just 23 and captained the Australian national team at 26. He inspired his teammates with his actions and his words. He was known for caring about his teammates and helping them become better people.
Even though Joel said he wasn't the fastest or most skillful player, his hard running, tackling, and "one-percent plays" (small efforts that help the team) were crucial to his game. He holds the record for the most tackles in VFL/AFL history. Experts also called him the "best wet-weather player in the game" because of his smart decision-making.
Life After Playing
After retiring from playing AFL in 2022, Joel Selwood took on a leadership coaching role with the Melbourne Storm rugby league team.
In 2023, Joel joined Network Seven's Talking Footy Finals to discuss the AFL finals.
At the end of 2023, it was announced that a new grandstand at Kardinia Park, Geelong's home ground, would be named after Joel Selwood. He also joined the AFL's football operations department for 2024.
Statistics
Updated to the end of the 2022 season.
| G | Goals | B | Behinds | K | Kicks | H | Handballs | D | Disposals | M | Marks | T | Tackles |
| Season | Team | No. | Games | Totals | Averages (per game) | Votes | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | B | K | H | D | M | T | G | B | K | H | D | M | T | |||||
| 2007# | Geelong | 14 | 21 | 7 | 8 | 215 | 189 | 404 | 109 | 95 | 0.3 | 0.4 | 10.2 | 9.0 | 19.2 | 5.2 | 4.5 | 2 |
| 2008 | Geelong | 14 | 24 | 6 | 9 | 283 | 324 | 607 | 102 | 78 | 0.3 | 0.4 | 11.8 | 13.5 | 25.3 | 4.3 | 3.3 | 19 |
| 2009# | Geelong | 14 | 25 | 11 | 10 | 301 | 386 | 687 | 111 | 118 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 12.0 | 15.4 | 27.5 | 4.4 | 4.7 | 16 |
| 2010 | Geelong | 14 | 24 | 9 | 10 | 289 | 388 | 677 | 112 | 126 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 12.0 | 16.2 | 28.2 | 4.7 | 5.3 | 21 |
| 2011# | Geelong | 14 | 20 | 15 | 12 | 296 | 222 | 518 | 82 | 125 | 0.8 | 0.6 | 14.8 | 11.1 | 25.9 | 4.1 | 6.3 | 17 |
| 2012 | Geelong | 14 | 21 | 13 | 12 | 293 | 246 | 539 | 74 | 118 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 14.0 | 11.7 | 25.7 | 3.5 | 5.6 | 14 |
| 2013 | Geelong | 14 | 25 | 30 | 16 | 307 | 308 | 615 | 102 | 140 | 1.2 | 0.6 | 12.3 | 12.3 | 24.6 | 4.1 | 5.6 | 27 |
| 2014 | Geelong | 14 | 24 | 24 | 16 | 311 | 303 | 614 | 109 | 144 | 1.0 | 0.7 | 13.0 | 12.6 | 25.6 | 4.5 | 6.0 | 21 |
| 2015 | Geelong | 14 | 20 | 14 | 8 | 237 | 254 | 491 | 61 | 124 | 0.7 | 0.4 | 11.8 | 12.7 | 24.6 | 3.0 | 6.2 | 13 |
| 2016 | Geelong | 14 | 24 | 9 | 12 | 341 | 338 | 679 | 83 | 139 | 0.4 | 0.5 | 14.2 | 14.1 | 28.3 | 3.5 | 5.8 | 18 |
| 2017 | Geelong | 14 | 21 | 7 | 4 | 247 | 289 | 536 | 67 | 107 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 11.8 | 13.8 | 25.5 | 3.2 | 5.1 | 13 |
| 2018 | Geelong | 14 | 23 | 7 | 13 | 298 | 323 | 621 | 94 | 124 | 0.3 | 0.6 | 13.0 | 14.0 | 27.0 | 4.1 | 5.4 | 14 |
| 2019 | Geelong | 14 | 23 | 6 | 6 | 275 | 214 | 489 | 79 | 94 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 12.0 | 9.3 | 21.3 | 3.4 | 4.1 | 3 |
| 2020 | Geelong | 14 | 15 | 4 | 4 | 138 | 120 | 258 | 37 | 63 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 9.2 | 8.0 | 17.2 | 2.5 | 4.2 | 3 |
| 2021 | Geelong | 14 | 24 | 6 | 4 | 278 | 274 | 552 | 77 | 113 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 11.6 | 11.4 | 23.0 | 3.2 | 4.7 | 9 |
| 2022# | Geelong | 14 | 21 | 7 | 3 | 238 | 221 | 459 | 67 | 91 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 11.3 | 10.5 | 21.9 | 3.2 | 4.3 | 4 |
| Career | 355 | 175 | 147 | 4347 | 4399 | 8746 | 1366 | 1799 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 12.2 | 12.4 | 24.6 | 3.8 | 5.1 | 214 | ||
Notes
Awards and Achievements
Team Awards
- 4× AFL Premiership (Geelong): 2007, 2009, 2011, 2022
- 4× McClelland Trophy (Geelong): 2007, 2008, 2019, 2022
- NAB Cup (Geelong): 2009
- 2× Cormac McAnallen Cup (Australia): 2014, 2017
Individual Awards
- 6× All-Australian: 2009, 2010, 2013 (Captain), 2014 (Captain), 2016 (Captain), 2017
- 3× Carji Greeves Medal: 2010, 2013, 2014
- AFLPA Best Captain Award: 2013
- 4× AFLPA Robert Rose Most Courageous Player Award: 2009, 2012, 2013, 2014
- Michael Tuck Medal: 2009
- AFLCA Best Young Player Award: 2008
- AFL Rising Star Award: 2007
- AFLPA Best First-Year Player Award: 2007
- 2× Peter Badcoe VC Medal: 2016, 2018
- Jim Stynes Community Leadership Award: 2022
- Captain of Australia in International Rules Series: 2014
- Captain of Geelong F.C.: 2012–2022
- Geelong F.C. Life Membership Inductee: 2012
Other Achievements
- Only player in VFL/AFL history to win the AFL Rising Star Award and a premiership in the same year: 2007
- Most games played as an AFL captain (245 games)
- Most finals played in VFL/AFL history (40 games)
- Most career Brownlow votes by a Geelong player (137 votes)
- Youngest player in Geelong history to play 200 senior games (27 years old)
Images for kids
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Selwood in 2019
