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Joel Selwood

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Joel Selwood
File:Joel Selwood
Personal information
Original team(s) Bendigo Pioneers
Debut Round 1, 2007, Geelong vs. Bulldogs, at Docklands
Height / weight 182cm / 82 kg
Position(s) Midfielder
Playing career1
Geelong (2007-)
21 games, 7 goals
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 2007.
Career highlights

AFL

Geelong Football Club

  • GFC Best First Year Player Award 2007

TAC Cup

Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

Joel Selwood (born May 26, 1988 in Bendigo, Victoria) is an Australian Rules footballer who plays with Geelong in the AFL. His older twin brothers, Adam and Troy, both play AFL for West Coast and Brisbane respectively. Selwood has often been compared to former West Coast Eagle Chris Judd due to the impact he has had in his debut season, where he has received widespread recognition as the best first year player to have entered the league in a number of years.[2][3]

Selwood has already forged a reputation within the league as a tough-as-nails, fearless, physical midfielder, stunning many with his composure and consistency as a first-year player, prompting his Geelong coach Mark Thompson to label him the best youngster to have come under his tutelage during his time at the club.[1][4] Many have praised his natural leadership skills, touting him as a future captain of the Cats.[5]

Early life

Born in Bendigo, Victoria, to Bryce and Maree Selwood, Joel Selwood grew up in the country town of Bendigo alongside his twin older brothers, Adam and Troy, and younger sibling Scott.[6] Although born into a sports-gifted family - mother Maree was a top runner and tennis player, whilst elder twins Adam and Troy were both identified as talented footballers right from their junior days [7] - Selwood faced physical hurdles from a young age; forced to wear splints on his leg to help overcome a walking disability.[6] Nonetheless, the additional hurdle toward joining his brothers in sports only built Selwood's determination to achieve greater things.[6]

Unlike his brothers, Joel displayed gifts as an athlete from an early age, excelling as state hurdling champion from his under 10's days right through to the under 15's; in one year holding every running and jumping record the Bendigo Sports Centre had, bar the 100 metres sprint.[6] Growing up alongside his elder brothers, Joel found familiarity in playing alongside older, bigger children.[8] - by the time he was eight years old, he had played his first competitive game of football, against children four years his senior, and proceeded to boot three goals from a half forward flank.[6]

Selwood continued through the junior Bendigo ranks up till the elite U/18 TAC Cup level, where he made his debut for the Bendigo Pioneers as a 17 year old. There, Selwood held a scholarship within the prestigious AIS-AFL Academy, won mid-year State honours for Vic Country, end-of-year All-Australian honours, was named in the TAC Cup Team of the Year, and captained his elder teammates in the annual U/18 International Rules Series tour in Ireland.[9]

Career

A successful debut year

Selwood was drafted from Bendigo by the Geelong Football Club at pick 7 in the 2006 draft.[10] Although many talent evaluators viewed him as "the finest pure footballer in the draft"[11] and a potential top pick, concern surrounding his surgically cleaned-up knee, which had forced him to sit out most of his 2006 season with the Pioneers, pushed him back down prospective draft lists, where he fell to Geelong at pick 7.[11][12] As the equal-highest ever draft pick for the Cats, Selwood made his debut in the opening round of the 2007 AFL Premiership Season, and went on to miss only 4 games during the home and away period, picking up an AFL Rising Star Nomination for his 27 disposal effort against the Kangaroos in Round 5 along the way.[9]

As the season progressed, Selwood cemented his spot within the team and received several individual accolades. On September 5, 2007, Selwood was awarded the inaugural Ron Evans Medal as the winner of the AFL Rising Star Award, polling 44 out of a possible 45 votes to defeat Collingwood's Scott Pendlebury by 7 votes. Selwood earned maximum votes from all bar one of the judges, who nonetheless awarded him four out of a possible five.[13] Selwood was also nominated, and later awarded, the prestigious AFLPA Best First Year Player Award by his peers, becoming only the fourth player to complete a sweep of both the major awards for first-year players.[14]

Selwood's successful debut year continued when, on September 9, 2007, he impressed in his finals debut in front of nearly 80,000 fans against the Kangaroos at the MCG, amassing 22 disposals, 5 marks, 5 clearances, 6 inside 50's, 5 tackles, and 5 goal assists in Geelong's 106 point win over the Kangaroos.[15] A dream debut year was capped off on September 29, 2007, when Selwood won his first premiership medallion, helping the Cats record a 119 point win in the Grand Final against Port Adelaide and collecting 18 disposals, 5 marks, 4 clearances, 7 inside 50's, 4 tackles, and 4 goal assists along the way.[15] The youngest premiership player of all time at 19 years of age, Selwood became the first player to win the AFL Rising Star Award and play in a Premiership side within the same season, making him the most accomplished first year player in AFL History to date.[16]

AFL career statistics

Statistics are correct as of 29 September, 2007 (Grand Final)[15]
Season Team No. Games Disposals Kicks Handballs Marks Tackles Goals Behinds
2007 Geelong 14 21 19.3 10.3 9.0 5.2 4.5 0.3 0.4
Averages 19.3 10.3 9.0 5.2 4.5 0.3 0.4


Season Team No. Games Disposals Kicks Handballs Marks Tackles Goals Behinds
2007 Geelong 14 21 405 216 189 109 94 7 8
Totals 21 405 216 189 109 94 7 8

Personal life

Along with his parents and brothers, Joel is an ambassador for the Seeing Eye Dogs Association (SEDA) Organisation. Together with his ambassadorial role, Joel and his family sponsor pups, one named 'Selwood' in their family's honour, being trained as a Seeing Eye Dogs.

SEDA have claimed that the far-flung nature of the family around Australia, a result of the AFL draft which has seen Adam make his way west, Troy up north, and Joel remain south in Victoria, helps reflect their organisation's national spread.[17]

References

  1. ^ a b Gullan, S, "Rising Star award down to two", heraldsun.news.com.au, 14 July 2007, accessed 19 September 2007
  2. ^ Niall, J, "Joel Selwood follows Judd", realfooty.com.au, 13 August 2007, accessed 19 September 2007
  3. ^ Stafford, A, "Lethal praise for 'special Selwood'", realfooty.com.au, 14 August 2007, accessed 19 September 2007
  4. ^ Witham, J, "Selwood reminiscent of Bartel", gfc.com.au, 5 September 2007, accessed 19 September 2007
  5. ^ Sportal, "The sky is the limit for Selwood", sportal.com.au, 5 September 2007, accessed 19 September 2007
  6. ^ a b c d e Gleeson, M, "Hard Selwood", realfooty.com.au, 1 September 2007, accessed 19 September 2007
  7. ^ McClure, G, "Selwoods take it one son at a time", realfooty.com.au, 5 July 2005, accessed 4 October 2007
  8. ^ Auciello, M, "Joel breaks from his big brothers", The Geelong Advertiser, 19 January 2007, accessed 19 September 2007
  9. ^ a b Witham, J, "Joel Selwood wins NAB AFL Rising Star nomination", afl.com.au, 1 May 2007, accessed 19 September 2007
  10. ^ Walls, R, "The next generation of superstars", realfooty.com.au, 23 June 2007, accessed 3 October 2007
  11. ^ a b Gleeson, M, "Geelong captures a Selwood and calms a mother's heart", realfooty.com.au, 26 November 2007, accessed 19 September 2007
  12. ^ Niall, J, "Impressive Selwood tipped for Cats' opener", realfooty.com.au, 27 March 2007, accessed 19 September 2007
  13. ^ AFL BigPond Network, "Joel Selwood wins the NAB AFL Rising Star award", afl.com.au, 5 September 2007, accessed 19 September 2007
  14. ^ Herald Sun, "Ablett wins AFLPA MVP award", heraldsun.com.au, 29 September 2007, accessed 29 September 2007
  15. ^ a b c "Joel Selwood Statistics", footywire.com, accessed 19 September 2007
  16. ^ Willaims, R, "Selwood wanted premiership ride", foxsports.com.au, 1 October 2007, accessed 1 October 2007
  17. ^ AAP, "Brotherly love put aside at Geelong", The Age, 16 June 2007, accessed 19 September 2007

External link

Preceded by AFL Rising Star
2007 		Succeeded by
Incumbent
Preceded by AFLPA Best First Year Player Award
2007 		Succeeded by
Incumbent
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Joel_Selwood&oldid=162178937"