As part of last week’s season LEADERS OF 2011: From left – Chris Newman (Richmond), Brad Green (Melbourne), launch, the AFL got the captains Adam Goodes (Sydney Swans), Gary Ablett (Gold Coast), Darren Glass (West Coast), Luke Hodge (Hawthorn), Nick Riewoldt (St Kilda), Cameron Ling (Geelong), together for a series of marketing Matthew Pavlich (Fremantle), Nick Maxwell (Collingwood), Jonathan Brown There’s nothing and promotional activities. (Brisbane Lions), Matthew Boyd (Western Bulldogs), Nathan van Berlo (Adelaide), In between the briefings and Jobe Watson (Essendon), Chris Judd (Carlton), Brent Harvey (North Melbourne) written down the photo shoots, there was and Domenic Cassisi (Port Adelaide). about how time for the 17 captains to share lunch and have a chat about to captain an the new season. I’m not going to let that affect Carlton in the club’s first AFL AFL club The gathering also allowed me too much,” he said. match, it will be his first game of the veterans of the caper to share “I’m going to lead in the any description for the year. GARY ABLEtt a word of advice with the rookie way I think helps these boys Often lost when discussing skippers – there are six in 2011 – and the club and that’s all that captains is that they are players, on how to go about it. matters to me.” too. Hand-in-hand with their any of the chips that came One thing the new captains Ablett has done a bit of duties as captain and part of a with his meal, neither did agreed with is that there is no reading but reckons he learned leadership group is their core any of those with him. A new breed of captain is ike just about premiership cup at the MCG in are the best players in their manual on how to be an AFL more from watching former responsibility as footballers and everything else in the minutes after the Grand Final. team. Jonathan Brown at the Within a few weeks, Judd captain. Nobody handed them Geelong captain Tom Harley the weekly regimen around emerging at AFL clubs – not P H was formally appointed a dusty manual from the club than from anything in a book. preparing to play. football, the role Ron Barassi, Darrel Baldock, Brisbane Lions is one. Chris OTO: necessarily the best player of the captain has Alex Jesaulenko, Royce Hart, Judd is another. captain of the Blues. archives that explains what “You learn from getting “You have to look after M I Like Judd, Gary Ablett wasn’t in the team, but the one best evolved enormously. Leigh Matthews, Stephen Judd was Carlton’s unofficial chael needs to be done. out there and experiencing it. yourself,” said Brown, whose last equipped to lead and inspire. For a long time, Kernahan, Wayne Carey, captain from the day in late immediately named captain of There are lots of opinions on There’s nothing written down few seasons have been punctuated W Gold Coast on that momentous how the job should be done, about how to captain an AFL by prolonged absences from the I ASHLEY BROWNE captaincy was relatively simple. James Hird, Michael Voss – 2007 he signed the contract lls September afternoon when he but – as Ablett noted last week club which is something I’m not side because of injury. L O The team’s best player was the all icons of the game and all to cross over from West Coast N / swapped the blue and white skipper. He led the team out on premiership captains. and the story is told that not afl – not much else. sure the public understands,” “Your preparation and approach hoops for the blazing red and gold. match-days, tossed the coin and, But the model has changed. long after he joined the Blues, ph “People outside always have he said. to game-day is critical because, if since 1959, one lucky captain Not entirely, because in 2011 a group of players went out for OTO But was there ever any doubt it expectations about what you When Ablett leads the Suns on you can’t get that right, then you’re each season has hoisted the there are still captains who lunch. When Judd didn’t touch S would eventually happen? should be like as a captain but to the Gabba next week against not much good as a skipper.” team captains Darren Glass (West Coast) Brent Harvey (Nth Melbourne) AGE: 29 AGE: 32 GaMES: 196 GOALS: 8 GaMES: 301 GOALS: 344 Brad Green (Melbourne) AGE: 30 GaMES: 220 GOALS: 294 Brown said juggling playing and captaincy could be tough during form slumps and injury Nick Maxwell (Collingwood) Chris Judd (Carlton) lay-offs. “Sometimes you need AGE: 27 AGE: 27 to commit a bit more time GaMES: 140 GOALS: 26 GaMES: 198 GOALS: 179 for yourself and that’s very challenging.” New Adelaide skipper suited to inspire, to lead and to Nathan van Berlo has a firm play good football. Hawthorn’s Richie idea on how to manage the Luke Hodge (Hawthorn) dual responsibilities. Vandenberg was one of the AGE: 26 “When I look at the captaincy, first of this new breed of GaMES: 173 GOALS: 116 it’s about influence and the best leader. When he got the job at way to influence is to set the Hawthorn in 2005, there were example around the footy club Adelaide player featured in better players at the club, but with my preparation, the way I Mike Sheahan’s pre-season none ready to lead. train and the way I play. Top 50 list that appeared in the He proved to be an “It’s best to look after my own Herald Sun last week. outstanding choice until the backyard and set the example Van Berlo was awarded the time Sam Mitchell and then Luke with the way I go about my footy. captaincy at West Lakes, but Hodge were ready to take over. That’s leadership,” he said. there were several others just as Several clubs have adopted Van Berlo used the word suited to the role. a similar philosophy with their “influence”, a buzzword among It is increasingly the way. choice of captains, including the the AFL captains. “It can mean The leadership group concept Western Bulldogs in 2011. many things but it’s about has been part of the AFL scene New Bulldogs skipper having influence on the people for the best part of the past Matthew Boyd, to be absolutely Nick Riewoldt (St Kilda) around you week in and week decade and has spawned a clear, is a better player at his club AGE: 28 out,” he said. new breed of AFL captain. than Vandenberg was at his. At GaMES: 197 GOALS: 437 The Crows are an even Not necessarily the best player the Bulldogs, Adam Cooney and unit. So much so that not one at the club, but the player best Ryan Griffen are probably the 30 AFL RecOrd visit aflrecord.com.au team captains Chris Newman (Richmond) AGE: 28 GaMES: 175 GOALS: 25 best two players, but Boyd is an accomplished midfielder who is tough and durable. Boyd’s time in the Bulldogs’ leadership group in the past few years gave him the belief he could lead formally if tapped on the shoulder. “I definitely have some Jonathan Brown (Brisbane) confidence about what I can bring to the table and the AGE: 29 attributes to be a good leader, GaMES: 200 GOALS: 476 but in saying that, I know there are things I’ll have to learn and I’ll be taking advice from people along the way.” Which goes back to the point Ablett made about advice. It’s footy, after all, so there will be no shortage of those offering advice – good and otherwise. Indeed, those who have walked in his shoes offer basic and homespun philosophies for the first-timers. Matthew Pavlich “Don’t change much,” said (Fremantle) Matthew Pavlich, who enters AGE: 29 his fifth season as captain of Nathan van Berlo (Adelaide) GaMES: 236 Fremantle. “It’s only a title GOALS: 468 AGE: 24 GaMES: 116 GOALS: 31 Jobe Watson (Essendon) Gary Ablett (Gold Coast Suns) AGE: 26 AGE: 26 GaMES: 115 GOALS: 44 GaMES: 192 GOALS: 262 AFL RecOrd visit aflrecord.com.au 33 team captains and you’ve been given the person you are, so don’t go job because of how you go about changing now you’re captain. it in the first place.” All we expect of you is to keep It’s the same advice given doing what you’re doing.” to Hodge by Goodes isn’t Hawthorn sure why the coach Alastair co-captains Clarkson. “One model hasn’t thing ‘Clarko’ It’s only a title become more said was not to and you’ve been widespread change what through the I do on or off given the job AFL, but the field. I was knows it has Cameron Ling (Geelong) Matthew Boyd (W Bulldogs) given the job for because of how worked a a reason, so if I treat with the AGE: 30 AGE: 28 you go about it GaMES: 225 GOALS: 122 GaMES: 163 GOALS: 57 change the way MattHEW PAVliCH Swans. I do things, then “It works the other blokes at our won’t follow.” club when you share the And it’s the same philosophy responsibilities,” he said. that has worked at Sydney for “It’s not the captains many years. who are the complete faces Former coach Paul Roos was of our footy club, it’s the among the first to introduce leadership group and that’s co-captains to the AFL and it where a lot of clubs have gone.