Joel Selwood - Player Profile

Player Profile

He's the type of player I look at from afar and say, 'I'd love to be in the trenches with him'. I love how hard he is at the footy, how humble he is ... He can play inside or outside and can use the footy ... He's going to go down as one of the greats of the last 10 years. With (James) Hird, (Mark) Ricciuto, (Nathan) Buckley and those sort of guys ... (He's in the) same mould as (Michael) Voss

Selwood is primarily regarded as an inside midfielder, and is noted for his physical approach, his ability to find space on the ground, and for winning the ball. Leigh Matthews has complimented Selwood as "already the best wet-weather player in the game", a view shared by Nathan Buckley, who notes that Selwood "plays with a physicality and intensity that is the benchmark of the competition, consistently (finding) third and fourth efforts to win the contested ball". Two-time Most Courageous Player Award winner Jonathan Brown has also praised Selwood for his physical and courageous approach to winning the football, describing him as "one of the blokes (all players) within the AFL love watching". Selwood's teammates Joel Corey and Cameron Ling have also acknowledged his maturity. They regard him as one of the most physical players in the game.

Selwood has stated his career intention to "work really hard on the basics". Despite his admitting to being "not the fastest player, or most skillful", his hard running, tackling and one percent plays are important elements to his overall game. Because of his aggressive style-of-play, Selwood has gathered a reputation as a "head–over–the–ball specialist" and for consistently putting himself in positions to win free kicks. His ability to "buckle his knees, (get) down and pull his arm up so that the tackler's arm goes up above the neck" is reflected in his regular standing among league leaders for total free kicks received. As of 2009, Selwood also holds the AFL record for highest career average for frees received per game (2.28). Since his arrival at the club his leadership ability has often been praised, leading to predictions of a future post as club captain.

During his first three seasons at Geelong, Selwood's all-around ability to contribute as an attacking inside or outside midfielder has been highlighted by his regular ranking among the top five at the club for total disposals, clearances, first possessions, contested possessions, uncontested possessions, tackles, inside 50s, and score assists. As of 2009, Selwood holds the highest career average for disposals per game among currently active players (24.4) and the second-highest career average for handpasses per game (12.9). Buckley has complimented Selwood's all-around game, making note of his "(preparedness) to pressure the opposition in defence as ferociously as he attacks". Throughout his career, Selwood has carried an above–average disposal efficiency of 75%. Footballing experts have praised his decision-making ability when considering his overall productivity with the football.