https://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/ ... 1b117025ceMick Malthouse runs the rule over every AFL captain and says Marc Murphy has failed with Carlton
Mick Malthouse, Herald Sun
17 minutes ago
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Take a look at the current group of AFL captains and you’ll notice a stark contrast among them.
Not every great player will make a great captain, but when appointed captain, you are expected to play great.
Captain’s set the team standards and live by those standards. They are used as a reference for what direction the club is heading in.
It’s a tough gig.
Joel Selwood is a standout as Geelong captain. He is tough, unrelenting, and never asks his teammates to do what he’s not prepared to do himself.
He puts his body on the line and is vocal in giving direction on field.
It seems that Selwood is a natural leader. Some people are.
Like a young man I watched over the weekend. With similar traits to Selwood, I was very impressed with the leadership capabilities of North Melbourne’s Jack Ziebell.
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The image that shows Murphy walking off behind Cripps
He is as tough as nails, committed, vocal, and leads his team on the ground and off it.
This is a big one.
If you are prepared to walk down the race in front of your teammates before the game, then you must be prepared to lead them back off the ground afterwards, regardless of the outcome.
Or at the very least, have your arm around the strugglers offering support.
It’s a tip for Carlton captain Marc Murphy.
In recent weeks it’s been Patrick Cripps – touted as the next Blues skipper – who has walked the team off the ground.
Cripps has all the attributes of a natural leader. He is tough, proud, unrelenting, and plays his guts out every week.
The example he sets is one for his teammates to follow.
I have been in the fortunate position to appoint most of my captains at each club I’ve coached.
Joel Selwood is Mick’s standout captain in the AFL
Jimmy Edmond was the anointed leader at Footscray when I arrived and stayed in the position for a further two years before I moved fullback Rick Kennedy into the role.
It’s a tough position to captain from but we had a young team that needed experienced guidance.
Steve Malaxos led West Coast in my first season there, until I appointed a young, but highly credentialed John Worsfold who was my captain for eight years.
Collingwood had Nathan Buckley as its skipper, and he was a good leader.
But he needed to work on a few areas including his communication skills, which he did.
He was a fantastic leader for the next eight years.
Carlton was different. Chris Judd was in the twilight of his career and wanted to step away from the responsibilities of captain.
I had a choice of three to replace him.
Andrew Carazzo was the standout applicant, but unfortunately he was too often injured.
Trent Cotchin has grown to look far more comfortable in the skippers’ shoes, to the Tigers’ benefit.
A leader needs resilience so he can play alongside his teammates as often as possible.
Kade Simpson was also in the mix, but as a then 29-year-old who puts himself in a vulnerable position with the courageous way he plays each week, I wasn’t sure how much football he had left in him.
So I chose a young man who could grow into the position over the long term.
I knew that Marc Murphy would need a lot of assistance, but he wanted the job, and I thought we had time enough to work on it together.
Leadership can become a burden. At times you are ostracized, when you need to make decisions that can impact on friendships.
You are the focus of media and supporter attention.
And you have to keep your standards up, week in week out.
But captaincy doesn’t have to be a millstone around your neck.
And you don’t have to do it alone if you have the right support around you with capable deputies.
As coach you must also ease some of the burden because you need your captain to enjoy his leadership.
In Trent Cotchin’s early days as captain, every Richmond loss seemed to fall totally on his shoulders, and it weighed him down, effecting his form.
But he has grown through that period to look far more comfortable in the skippers’ shoes, to the Tigers’ benefit.
Mick is wondering if Travis Boak is currently feeling bogged down by the weight of responsibility.