Port Adelaide champion Kane Cornes has ranked all the AFL captains from 1 through to 10.
Speaking on SEN’s The Captain’s Run, Cornes declared Geelong skipper Joel Captain the best leader in the game with Western Bulldogs star Marcus Bontempelli and Richmond triple premiership captain Trent Cotchin making up the top three.
“Some AFL players can absolutely carry their teams on their back,” Cornes said.
“I thought Geelong skipper Joel Selwood did exactly that in the AFL Grand Final rematch last Friday night to reaffirm that he is the league’s best and most inspirational leader.
“But by the end of the weekend a challenger emerged to Selwood’s claim to such a powerful image – and by the end of the season, Western Bulldogs skipper Marcus Bontempelli might just be on Selwood’s pedestal.
“There’s no shortage of statistics to measure a player’s influence on the ground. Selwood had 21 disposals against Richmond last Friday night – his game shouldn’t be measured by stats. Three of his efforts in the third quarter typified Selwood’s 318 AFL matches across 15 seasons.
“These courageous acts set a high standard to start Round 8, but Bontempelli met the challenge to deliver an encore by the end of the weekend in Sunday’s win over Carlton.
“He carried the Bulldogs on his back while they overcame a 27-point deficit to knock off Carlton.
“Selwood has a challenger to the status of the AFL’s best captain.
“It’s Bontempelli’s leadership and his influence in crucial moments of games that raises his name in the debate of the league’s best leaders with Selwood and Richmond triple premiership captain Trent Cotchin.”
See Cornes’ Top 10 below:
- Joel Selwood (Geelong)
- Marcus Bontempelli (Western Bulldogs)
- Trent Cotchin (Richmond)
- Max Gawn (Melbourne)
- Dane Rampe (Sydney)
- Tom Jonas (Port Adelaide)
- Dayne Zorko (Brisbane)
- Scot Pendlebury (Collingwood)
- Rory Sloane (Adelaide)
- Nat Fyfe (Fremantle)