The appointment of Jordan Dawson as captain of the Adelaide Football Club was somewhat of a surprise when it was announced on the weekend.
The 25-year-old former Sydney Swan was sworn is as Crows skipper after just one year at the club and with only 86 games of AFL experience to his name.
Dawson, who has taken the reins from Rory Sloane, shed some light on his appointment and how it came about.
“With ‘Sloaney’ going down (last year) there was that opportunity for myself,” Dawson said on SEN’s Sportsday.
“Coming in I had those chats with ‘Nicksy’ (Matthew Nicks) and he was watching from afar when I was at Sydney with my on-field leadership. He could see that coming through.
“I’ve always played my best footy when I’m trying to lead the group as well on-field. From that aspect it wasn’t as much of a surprise.
“I think I’ve created good relationships, I think the club can see my passion for the club and for the boys. Probably what I didn’t really gather was the respect (that comes) with the players voting me in.
“You’re never really sure of where you sit and that was a real honour to hear from other players where they saw me as a leader.”
While admitting he can be perceived as an introverted character, Dawson says he is intent on guiding the Crows back into contention after some lean years.
“I’ll have to do a bit more media and whatnot. My character is quite introverted in terms of that side of things but internally, the players and the staff would say I’m an extremely caring and compassionate guy,” he added.
“I’ve said this a number of times, I want to win, and I’ll be driving our standards and what we stand for as a club.”
Adelaide’s only premiership captain, Mark Bickley, says the swift appointment of Dawson shows just how much of a positive influence he has had on his peers since arriving from the Swans.
“What I take out of that is how quickly he’s been able to make an impact on the group,” he said on SEN SA Breakfast.
“He’s only been there one year, he finished second in the best and fairest last year, and clearly he’s made a big impact on the group because now they’ve seen fit to endorse him.
“The player vote is one part of it. Then you’ve got the coaching staff who add to it and then they make a recommendation to the board, and of course it gets ratified.
“You need votes in all camps and clearly he’s got the respect of all the players, he’s got their votes, the coaches’ votes and it gets rubber-stamped. So, well done to Jordan Dawson.”
Bickley can only see Dawson’s output on the field improving now he has the captaincy in a similar vein to those who have come before him.
“If you look back on a number of the captains, Mark Ricciuto became a better player once he was captain,” he added.
“Simon Goodwin did the same. Nathan Van Berlo, they had a really good period when he was in charge.
“Taylor Walker, I thought, grew in stature. Rory Sloane a little bit the same. He was already a great player.
“So I think there’s some upside for Jordan in terms of playing and the way you see yourself and the timing of what you do on the field.
“There’s a really strong possibility that he’ll become a better player.”
Overall, the two-time flag skipper feels it is a positive and exciting appointment for a club on the rise.
“As an Adelaide supporter, I’m really excited about Jordan,” Bickley concluded.
“He comes from the Sydney culture, which is revered in AFL footy, so he does bring something that is a little bit different.
“I’m looking forward to it.”