Former AFL forward Daniel Menzel has ranked his top seven AFL captains of the 21st century.
Menzel, who played 80 AFL games across stints with both Geelong and Sydney in a career spanning a decade, ranked the leaders based on who he’d want to follow into the field.
“These are the top seven captains that you would love to play for,” he said on SEN’s Sportsday SA.
“These are guys you want to go out to battle with. I don’t necessarily know a lot of these guys in terms of how they lead inside the four walls because I wasn’t with them, so I’ve gone off the way they act on the field.”
Menzel played under Cameron Ling and Joel Selwood at the Cats, while the Swans were led by Josh Kennedy, Dane Rampe and Luke Parker in his time at the club.
See his thoughts below.
7. Tom Harley
“Tom Harley led Geelong to the 2007 premiership and the 2009 premiership, they were coming off a premiership drought since 1963, so it was a long time.
“They put him in there because they knew he was a cool head, a calm head and could get the best out of his team and I think he is a massive reason as to why Geelong has had sustained success for such a massive period of time.”
6. Mark Ricciuto
“He was the Adelaide captain between 2001-2007, he won the AFLPA’s best captain in 2005 and 2006. I think that holds a lot of weight, if your players and your peers vote you as the best captain it shows what they think about you.
5. Scott Pendlebury
“I’ve got Scott Pendlebury at 5. He captained Collingwood in 184 games, he captained them to a Grand Final, he was twice the AFLPA’s best captain… he is a silky footballer, he got it done.
“He’s one that if you ran out there beside him, you know what you’d get from him every single time.”
4. Trent Cotchin
“Trent Cotchin captained Richmond to nearly 200 games and in that time they won two thirds of those games, 130 of those 200 they won.
“More importantly, three premierships, and I think he changed the way he was as a leader.
“This was a massive reason as to why they had success and he led them to that success.”
3. Joel Selwood
“245 games as captain, the most games as captain, the most wins as captain. He only won the AFLPA’s best captain award once which is surprising, back in 2013.
“He captained Geelong to the one premiership, played in four but only captained one which is probably what held him back from giving him the number one or two title.”
2. Luke Hodge
“He’s a player you just wanted to play for. When the game was on the line, he won two Norm Smith Medals (in Grand Finals) he was a captain in.
“He captained them to four Grand Finals, three of them were premierships. Luke Hodge is as hard as they come, as much of a leader you want to play for out of anyone and I found it hard not to put him at no.1.
“But he’s only won the AFLPA’s best captain once, which is why I didn’t give him the number one spot.”
1. Michael Voss
“He captained Brisbane to the 2001, 2002, 2003 premierships and even in the 2004 Grand Final. He got awarded the AFLPA best captain four times… that just shows what his peers thought about him.
“His last 10 minutes of the 2002 Grand Final when he controlled the game, he took it from a 50/50 to getting the Lions the win, probably should have own the Norm Smith as well.
“That is the reason I gave him the best captain of the last 23 years.”