Sports Star support for superstar Selwood

CHAMPION Geelong Cats player Joel Selwood has been named the Bendigo Sports Star of the month for July.

From running around as a nine-year-old for St Therese’s Maroon in the Bendigo Junior Football League, to playing for the Bendigo Pioneers and being named in the All-Australian team after the Under-18 National Championships in 2005, Selwood’s remarkable career got its start in Bendigo.

While a knee injury saw him managing just three games for the Pios in 2006, falling from a potential first pick to seventh in the AFL draft, however he was selected by his favoured club, Geelong.

Selwood was the third of his family to make the AFL, following brothers Adam and Troy, but the first to be drafted to the family’s home state.

Since then, he has gone on to win three premierships, six All-Australian nominations, and three team best-and-fairests.

One of the Geelong greats, he is the team’s games record holder with 352 games, averages just under 25 disposals per game and has the most tackles in AFL history.

He will equal Michael Tuck’s record for finals played if the Cats make the preliminary final.

Since 2012 he has captained Geelong and he has led his team to a finals series every year except one, however premiership glory has alluded Geelong during this time.

Minor premiers this year, the Cats will be firm favourites for the flag heading into the final’s series.

Selwood will lead the team out against Collingwood at the MCG on Saturday, 3 September for the first qualifying final.