Former Cats skipper Selwood joins Storm

Retired Geelong skipper Joel Selwood is joining Melbourne Storm as a leadership coach ahead of the 2023 NRL season.

The four-time premiership-winning captain, who retired after September’s AFL grand final victory, will officially link with the Storm in January.

He will mentor Melbourne’s current and emerging leaders, while also supporting the club’s next skipper.

Christian Welch and Jesse Bromwich, who has joined NRL newcomers the Dolphins, were co-captains in 2022.

Selwood isn’t the first AFL skipper to take on the leadership role with the Storm, with former Collingwood captain Nick Maxwell filling the position for six years from 2015.

Melbourne assistant coach Stephen Kearney took over the duties for the past two years before his departure at the end of last season.

“I’m really excited to be joining Storm – I’ve been watching them and been in envy of what the club has been able to achieve for a long time,” 355-gamer Selwood said in a statement.

“When the opportunity come up, I saw it as a great chance to get involved in something a bit different in an environment that is so well run.

“I was impressed with the presentation Frank (Ponissi) and Craig (Bellamy) made and have already been welcomed at the club when I visited AAMI Park earlier this week.”

Football general manager Frank Ponissi said Selwood, through his time with Geelong, offered a lot to the Storm.

“We knew our two clubs had a lot of similarities, not just in sustained success but the values we each hold, and Joel has been a constant driver of those values for a long time,” Ponissi said.

“His leadership qualities and values off the field are just as impressive and have been very well documented over the years which was also very important to us in speaking to Joel about this role.”