Captain (Australian rules football)

Last updated April 01, 2024

A captain of an Australian rules football team, sometimes known as a skipper, is a player who, during the course of a match and off the field, has several additional roles and responsibilities over and above those of a regular player.

Captain's responsibilities

The toss

Before the start of a match, a coin toss between the captains is used to determine which end of the ground each team will kick to. The away captain calls the coin toss, and the winning captain makes the choice of scoring end (direction). The decision usually depends on the weather conditions and the weather forecast—particularly the direction and strength of the wind, which can give a significant advantage to a team. The wind can be such a strong advantage that Legendary AFL coach Kevin Sheedy (who was known for his cunning), coaching for Essendon, was alleged to have orchestrated the tying down of the windsock at the aptly named Windy Hill on a particularly blustery day; their opponents, bemused by the tied-down windsock, chose to kick against the wind.^[1]

Addressing the players

Before the game and during the quarter- and half-time breaks, a captain will be asked by the coach to address the players in a huddle after the coach address. Whereas the coach address typically discusses strategy and field positions, the captain's address is usually purely motivational.

Umpires

The captain is the only player on the ground who is allowed to address an umpire to question or discuss a decision. Any other player who does so can be penalised or reported. However, a captain may also be penalised or reported if they become abusive.

The umpires will typically visit the rooms of each team before a game and introduce themselves to the captain and advise the captains on any rule interpretations that they will be strict on and what they will and won't tolerate on the field, although this depends on the level of the league (among other factors).

Media

The captain will often take a public role in media relations on behalf of the team. At AFL level, captains receive media training to extend their professionalism off the field.

Team selection

Although not always, the captain may be asked to participate on the selection committee to determine which players do or do not make the squad.

Representative for the playing group

The captain and the leadership group represents the playing group. If a player does something to the detriment of the playing group (such as inappropriate behaviour like taking drugs), then the captain will often act in the interests of the playing group and request that the club or league take appropriate action.

Head count

The captain of the team may request the game to be stopped for a head count, to determine whether or not the opposition team is fielding too many players. Head counts are exceedingly rare. As of August 2022, the last head count at AFL level was by West Coast captain Guy McKenna against St Kilda in Round 22, 1999; the call was unsuccessful.^[2]^[3]

Grand Final

It is tradition after a grand final that the winning captain and coach hold up the premiership cup before it is handed to the players. Both the winning and losing captains are expected to make a speech, including paying respect to the opposition team.

Australian Football League premiership captains

See: List of Australian Football League premiership captains and coaches

Related Research Articles

The Essendon Football Club, nicknamed the Bombers, is a professional Australian rules football club. The club plays in the Australian Football League (AFL), the game's premier competition. The club was formed by the McCracken family in their Ascot Vale home "Alisa", and while the exact date is unknown, it is generally accepted to have been in 1872. The club's first recorded game took place on 7 June 1873 against a Carlton seconds team. From 1878 until 1896, the club played in the Victorian Football Association (VFA), then joined seven other clubs in October 1896 to form the breakaway Victorian Football League. Headquartered at the Essendon Recreation Ground, known as Windy Hill, from 1922 to 2013, the club moved to The Hangar in Tullamarine in late 2013 on land owned by the Melbourne Airport corporation. The club shares its home games between Docklands Stadium and the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Zach Merrett is the current club captain.

Leigh Raymond Matthews is a former Australian rules footballer and coach. He played for Hawthorn in the Victorian Football League (VFL) and coached Collingwood and the Brisbane Lions in the VFL and renamed Australian Football League (AFL).

Kevin John Sheedy AO is a former Australian rules football coach and player in the Australian Football League. He played and coached in a combined total of 929 games over 47 years from 1967 until 2013, which is a VFL/AFL record. Sheedy was inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame in 2008 and on 29 May 2018 was elevated to legend status.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toss (cricket)</span> Coin flip to determine which team bats first

In cricket, the toss is the flipping of a coin to determine which captain will have the right to choose whether their team will bat or field at the start of the match.

The 1901 VFL season was the fifth season of the Victorian Football League (VFL), the highest level senior Australian rules football competition in Victoria. The season featured eight clubs, ran from 4 May until 7 September, and comprised a 17-game home-and-away season followed by a finals series featuring the top four clubs.

In the Australian Football League (AFL), previously the Victorian Football League (VFL), the pre-season competition, known during its history by a variety of sponsored names and most recently as the NAB Cup, was an annual Australian rules football tournament held amongst clubs prior to the premiership season between 1988 and 2013. The pre-season competition culminated annually in a grand final and pre-season premier.

The 1972 VFL season was the 76th season of the Victorian Football League (VFL), the highest level senior Australian rules football competition in Victoria. The season featured twelve clubs, ran from 1 April until 7 October, and comprised a 22-game home-and-away season followed by a finals series featuring the top five clubs – an increase from the four clubs which had contested the finals in previous years.

John Raymond Jones was an Australian rules footballer in the Victorian Football League (VFL), who played for the Essendon Football Club.

The 2000 AFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Essendon Football Club and the Melbourne Football Club, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne on 2 September 2000 rather than in its usual last Saturday of September date to avoid conflicting with the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney. It was the 104th annual grand final of the Australian Football League, staged to determine the premiers for the 2000 AFL season. The match, attended by 96,249 spectators, was won by Essendon by a margin of 60 points, marking that club's 16th premiership and thereby equalling the record for the most VFL/AFL premierships.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1990 SANFL Grand Final</span>

The 1990 SANFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Port Adelaide Football Club and the Glenelg Football Club, held at Football Park on Sunday 7 October 1990. It was the 89th annual Grand Final of the South Australian National Football League, staged to determine the premiers of the 1990 SANFL season. The match, attended by 50,589 spectators, was won by Port Adelaide by a margin of 15 points, marking that club's thirtieth premiership victory.

The 1987 VFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Carlton Football Club and Hawthorn Football Club, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne on 26 September 1987. It was the 91st annual Grand Final of the Victorian Football League, staged to determine the premiers for the 1987 VFL season. The match, attended by 92,754 spectators, was won by Carlton by a margin of 33 points, marking that club's 15th premiership victory.

The 1976 VFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Hawthorn Football Club and North Melbourne Football Club at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on 25 September 1976. It was the 79th annual Grand Final of the Victorian Football League, staged to determine the premiers for the 1976 VFL season. The match, attended by 110,143 spectators, was won by Hawthorn by a margin of 30 points, marking that club's third premiership victory.

This list is an alphabetical glossary of Australian rules football terms, jargon and slang. While some of these entries are shared with other sports, Australian rules football has developed a unique and rich terminology.

The 1975 VFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the North Melbourne Football Club and the Hawthorn Football Club, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne on 27 September 1975. It was the 78th annual Grand Final of the Victorian Football League, staged to determine the premiers for the 1975 VFL season. The match, attended 110,551 spectators, was won by North Melbourne by a margin of 55 points, marking that club's first premiership victory. In doing so, they became the last of the 12 VFL teams to win a flag, 50 years after their debut season. The last time North had won a flag prior to that was back in 1918 when they were part of the Victorian Football Association.

The 1931 VFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Geelong Football Club and Richmond Football Club, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne on 10 October 1931. It was the 33rd annual Grand Final of the Victorian Football League, staged to determine the premiers for the 1931 VFL season. The match, attended by 60,712 spectators, was won by Geelong by a margin of 20 points, making it the club's second VFL premiership victory. The triumph has become legendary because it was the first, and only, season that Geelong was coached by Charlie Clymo.

There are various individual skills and team tactics that are required to play Australian rules football effectively. These are dictated by tradition and the sport's laws.

The 1907 VFL grand final, originally known as the 1907 VFL final, was an Australian rules football game contested between the Carlton Football Club and South Melbourne Football Club, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne on 21 September 1907. It was the 10th Grand Final of the Victorian Football League, and determined the premiers for the 1907 VFL season.

The 2011 AFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Collingwood Football Club and the Geelong Football Club, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on 1 October 2011. It was the 116th annual grand final of the Australian Football League, staged to determine the premiers for the 2011 AFL season. The match, attended by 99,537 spectators, was won by Geelong by a margin of 38 points, marking the club's ninth VFL/AFL premiership victory. Geelong's Jimmy Bartel was awarded the Norm Smith Medal as the best player on the ground.

The 2013 AFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between Hawthorn Football Club and Fremantle Football Club at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on 28 September 2013. It was the 118th annual grand final of the Australian Football League, staged to determine the premiers for the 2013 AFL season. The match, attended by 100,007 spectators, was won by Hawthorn by a margin of 15 points, marking the club's eleventh VFL/AFL premiership victory. Hawthorn's Brian Lake was awarded the Norm Smith Medal as the best player on the ground.

The 2016 AFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between Sydney and the Western Bulldogs at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on 1 October 2016. It was the 121st annual Grand Final of the Australian Football League, staged to determine the premiers of the 2016 AFL season. The match, attended by 99,981 spectators, was won by the Bulldogs by a margin of 22 points, marking the club's second VFL/AFL premiership victory and first since 1954. It was the first time in VFL/AFL history that a team won the premiership from seventh place on the ladder. Jason Johannisen of the Bulldogs was awarded the Norm Smith Medal as the best player on the ground.

References

↑ "The Windy Hill windsock". essendonfc.com.au. Retrieved 21 August 2022.
↑ "1999 Review". 1999. Archived from the original on 27 September 2011. Retrieved 10 September 2011.
↑ "Bluey explains bizarre 'headcount' incident". The West Australian. 18 September 2020. Retrieved 25 September 2021.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[1] "The Windy Hill windsock". essendonfc.com.au. Retrieved 21 August 2022.

[2] "1999 Review". 1999. Archived from the original on 27 September 2011. Retrieved 10 September 2011.

[3] "Bluey explains bizarre 'headcount' incident". The West Australian. 18 September 2020. Retrieved 25 September 2021.

[1]

[2]

[3]