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The Next Captain

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in Melbourne Demons

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10 minutes ago, DeeSpencer said:

The only time I’ve seen Petracca cry is when we won the minor premiership at Geelong, and it was tears for the fans and the club.

Lever gets impacted more by the heat of the game I think. That’s his flaw, if his sorts that he’ll go up another level. Not to say he’s not a great candidate but he’s not perfect.

Petracca’s been digging in and trying to win close games since very early in his career. His media work has improved leaps and bounds. If Gawn can go from class clown to premiership captain then Petracca can too. 

That's a fair point.

I think it will be Lever next. He just looks like he is (grooming himself) being prepared for the role.

He throws himself in front of the camera at every opportunity. It's actually a bit of a laugh watching him wait for a bloke to finish an interview before he "randomly" walks past next to the journo, glancing sideways waiting to be asked to have a chat.

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    Everyone throwing up other options don’t bother. 
     

    It’s Petracca and it’s obvious. Even before Saturday. 

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    I would prefer Tracc over Lever because of positioning and talent.

    While Neita was a great captain, one drawback he did have was that he was plonked at one end of the ground or the other. When things went down (ala 2000 GF), he was too far away to get right in amongst it. That might sound odd as the assault on Green was at CHF, but a midfield captain can get straight in there.

    Furthermore when the team needs a lift (ala Saturday), an explosive midfielder like Tracc is the bloke to do it. Lever is more a steady as she goes type whose example as a player is consistency throughout the match. While Tracc isn't a burst player by any stretch, he can put on 10 minutes of brilliance that can turn a match and inspire his teammates. 

    I wonder if we aren't selling Viney short here. Him being demoted to vice captaincy by his teammates must have been hurtful, but he may well very well have grown as a leader in his time away. I always felt he was great in organizing formations at clearances and scaring seven shades of poo out of faux tough guys and snipers, but lacking in the emotional IQ department. Has a period away from the top job, and having observed Maxxy in the role, helped him develop these aspects of his game?

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    No way Petracca, just let him do his thing

    Rick Lever is 100% the guy 

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    I would have said no chance a couple of years back, but you can tell he has matured so much in that time. He has done a lot more media this year as well, and while he isn't as polished as some others, he has improved out of sight. So who knows, but he's definitely a chance.

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    Honestly, not sure we could go wrong with either of Rick or Trac, but happy to bask in the glow of the Gawn era for now.

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    3 hours ago, P-man said:

     

    Some schools of thought say the captain should simply be the best player. Pretty sure Lyon is of that view. In which case Trac would get the nod.

    Both would do fine in the media. I think Lever is more polished in that respect but the increase in Trac’s media appearances such as AFL360 shows the club is comfortable having him as its face

    The captain should certainly be someone who can lift the team when the chips are down, as well as an authoritative voice, both on.the field and in the rooms. They should also be inclusive of everyone in the group.

    You could mount a case for either Lever or Trac, but I think it will be one of those two.

    Geelong tried that about 30 years ago with Gary Ablett Sr. Disaster. I'm pretty sure he didn't even know the names of some of his team mates. And for a more recent example, I don't think Dustin Martin is captain material. 

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    Have you people played in footy teams before? When your best player is as emotionally invested as Petracca - you have your leader.

    You can avoid giving him the title but I don’t think his emotions are anything other than of benefit to his leadership.

    I get Lever, I was a Lever type captain - once the heart and soul is the best player - that person is the better option…

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    Lever.

    Trac is a superstar. Superstars don't need the burden of captaincy. 

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    Also Gawn has 5 years left the way Jackson is helping him out, and going by the fact that approximately 50% of ruckmen are semi-retired and overweight these days. So it's a long way away still. 

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    From what Gawn and Goody etc have said about Trac, he lives in the moment and needs to feed off others.  He has needed mentors and still does more than most.  Not captaincy material

    Lever is a stand out.  Viney also a born leader.  But Gawn has been amazing and will stay for at least 2 years

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