It’s the end of an era! *sob*
Legendary veteran Matthew Pavlich has stepped down as captain of the Fremantle Dockers after a long nine years. It is actually the sixth-longest captaincy stint in AFL history! Pav has been an absolute hero for Fremantle and a great leader for the club and it is sad to see him step down in his last season.
In saying that, I think it will be quite refreshing to have someone new take on the role and hopefully guide the team through some more successful seasons in the future. So the big question now is: Who will get the call up??
Super star Nat Fyfe?
Cool, calm and collected David Mundy?
Big, friendly giant Aaron Sandilands?
Could there be a chance of two players getting appointed in a co-captaincy arrangement?
Ohh the possibilities!
Let’s take a look at a few of the front runners.
Nat Fyfe
Need I say more? I think we all already know what a legend Fyfe is. Brownlow medalist. Excellent speech giver. Played a game of footy with a broken leg. Flies helicopters. Can pull off any hair style… Including a top knot. He is almost too good to be true.
HOWEVER. He already has a lot going on, is he ready to take on another big role? I do feel that Fyfe is a born leader and he was included in the Dockers leadership group in 2015, he may just need a couple more years to gain a little bit more leadership experience.
David Mundy
Barra is one of the most consistently good, reliable players that I have had the pleasure of watching in the AFL. He is someone who I think the Dockers can always count on, on and off the field. I just love the way he plays the game. He oozes sportsmanship and just has a great presence about him. He is a vital part of the Dockers impressive midfield and was named in the All-Australian squad last year.
This will be Mundy’s 11th season playing for Fremantle Dockers after debuting in 2005 and he has played 233 games with the club so far in his career. He would be a very safe choice to take over the captaincy and has been in the clubs leadership group for many years.
Aaron Sandilands
Well he is the tallest player in the AFL. Soooo if I was going into battle I personally would be happy to follow him. And by ‘follow’ I of course mean ‘hide behind’… Sandilands has played 239 games for the Dockers and is a four-time All-Australian representative. He is also a dual Doig medal winner, one in 2009 and one in 2015.
He seems to have a great temperament and I think the team really looks up to him… Literally. He has come a long way with his football and 2015 has been one of his best years so it shows that he is still improving as a player. He was also named in the leadership group for the Dockers once again in 2015.
So they are my three favourites. All very worthy candidates in my opinion. There are a number of other players who could easily get a look-in as well, it will be a tough decision for the club!
Most people are thinking that Fyfe is a shoe-in for the job. Personally, I think there is a strong chance that Mundy will get the gig. He’s 30 years old now, he will have a few years of playing left and could captain the club until he retires, and then Fyfe can take the reigns.
I look forward to hearing the announcement!
Join the conversation on twitter and let us know who you think will be the Dockers new captain at @TweetPerth @EmmaLianaPayne
