Brenton Sanderson has had his say on the vacant captaincy position at Geelong following the retirement of Joel Selwood, admitting that he thinks there are "seven or eight" players who could step into the role.
Selwood captained the club from 2012 until his retirement in 2022, becoming the league's longest-serving skipper at the conclusion of his 355-game career, leaving big shoes to fill for his successor.
Sanderson, a former Geelong assistant and player, appeared on SEN's Dwayne's World to have his say on who should replace Selwood as skipper at his old club, naming Mark Blicavs as his ideal candidate.
“It's really hard, there's some fantastic options, they're probably blessed with a lot of players who could do it,” Sanderson said.
“I just don't know which way they go, it's so hard to do it after Joel Selwood as well. He's been the spiritual leader down there as well as the captain for a really long time, but I think the foundations are set now, they've got really good support around that leadership group.
“It could be one of seven or eight players who I think would be deserving of the captaincy there. Whether they take age into consideration (is an important question).
“For me personally, I'd probably go Blicavs. Having watched him so closely and the way he plays the game, he's so loud out on the field with his directions. My money would be on him if I was going to bet on who was going to captain Geelong this year.”
Blicavs has played 227 matches across his career with the Cats, including 2022's premiership win. The 31-year-old was named in the All-Australian team last year in what was a career-best year, but didn't feature in Geelong's leadership group.
Two who did, Patrick Dangerfield and Tom Stewart, are both considered front runners to take the captaincy, with Sanderson saying that Dangerfield would be "fantastic" in the role.
“Danger would be a fantastic captain. When I was coaching the Crows I thought he would be the future captain of Adelaide, I thought he and Rory Sloane, when I was there, showed exceptional leadership for young men in their early 20s,” Sanderson said.
“He's certainly been there long enough now to know everything about the club and the way it operates. A Brownlow Medallist at Geelong, he'd be a fantastic choice as well."
