During my 20 years of coaching I had the real pleasure of working for the majority of the time with two great premiership captains - Tony Shaw at Collingwood and Michael Voss at the Brisbane Lions.
From close quarters I’ve seen the characteristics of these two truly great leaders.
These include terrific example-setting, strong character and personality, a keen understanding of team mechanics, an ability to organise, great resilience under pressure and emphatic bravery.
In a physical contact game like football the captain must be above reproach when it comes to hardness at the contest. And Shaw and Voss certainly had this and all the aforementioned qualities.
When I watch Hawthorn’s Luke Hodge play he reminds me of these two. And for me there can be no greater praise for a leader.
Before I go on, it is important to note that this is not in any way a criticism or negative assessment of Hawthorn captain Sam Mitchell.
He does an excellent job, too, and has all the same characteristics.
As an outsider looking in, I’ve got no specific view on who should be Hawthorn captain and can see no additional benefit to the club if Hodge was captain instead of vice-captain.
Also if they were co-captains there would be absolutely no downside.
What’s more, I suspect it would not make an iota of difference to either of them, and Hawthorn, while preferring a sole captain, are truly fortunate to have two such terrific on-field leaders.
So, while this is not about who should be captain, it is about Hodge. And particularly the influence he has on the contest and those around him, and the leadership performance that so often grabs my attention and admiration.
Like leadership, willpower and determination cannot be measured. But the two goals he kicked against the Western Bulldogs last Friday night were great examples of those emotional forces played out in actions.
The first was early in the game when Hodge forced himself to the footy around the congestion of a forward stoppage.
It was a situation, of course, where everyone wanted the ball. But among 20-odd players it was Hodge who powered his way through the congestion, bouncing off bodies until he grabbed it and quick-kicked a terrific goal out of a pack.
The second was late in the game when the Hawks trailed the Bulldogs and needed something special.
Again, Hodge found the ball before he was immediately claimed from behind by his direct opponent, Adam Cooney.
Instinctively, he swivelled and bent his knees to drop his body height, allowing him to duck under the Cooney tackle and, with one step to balance, he drilled a lead-changing goal.
These are the visible leadership qualities of example-setting, bravery and handling the pressure of the moment.
The best leaders must believe in their ability to be stimulated by pressure and to perform when the contest is at its hottest and the stakes are highest.
Hodge’s waving of arms and pointing when organising team structures and roles is obvious even to off-field observers.
The way he played and controlled the Hawks' back half in the 2008 premiership win was an outstanding example of great leadership in action.
From what I know of his off-field persona, he does not seem to be in the alpha-male leadership mould of Wayne Carey or Jonathan Brown who tend to fill the room with their presence. Perhaps that is simply because he does not have their massive physical structure.
While anything can be improved, I believe leaders are born rather than made.
When the Hawks devoted the first choice in the 2001 national draft to Luke Hodge they got not just a great player but a great leader, too.
When appointing a captain, generally a coach will go with the player who best embodies all the required leadership qualities. Importantly he should appoint someone for what he has done - not what he might want him to start doing if he gets the job.
It is impossible to effectively act the leadership role because so often split-second decisions need to be made which come from the heart as much as the mind. This instinctive behaviour comes from who you are, not who you might want to be.
Traditionally the captain has been the best player. While that is valid enough on the majority of occasions, clearly it is not always the case.
Working with Tom Harley for Channel Seven this season I’ve come to understand what an outstanding individual he is, and to appreciate that while he may not have been in the top few players at Geelong, he was the logical captain of this star-studded group.
He has terrific empathy for people and a great understanding of the whole concept of team and individuals working together for the benefit of all concerned.
What I do believe is that in a footy team the area of the ground where a team needs leadership the most is around the middle.
If the captain doesn’t play in the midfield it is critical to have a good midfield organiser.
So, while Harley was a fantastic captain at Geelong, it always appeared to me that Cameron Ling was their chief midfield general.
When I was coaching against Geelong I was always just as happy if Ling was not playing as much as anyone else because he filled such an important midfield role.
So, while Gary Ablett may be Geelong’s best player, it was no surprise to me that when Harley retired it was Ling who was appointed captain.
Interestingly, too, just as Harley and Ling made a terrific leadership team at Geelong, Nick Riewoldt and Lenny Hayes do exactly the same thing at St Kilda.
While Riewoldt spends most of his time playing forward of centre, Hayes controls things through the midfield.
There is no such thing as a firm set of absolute necessities for a premiership team but effective on-field leadership is certainly one.
The views in this story are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL.
