The AFL Best Captain Award — Voted By The Captains Themselves
The AFL’s Best Captain Award is the league’s leadership gong, voted by the captains themselves. A relatively recent addition to the AFL’s award canon, the Best Captain trophy honours the leader who set the tone, lifted his teammates, and represented his club with distinction across the home-and-away season. Captaincy is its own art form in the AFL — different from goalkicking, ball-getting, or tactical brilliance — and this award recognises it.
The History: Captaincy as Recognition
The AFL formalised the Best Captain Award in the 2010s, partly to recognise that captaincy is a distinct skill set deserving its own honour. Voting is by the AFL’s senior captains, with each captain ranking the other 17 (excluding their own).
The award has been sponsored by various corporate partners, with current naming rights held by Therabody (a sports recovery brand). Hence the formal name “Therabody AFL Best Captain Award”.
Recent Best Captain Winners
- 2024: Patrick Cripps (Carlton)
- 2023: Patrick Cripps (Carlton)
- 2022: Patrick Cripps (Carlton) — three in a row
- 2021: Marcus Bontempelli (Western Bulldogs)
- 2020: Trent Cotchin (Richmond)
- 2019: Patrick Dangerfield (Geelong) / Joel Selwood (Geelong)
- 2018: Joel Selwood (Geelong)
- 2017: Joel Selwood (Geelong)
- 2016: Joel Selwood (Geelong)
The Selwood Era
Joel Selwood (Geelong, 2007–2022) was widely regarded as one of the most-effective captains of the modern era. His Best Captain Awards from 2016–2018 reflected:
- Tactical leadership during Geelong’s continuing finals contention
- The “Selwood headbutt” of his own teammates as motivation
- His statesman-like media engagement
- His willingness to play hurt and lead from the front
The Cripps Era
Patrick Cripps (Carlton, 2017–present) has produced an extraordinary captaincy run since 2022. Three consecutive Best Captain Awards (2022, 2023, 2024) plus two Brownlow Medals (2022, 2024) plus three All-Australian captaincies (2022, 2023, 2024) make Cripps the most-decorated AFL captain of the modern era.
Trivia for the Pub
- The Best Captain Award is voted by captains themselves.
- Patrick Cripps has won the award three years in a row (2022–2024).
- Joel Selwood won multiple Best Captains during his Geelong era.
- The award is sponsored by Therabody.
- The award is presented at the AFL Awards Ceremony.
- Captaincy in the AFL is a distinct skill set including tactical leadership and on-field motivation.
- Some Best Captains are also Brownlow Medallists in the same year (Cripps 2022, 2024).
- The award was instituted in the 2010s.
- Captains can win Best Captain in losing teams — captaincy is judged independently of premiership.
- The award has been won by multiple Geelong, Carlton, and Bulldogs captains.
The Other Captaincy Honours
- All-Australian Captain: The unofficial title given to the All-Australian team’s captain — a meaningful but separate honour.
- AFLPA MVP: Voted by players (now Leigh Matthews Trophy).
- AFL Coaches Association Award: Voted by AFL senior coaches.
The Rumours
The persistent rumour: integrating Best Captain with All-Australian Captaincy. The All-Australian captaincy is panel-selected; Best Captain is captain-selected. Some have suggested aligning. The two have been kept separate.
The other rumour: extending to AFLW Best Captain. The AFLW has its own captaincy honours; integration has been considered.
The Verdict
The Best Captain Award is the AFL’s recognition that captaincy is its own art form. Joel Selwood mastered it in the 2010s; Patrick Cripps has dominated it in the 2020s. Long live the AFL’s leadership gong.
The award captures something distinctive about Australian Rules: the captaincy in AFL is genuinely consequential, not just ceremonial. Captains run team meetings, make tactical adjustments mid-quarter, motivate teammates through physical contact and verbal direction, and often bear the responsibility of post-match media engagement. The Best Captain Award recognises this multi-dimensional leadership.
