5 most loyal players in AFL history ft. Joel Selwood
Loyalty is an integral part of all sports, and in the AFL, a loyal player spending the entirety of his career with a club, is seen as the truest form of devotion. Due to various situations such as fluctuating wages, club reputation and management systems, AFL players seem to always be on the go.
While these developments add the element of competition among clubs and managers, loyalty culture has become nearly nonexistent.
There are players who still hold these values dear. In highlighting five of the AFL’s most loyal players who have dedicated the entirety of their careers to one club, let’s explore their journeys within the league.
5 most loyal players in AFL history ft. Joel Selwood
5. Rory Sloane (Adelaide Crows since 2008)
Drafted at Pick 44 in 2008, Sloane made his debut against Hawthorn in 2009 – where he recorded six disposals and seven tackles, and has stuck with the club since.
Sloane kicked 136 goals in his 255-game career across 16 seasons, averaging just under 22 disposals per game. A respected leader and player, he served as team captain for four seasons between 2019 and 2022
Sloane, renowned for his selflessness, is a two-time Best and Fairest winner (2013, 2016), All-Australian player (2016) and was a runner-up in the AFLPA MVP Award.
At 34 and nowhere near willing to retire, Sloane had to deal with a retina injury; two detachments in three years. The risks that came with playing on with a vulnerable retina were too great, forcing him to retirement.
4. Scott Pendlebury (Collingwood Magpies since 2006)
Pendlebury made his AFL debut in Round 10 of the 2006 season against Brisbane, where he had his first kick and goal. He played nine matches that year, the first of his career’s 390. In 2014, he became captain after a six-year tenure as vice.
Winning a spot on the All-Australian team for the first out of five times, Pendlebury won a Norm Smith Medal when Collingwood won the premiership in 2010. In 2011, he won an ANZAC Day Medal (his second) as best-on-ground in Collingwood’s win against Essendon.
In 2022, a loyal icon, Pendlebury resigned his post as captain but didn’t retire until 2023.
3. Nathan Jones (Melbourne since 2005)
Since his debut against the Western Bulldogs in Round 17, 2006, Jones has stuck with the Demons through the club’s most difficult times until his retirement in 2021. He served as club captain from 2014 to 2019.
Establishing himself as Melbourne’s leading midfielder in 2008, he won his first Keith Truscott Medal as the club’s Best and Fairest. Even after an altercation between his father and some Collingwood fans in 2009, Jones remained loyal to the team. His selfless approach to teamwork inspired colleagues and fans alike.
2. Travis Boak (Port Adelaide since 2006)
Being drafted by an AFL club is a dream-come-true, so Boak was elated when Port Adelaide made the call for him. His family might not have been excited by the distance his career would set between them. His mother, Chicki Boak, was disheartened by it, but Boak remained steadfast where he was placed.
The youngster was determined to perform remarkably, and today, he has played important roles in the establishment of Port Adelaide’s new age in the league.
He decided to stick with a financially unstable club with a future not clearly defined due to decision-making conflicts at both the AFL House in Melbourne and SANFL headquarters in Adelaide.
No other player from the major 2006 draft calls is still in the game as a player today. Now, 18 AFL seasons, 350 games and 204 goals later, Boak is celebrated as one of the AFL' s most loyal, an epitome of commitment and dedication.
1. Joel Selwood (Geelong Cats since 2006)
Perhaps 2006 just happened to be the year of loyal recruits. One of the AFL’s finest in character, Joe Selwood was drafted by Geelong in the same round as Travis Boak.
Although he wasn’t the club’s first choice, the moment he stepped foot onto a field on the side, it was evident that he belonged there. In his very first season in 2007 at 18, Selwood won a premiership and an NAB Rising Star Award.
Selwood would go on to win another premiership in 2011, six All-Australians (2009, 2010, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017), three Carji Greeves Best and Fairest Medals (2010, 2013, 2014), AFLPA Best Captain Award (2013), four Premiership Team memberships (2007, 2009, 2011, 2022), the NAB cup and more as one of the Cats.