Collingwood Peter Jackson VFL skipper Jack Hellier hasn’t taken long to rise quickly through the Magpie ranks.
Hellier was named co-captain at Collingwood in just his second year at the club after crossing from St Bedes-Mentone Tigers in the VAFA in 2012.
The 26-year-old shared the role with Nick Riddle for one year before becoming a sole captain in 2014, a rapid rise that caught even Hellier himself by surprise.
He believes it may have been his less-serious side that made Collingwood VFL coach Dale Tapping appoint him to the leadership position.
“I’d like to think I do most of my leadership on the ground, but I definitely take a huge part in things off the field,” Hellier said.
“I want to make it a good environment around the club because we’re such a young group; I try to help the young kids along and show them it is enjoyable, and that you can still have fun playing at this level.”
Hellier said the captaincy had changed him for the better.
“Back at St Bedes, I was playing with mates and (we just had a) sort of inner sanctum, but now at a big club in Collingwood, I’ve got to start thinking of the community more and being a better role model.”
Hellier’s 2013 season is a particularly good example of role model behaviour for the young Magpies looking up to him – the tough inside midfielder was named on the interchange in the VFL Team of the Year in his first year as a captain of the club.
Hellier said an injury-free run allowed him to stay on the field consistently that season, a situation he unfortunately hasn’t been able to replicate so far in 2015.
A calf complaint caused Hellier to miss the first two rounds, but his form and fitness is building as he reaches his 50-game milestone against Casey on Saturday at Casey Fields.
And if Hellier’s previous effort for a teammate’s milestone game is any indication, his peers will be getting around their captain this weekend.
“Probably the best win I’ve ever played in was Sam Dwyer’s 100th game,” Hellier said.
“I made a banner the Friday night before the game out of crepe paper and two garden stakes; it was about a metre by a metre.
“A few of the Collingwood supporters held it up, which was good. It wasn’t too creative; it just said ‘Sam 100’ and had some pictures around it. One of them was a potato and a couple of photos of him that I printed off my phone. It was good fun.”
You can’t say Jack Hellier doesn’t go the extra mile for his teammates.
Last Modified on 05/06/2015 17:42
