Cameron Ling Announced As New Geelong Captain!

Cameron Ling will captain Geelong in the 2010 AFL season. Ling will be joined in the player leadership group (PLG) by Gary Ablett, Jimmy Bartel, Joel Corey, Corey Enright and Joel Selwood, who were all members of the 2009 PLG, with James Kelly and Harry Taylor added to the group.

All members of the PLG will act as deputies to Ling, with no formal vice captain or deputy vice captains named.

Ling, an All Australian midfielder, has served as deputy vice captain 2003-05 and vice captain since 2006. He has captained the team numerous times over the past decade when injuries have sidelined former skippers Steven King and Tom Harley.

Ling, who has enjoyed a leadership position since his third year at the club, believes that the entire leadership group will take up the challenges that lie ahead.

“The captaincy is a tremendous honour but my view and really the view of all of us at the club, is that leadership should be shared rather than always residing with the captain,” Ling said.

“The strength of our team and club in recent years has been the number of strong leaders that we have had. The leadership group has had 6-8 guys, but then look at the leaders outside that who also contribute with strong words and actions.

“People like Matthew Scarlett, Darren Milburn, Max Rooke, Paul Chapman, Cameron Mooney and others have also been instrumental in pushing the direction and values of the group. We’re lucky that we have a lot of strong leaders that enjoy the challenges that come with being senior players.”

Geelong CEO Brian Cook said the club has strong belief in its leaders and paid tribute to the work of the group and Ling.

“From our perspective the PLG is critical to the success we have had and it will be equally important going forward,” Cook said.

“We believe that the mix is very good, with players with differing experiences making up the PLG. Cameron Ling has been an outstanding leader since he joined the club and he will make an exceptional captain.

“Critical in that will be the assistance that he will receive from the PLG and the other senior players at the club. We expect the load to be shared among all of these players and not to be the exclusive domain of the captain or the PLG.”

Ling is from Geelong, supported the Cats as a kid and played for St Josephs and the Geelong Falcons before being selected in the 1999 national draft.