The two AFL greats who helped Harry Grant to Kangaroos captaincy

Harry Grant has credited two AFL greats for helping him mature as a leader as he prepares to lead the Kangaroos as captain for the first time this weekend.

The Melbourne hooker, who also revealed that he would sign a long-term extension to stay with the Storm despite free agency looming on November 1, paid tribute to the influence of Trent Cotchin and Joel Selwood have had on his evolution as a leader in the game.

Cotchin, a three-time premiership captain for Richmond, and Selwood, who won four flags with Geelong including one as skipper, have worked with the Storm providing leadership advice.

While they no longer hold official roles with the club, both remain confidants of Grant, who takes over the armband from the injured Isaah Yeo (concussion) for the Kangaroos in game two of the Ashes series.

“They have been awesome for me,” Grant said after training in London ahead of the Test at Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium on Saturday night [Sunday morning AEST)].

“The big thing for me is that there are different ways to skin a cat. The way Joel went about his business … the Geelong footy club was very different to the way we did things. He instilled a lot of confidence and trust in me around what I was doing was right and that I was on the right path.

“Over the last couple of years, ‘Cotcho’ has dived into some different things in the way he went about his business. He is really big on connection. Ultimately, the biggest thing for me as a leader, is that you prepare and play well, and [Storm coach] Craig Bellamy is the best at doing that and making sure you get your job done. You can put time into the nice stuff, the fluffy stuff, but you have to play well.”

Grant said he was ready to sign off on a contract extension with the Storm this week while chairman Matt Tripp was in London.

But Tripp didn’t want to be a distraction for Grant during the Ashes series, and was happy to wait until after November 1 to secure his signature.

“Yeah, I’ll be there,” Grant said when asked if he would re-sign with the Storm. “We have some hard work with the time differences. Our chairman ‘Trippy’ was over here for the [Wembley] game but he didn’t want to push me to chase a catch-up, knowing I was preparing for a Test match.

“He didn’t want to push the envelope too much. I would have happily gone and done it [signed] but he said I had bigger things to prepare for. It’s sitting there at the moment, but it will get done.”

Grant also said he expected Papenhuyzen to be at the Storm in 2026 but did not know what the future held for his fullback.

He did, however, encourage the NRL and RLPA to revisit their intention to impose 10-year bans on players who negotiated with upstart rugby competition R360.

“If players are getting those opportunities, I don’t begrudge or hold anything against them,” Grant said.

“Go for it. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Anyone in the same situation would be doing it. If you’re breaking your contract, that’s [open] for discussion but if you’re off contract, players have a right to negotiate and have a conversation.

“If R360 is coming in to push the envelope, then we can definitely sharpen up some of the things we do in the next CBA from our end.”