'He really helped me': Eagles draftee vows to carry the legacy of his late mentor, Troy Selwood
West Coast draftee Josh Lindsay has revealed the huge impact that the late Troy Selwood had on his journey to the AFL.
After his 75-game career for Brisbane in the 2000s, Selwood became influential in regional Victoria, playing for Geelong's VFL team and working as a recruiter and various other football department roles.
Lindsay, who was selected by the Eagles with pick 19 in the 2025 draft, revealed Selwood helped him get into Geelong Grammar and mentored him on his journey through life and footy.
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Josh Lindsay of the Eagles poses for a photo after the draft. AFL Photos via Getty Images
Selwood died at 41 in February of 2025, three months on from the death of his twin brother Adam.
Lindsay, who thanked Selwood on draft night, spoke on the influence he had on his life.
"I joined Geelong Grammar in year 10, he got me over there and he was unreal. Ever since year 10, he has sort of helped me relax down a bit and really enjoy my footy," Lindsay told reporters in Perth on Tuesday.
"He always had the belief that I'm good enough. He was a recruiter as well and I used to always chat to him nearly every day.
"He was really good for me. He really helped me get to this position today.
"So, to see him pass away at the start of the year, that was a huge shock and I was quite devastated for a fair few weeks.
"I just want to continue carrying on his legacy. He's helped me in a lot of ways and to this day I still carry that on."
Troy Selwood (right) with brother Joel Selwood (left) at the 2014 Brownlow Medal. Getty
Lindsay, a 183cm defender out of Geelong, has been hailed as one of the best kicks in the draft class.
The Eagles traded a future second round pick tied to St Kilda in order to move into pick 19 and select him, after failed academy bids on Gold Coast's Beau Adinsall and Jai Murray.
Lindsay will join top picks Willem Duursma and Cooper Duff-Tytler at West Coast in 2026. The pair were selected with picks one and four respectively.
Selwood tweeted glowingly about Lindsay in September of 2024, following an AFL exhibition game of future talent.
"Josh Lindsay being awarded the best player for Team Heppell in the AFL Futures exhibition game this morning. Shaping as a serious draft prospect for 2025 …," he posted.
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