Richmond didn’t,through long and agonising meetings and workshops,arrive at a model of what they wanted as a leadership set-up and then look for two players to be co-captains. They started with a role and looked for who would be right to fill it. They then got to a point where they could not split two men. So,they changed what it was they were looking for - not one captain but two.
It makes the final decision sound like an ad for Mexican food... why not both?
Richmond have a number of players who would not have been a surprise to be captain in their own right:Grimes;Tom Lynch who has captained the Gold Coast;their big personality forward Jack Riewoldt in (most likely) his final season;another of the gun half-back flankers Nick Vlastuin;dark horse,understated midfielder Jack Graham who was even strongly touted by teammates;and,of course,their best player - Dustin Martin.
Grimes,the educated,well-spoken backman and an elite performer within the team,was not a surprising choice to lead his club. He is now the grey side of 30 (though still three years shy of Riewoldt) so his is not a long-term position,but he is a popular,smart and steady choice.
The fact he could not be split from Nankervis is,to the outsiders - like us - a surprise. And,of course,Nankervis humbly said he was a bit taken aback too.