Retired Geelong superstar Joel Selwood has announced his shock next career move, joining a rival code as a leadership coach.

The Cats great will join NRL side the Melbourne Storm in a part-time role, after reportedly turning down offers from other AFL clubs and Cricket Australia.

“I’m really excited to be joining Storm. I’ve been watching them and been in envy of what the club has been able to achieve for a long time,” Selwood said.

“When the opportunity come up, I saw it as a great chance to get involved in something a bit different in an environment that is so well run.

“I was impressed with the presentation Frank (footy boss Ponissi) and Craig (coach Bellamy) made and have already been welcomed at the club when I visited AAMI Park earlier this week. I can’t wait to meet the rest of the playing group and getting into the season.”

Selwood bowed out of the AFL on a high, winning his fourth premiership – his first as Geelong captain before retiring days later.

The Cats midfield star finished on 355 AFL games and as a six-time All Australian among a host of other prestigious titles.

Storm footy boss Frank Ponissi said Selwood’s new role would include helping determine the club’s new captain for 2023.

“Joel is an impressive person and has shown he has outstanding leadership qualities as Captain of the Cats over a long period of time,” Ponissi said.

“We were particularly impressed with his humility and eagerness to learn, which was no surprise given what we knew about him and from the feedback we got from those we spoke to through the process, including Simon Lloyd (Geelong football manager) at the Cats.”

Selwood isn’t the first retired star to cross codes, with Nick Maxwell spending six years at the Storm as leadership coach after he finished his playing career at Collingwood.