The old adage of 'one door closes, another one opens' is quite a familiar refrain in Australian Rules Football. 

With the way this great game operates, second chances are often rewarded to those players willing to work hard and earn their opportunity, while club movement and transitions are frequently seen across both the AFL and VFL. 

But it takes a special sort of character to take that opportunity and build a successful career out of it, and that is exactly what Geelong VFL captain Dan Capiron has done. 

His VFL journey commenced in 2015 with the Frankston Dolphins, but Capiron's career was left in limbo when the club went into voluntary administration near the end of 2016. 

While that door closed, another one opened as Capiron was approached by Troy Selwood to join Geelong's VFL program, with the star Cat going on to become a staple of the team and eventually becoming captain in 2024. 

After reaching his 100th VFL game early in 2025, Capiron brought up his 100th game for Geelong on the weekend, playing another instrumental role as the Cats rolled to their third consecutive victory to open the season. 

Speaking with Cats Media following the game, Capiron said there were plenty of strong signs right across the ground in Geelong's win over Werribee. 

"It was great, just a collective team effort which is always what we are asking for," Capiron said. 

"We started the game really, really well. Our mids got on top and then we were converting in the first quarter as a forward group, then our defence behind our attack was awesome.

"We knew that Werribee were going to throw out a few different things at us, but for us to respond to that and get the game back on our terms and the way we did it was awesome.

"Always good to get a challenge from the opposition, the way we responded was great."

While he has carved out a career as one of the best key defenders in the competition, 2026 has thrown a different challenge Capiron's way. 

In the Cats' Round 1 clash with Essendon, Capiron strolled inside forward 50 at the opening bounce and started the year playing as a deep forward, a move that is already looking like a masterstroke from Geelong VFL coach, Mark Corrigan. 

After kicking two goals against the Bombers, Capiron followed up with a five-goal haul against Box Hill in Round 2 and was again a threat against Werribee on the weekend, sitting second on the VFL goal-kicking leaderboard after three weeks. 

The Cats skipper said it is a challenge that he is embracing in the latter stages of his career, looking to guide his team back to the Finals after a strong start to the season. 

"It is definitely a different look for me," Capiron told Cats Media. 

"I played forward in bits and pieces over my career, but as a permanent forward it is definitely a different look. It requires a different perspective on the game, so I am enjoying it.

"It is a good freshen up and it is making me think, I am always willing to learn, even as a defender. To be thrown into a totally different environment, it is keeping me on my toes and I am trying to learn something new every week.

"Really leaning on some VFL-listed boys and some AFL-listed forwards as well. Jamieson Ballantyne has been awesome, he has guided me through some things and the same as Joe Pike and Jay Polkinghorne, Ollie Henry and those guys.

"Just trying to absorb as much as I can to help them when I need to, but it is going well."