The Kangaroos were in no mood to mess around, appointing Jy Simpkin and Luke McDonald as co-captains just three days after Jack Ziebell stepped aside following 111 games in the role.
Other clubs have taken their time, but captain crunch time has arrived. Who will be your club’s captain in 2023?
Collingwood, Geelong and Hawthorn have vacancies to fill, and Adelaide, Essendon, the Brisbane Lions and Fremantle are keeping the question open, but the incumbents’ time may have arrived.
Other clubs are wondering whether having co-captains is the way forward or not.
Several clubs, such as Carlton (Patrick Cripps), Gold Coast (Jarrod Witts and Touk Miller), Melbourne (Max Gawn), Port Adelaide (Tom Jonas), St Kilda (Jack Steele), West Coast (Luke Shuey) and the Western Bulldogs (Marcus Bontempelli) are unlikely to spend much time on the question, merely locking in their existing captain for 2023.
Collingwood champion Scott Pendlebury has stood down as skipper and will support the new captain for the rest of his career.Credit:Penny Stephens
The question as to who will be captain is up in the air for the following clubs.
ADELAIDE
Rory Sloane has been captain during four difficult years for the Crows. He has grown in the role but will be 33 this season as he returns from an ACL injury, so he could enjoy handing over the title. Tom Doedee is the obvious choice to replace him if a change is made as he shapes as a leader in the style of premiership captains Tom Harley and Nick Maxwell, understated, reliable and mature. He also filled in during 2020 when Sloane broke his hand. Ben Keays would be a brave choice after one big season, while Jordan Dawson has enough on his plate as a second-year recruit.
BRISBANE LIONS
The time has come for the Lions to re-energise their leadership. Dayne Zorko would be well served to focus on his football and hand over the captaincy to a new face. Harris Andrews has been the heir apparent for several seasons and looks a logical choice, while midfielder Hugh McCluggage also plays in the style of a natural leader so should be a candidate. Lachie Neale is their best player and influential but is not necessarily seeking to become captain. Recruit Josh Dunkley will not be a captain, but he has already impressed.
Hugh McCluggage had a brilliant 2022 and will be a candidate to captain the club in the future.Credit:AFL Photos
COLLINGWOOD
Scott Pendlebury is a class player and grew into being an excellent leader so he will be hard to replace. Jeremy Howe has all the attributes and would be an excellent selection, while Darcy Moore and Taylor Adams are the other obvious candidates. Both have strong credentials, with Moore an articulate front person and Adams a warrior who takes no prisoners. Howe is the most natural fit from the outside.
ESSENDON
Essendon’s list lacks obvious successors to Dyson Heppell if he decides the time is right to step down. The well-respected skipper should take the chance to enjoy what is left of his career without being captain, having steered the ship through tumultuous waters. Zach Merrett is their best player, but Andrew McGrath is both a good player and impressive off-field. The time looks right for McGrath to grow alongside new coach Brad Scott.
FREMANTLE
Although hamstring injuries stopped Nat Fyfe’s successful return in its tracks, he remains a chance to lead the Dockers into 2023. Andrew Brayshaw will be a brilliant replacement for the dual Brownlow medallist after an outstanding 2022 when he finished equal fourth in the Brownlow, but there may be no harm in letting him have another season without the title, given he has just turned 23. He could obviously do the job but Fyfe might help him by keeping the job for another season. It will be a club decision, albeit one both potential skippers should be involved in.
GREATER WESTERN SYDNEY
The Giants have been so focused on bedding down the program and style of play under new coach Adam Kingsley that they have not yet addressed whether there is a need to alter the Giants’ captaincy set-up. Toby Greene/Josh Kelly/Stephen Coniglio share the mantle and Coniglio seemed to benefit from sharing the title, finishing runner-up in last year’s best and fairest.
GEELONG
It seems hard to imagine anyone being a better fit for the Cats’ captaincy than Patrick Dangerfield, particularly given the enormous imprint the retiring Joel Selwood left on the club. Dangerfield can handle all the off-field duties with class and aplomb and made a stronger impression in that area in 2022 as he seemed to mature. He remains a star player, who appeared to understand his role better in the premiership year. The well-regarded Tom Stewart would be a popular pick as he is an outstanding player and leader who is highly regarded in football. Whether he would flourish in the role remains a tough question to answer, while Mark Blicavs is also a candidate and Tom Atkins could move into the leadership group.
The time could be right for Patrick Dangerfield to take over from Joel Selwood as skipper, with Tom Stewart also a candidate.Credit:Eddie Jim
HAWTHORN
James Sicily is the best candidate given his performance, age and improved ability to represent the club. Sam Mitchell spoke last year of Sicily’s ability to communicate on-field what was needed from teammates, while maintaining his own standards, which, in the end, is a captain’s most important quality. Mitch Lewis is a good leader but is still establishing his career up forward. Luke Breust would work as a short-term option, while Dylan Moore and Blake Hardwick are solid candidates as back-ups for Sicily. Developing leaders is a key objective for the Hawks.
NORTH MELBOURNE
Joint vice-captains Jy Simpkin – who turns 25 at the start of the season – and Luke McDonald, who turns 28 in February, officially became the first co-captains in Kangaroos history on Friday. Simpkin is good in front of the group, explains the game well and is a good footballer. McDonald is tireless, competitive and a Kangaroo through and through.
North Melbourne’s Jy Simpkin ticks the right boxes to become the Kangaroos’ next skipper.Credit:AFL Photos
RICHMOND
There is no reason to change the Toby Nankervis/Dylan Grimes combination that did the job as a short-term proposition last season, with the focus likely to be on finding their replacements sooner rather than later. There are quality players but few obvious captains in the middle generation.
SYDNEY
Regardless of whether they have the title, the three captains Callum Mills, Luke Parker and Dane Rampe will be key leaders at the Swans. All three finished in the top 10 of the best and fairest and with a young group underneath them, they appear set to continue.
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