ULTIMATE CAPTAIN’S RANKING: Caitlin Bassett ranks every leader this season and analyses what makes them tick

AFL clubs have opted for stability this year, with very few of the league’s captains changing in the off-season. But there are some fresh faces stepping up the role. What makes a good captain can depend on the experience and needs of the playing group. It means that each leader has different demands. Ahead of the new season, The West Australian’s Caitlin Bassett has ranked every club’s captains and analyses what makes them great. 1. Marcus Bontempelli (Western Bulldogs) Undoubtedly the best leader in the league in 2024, the midfield star was voted by his peers as not only the AFL’s best player but also the best captain for the second consecutive season. It capped off another impressive year for the 29-year-old who was named All-Australian captain for the first time as he picked up his sixth blazer to match his six Charles Sutton medals. Since taking over the Bulldogs captaincy in 2020, Bontempelli has won three AFLPA MVP trophies, been named the league’s best captain three times and finished runner-up in the Brownlow medal twice. Last season he became the fifth Bulldogs player to reach triple figures as skipper and is well on his way to becoming the best player to ever pull on the blue, red and white jersey. It is clear he is just a natural leader and the tag doesn’t change the way that he plays. 2. Patrick Cripps (Carlton) Claiming his second Brownlow medal in 2024, Cripps is the longest-serving captain in the league heading into his seventh season as skipper of the Blues. A four time All-Australian, Cripps was edged out by Bontempelli at the AFLPA awards, finishing runner up in both the MVP and best captain awards. Cripps is one of the great lead-by-example captains in the game, but his big test will be taking a group that has long threatened to contend, deep into the finals. They have missed something at the business end in recent years. 3. Lachie Neale and Harris Andrews (Brisbane) At the start of last season the Lions were a less-than happy camp off the back of a tumoltuous off-season trip and looked to be in real trouble after dropping their first three games. But Neale and Andrews managed to steady the ship and now, fresh off a premiership, the Lions are sticking with the same leadership group that brought them success in 2024. The leadership style of co-captains clearly suits Chris Fagan’s team, since taking over the captaincy at the start of 2023 Brisbane have made the last two grand finals. They also have nine leaders in an extended group. 4. James Sicily (Hawthorn) Among the premiership favourites heading into 2025, Sicily will lead the Hawks for a third year. Hawthorn are the most fun team to watch in the competition and, it seems, the most fun team to play in. It is clear Sicily plays a major role alongside coach Sam Mitchell in empowering their young players to be themselves and go about their business with some flair. Now they have become a destination club, with the addition of Tom Barrass and Josh Battle, but that means there are heightened expectations on them to perform, which changes the dynamic. 5. Toby Greene (Greater Western Sydney) Above all else, Greene just appears to be a perfect fit for a young, brash and energetic list that is eager to succeed even before their time. Greene will lead the Giants for a third successive season with vice-captains Stephen Coniglio and Josh Kelly at his side. Brent Daniels and Jack Buckley have been elevated to the leadership group joining young guns Tom Green, Sam Taylor and Connor Idun. Greene was a polarising choice when he took over the role because he started his career as the cheeky forward who couldn’t always pick where the line was. The big challenge will be expelling the demons of last year’s embarrassing finals exit. Like Hawthorn, there are new expectations on them this year. 6. Max Gawn (Melbourne) Gawn has been the public-facing mouthpiece of Melbourne’s horror two years of off-field drama. Time and time again he is wheeled out for press to throw his support behind teammates. He has had so much to deal with in a troublesome two years at the Demons, but has kept delivering. In 2024 he won his seventh All-Australian blazer. Gawn fractured his larynx in December but is on track to start the season. 7. Alex Pearce (Fremantle) Fremantle’s season fell apart last season after Pearce was struck down by a broken arm and missed the final weeks of a campaign where they plummeted from the top four to outside the eight. The full-back was desperate to return from his injury and perhaps did so too early, fracturing his arm for the second time in a month. It speaks volumes to his impact on their defence and as a leader. He is eloquent, is realistic about where the club is at and the expectations on them and will be ready to hand it over to Brayshaw or Serong when the time is right. 8. Connor Rozee (Port Adelaide) People close to Port Adelaide and their captain Rozee - including former skipper Travis Boak - are effusive in their praise of the young man who took over and has helped them catapult back towards the top of the league. He is still 25, has signed a long-term deal tying him to the club and making his loyalty clear. He is the brains behind the Power’s stacked young midfield that will become the engine room of their premiership push and has kept his cool as the club faced questions over departing coach Ken Hinkley, including in the firestorm in the aftermath of their semifinal win over Hawthorn. 9. Zach Merrett (Essendon) Crowned back-to-back club club champion last season, Merrett etched his name into Essendon’s history books with his fifth Crichton Medal. The 29-year-old is a is a captain who places high demands on his teammates and finished third in ALFPA’s best captain - recognition by his peers of his leadership skills. The Bombers’ ball magnet had an impressive 2024 season claiming a maiden Anzac Day Medal along with the McCracken Medal which is awarded to the player who best embodies the clubs values. It also means he stepped up on the club’s biggest occasions. Merritt is clearly in control of his own performance and his next focus is to develop more leaders to step up and support him. 10. Darcy Moore (Collingwood) The Pies will be lead by Moore for the third straight season and have increased their leadership group from four to seven. Star Nick Daicos has been promoted to vice-captain, a move that puts him in a good position to take over the captaincy in the future. Moore is famously well-spoken and considered, but with the oldest and most-experienced lists in the competition, he oversees a group of players that know what their roles are and what it takes to be a high-performing team. His role is to take away the everyday stress from those guys so they can go out and execute on gameday. 11. Patrick Dangerfield (Geelong) Dangerfield will lead the Cats for a third season after taking over from legendary skipper Joel Selwood after the 2022 premiership, which was a surprise to some experts who had him slated to hand over the role. But Geelong have lent into one of the most experienced players in the competition. Dangerfield is just 13 games shy of reaching the 350-game milestone and as the Cats look to replace him in the midfield, they will have to consider their leadership options. Dangerfield battled to get his body right last season, which is also a concern. 12. Jordan Dawson (Adelaide) Some were surprised when Dawson took over the captaincy from Rory Sloan leading into the 2023 season, but it was a clear indication of how much the Crows trusted him, almost immediately after making the move from Sydney. Since then he has become a back-to-back club champion and has spoken this season about developing more young leaders at the Crows, which some captains can see as a threat. But there are new pressures on the Crows this season, with Matthew Nicks yet to make finals in his six years at the helm. As they contend for finals, they will come across big moments where they need Dawson, who has a strong history in clutch moments, to hold his nerve. 13. Callum Mills (Sydney) Mills had a forgettable first season as skipper, managing just seven games, which included sitting out of the grand final with a hamstring injury. And it all stemmed from a Mad Monday mishap the year before and a shoulder injury that kept him out for the entire pre-season and the start of the home-and-away campaign. It was a surprise when the 27-year-old was appointed standalone captain this season after such a shaky start, but it is a big show of faith from Swans teammates and new coach Dean Cox. 14. Jack Steele (St Kilda) Voted in by his peers, Steele will lead the Saints for a fifth season and his fourth as a standalone skipper. Known by his teammates as a quiet operator off the field, St Kilda people say he fires to life on gameday, leading with intensity and demanding high standards from his side. There have been multiple times in recent seasons where Steele has dragged the Saints back into matches, but he will need more support if they are to return to finals this season. 15. Jy Simpkin (North Melbourne) Set to lead the Kangaroos for the third season, but for the first time as a sole captain after former co-captain Luke McDonald opted to step aside. The 26-year-old will be supported by Harry Sheezel and Nick Larkey who were voted as co-vice captains. And his standalone captaincy got off to a brilliant start, albeit for another team, when he was named best-on-ground for the Indigenous All Stars. In a moving interview he spoke of losing his grandfather before the match and what playing for the All Stars means to him. It was evidence of a leader in control of his emotions and willing to be vulnerable. Sharing the role with McDonald was the perfect soft-launch of his captaincy. 16. Oscar Allen and Liam Duggan (West Coast) A new era under coach Andrew McQualter will see co-captains Oscar Allen and Liam Duggan continue for their second year. For all they have livened up under McQualter, this is one thing he decided to stick with. Duggan is a consistent performer but the pressure will be on Allen who only managed 11 games last season due to persistent knee injuries and still hasn’t committed his future to the club ahead of the final year of his contract. There is a risk of co-captains dividing a group, with players going to one or the other. They need to be very consistent with their messaging if their team is going to travel in the right direction. 17. Toby Nankervis (Richmond) The premiership ruckman will captain Richmond for the fourth straight season after initially being appointed as co-captain in 2022 with Dylan Grimes and taking on the role as sole leader in 2024. The teammates Nankervis won premierships with are now almost all gone and one of his biggest jobs will be connecting with a much younger group that haven’t been apart of the Tigers’ dynasty. They are the least experienced team in the league and it leaves Nankervis with the hardest job. They have also already had some off-field issues that plagued their pre-season. 18. Gold Coast - Noah Anderson (2025) The Suns have called on 23-year-old midfielder Noah Anderson as their sole leader with Touk Miller moving from co-captain to vice-captain and long-time leader and co-captain Jarrod Witts opting to step down. Anderson is the youngest captain in Suns history and will be the youngest in the league in 2025. The star midfielder is undeniably one of the Suns best players and his appointment is a sign the club is willing to take risks in order to be successful.