THE CAPTAINCY SITUATION AT EVERY AFL CLUB FOR THE 2017 SEASON:
* ADELAIDE – Unconfirmed. Taylor Walker widely expected to retain the captaincy. Rory Sloane the next most-likely candidate
* BRISBANE – Unconfirmed. Tom Rockliff looked set to lose the captaincy after off-field misdemeanours but new coach Chris Fagan has intriguingly signalled he might keep the job. Dayne Zorko is another candidate
* CARLTON – Marc Murphy will go around for a fifth season and Kade Simpson remains his deputy. Young gun Patrick Cripps is a future contender
* COLLINGWOOD – Unconfirmed. Scott Pendlebury odds-on to remain captain
* ESSENDON – No great surprise to see Dyson Heppell replace Jobe Watson as captain this year, with Cale Hooker and young gun Zach Merrett his deputies
* FREMANTLE – Unconfirmed. David Mundy is keen to remain captain but midfield superstar Nat Fyfe is likely to throw his hat into the ring
* GEELONG – Unconfirmed. Extremely unlikely anyone will dethrone Joel Selwood
* GOLD COAST – Gary Ablett’s exclusion from the leadership group stood out most for the Suns, with Tom Lynch and Steven May to share the captaincy
* GREATER WESTERN SYDNEY – Unconfirmed. Callan Ward and Phil Davis have done a good job as co-captains and it’s unlikely the Giants will change course
* HAWTHORN – Jarryd Roughead was a surprise choice to replace Luke Hodge as captain, considering his recent health struggles, but has long been seen as leadership material
* MELBOURNE – Nathan Jones will share duties with young gun Jack Viney in a return to co-captaincy. Former Hawthorn premiership star Jordan Lewis joins the leadership group
* NORTH MELBOURNE – As expected, Jack Ziebell replaces Andrew Swallow in a new-look Kangaroos side
* PORT ADELAIDE – Travis Boak will go around as captain again, with youngster Ollie Wines replacing Hamish Hartlett as his deputy.
* RICHMOND – Unconfirmed. Trent Cotchin is likely to stay captain. Jack Riewoldt and Dustin Martin could potentially join the leadership group
* ST KILDA – Jarryn Geary has replaced veteran Nick Riewoldt as captain. Seen by some as a left-field choice but highly respected internally
* SYDNEY – Josh Kennedy has taken over from Jarrad McVeigh and Kieren Jack after an outstanding season last year. Dan Hannebery, Luke Parker and Dane Rampe are his deputies
* WEST COAST – Unconfirmed. Shannon Hurn is likely to stay captain. Luke Shuey is viewed as a future leader
* WESTERN BULLDOGS – Bob Murphy will lead the premiers again after missing most of last season and has annointed Easton Wood, who led in his absence last year, as his successor
