Dockers in line for a captaincy switch

Fremantle coach Ross Lyon says it’s an opportune time for Matthew Pavlich to hand over the captaincy, with Nat Fyfe and David Mundy the leading contenders to replace him at the AFL club.

Pavlich strongly considered retirement at the end of last season, before deciding to play on in 2016 for one final hurrah.

The 33-year-old has been captain since 2007, helping transform the club into one of the strongest teams in the competition.

But with Pavlich’s ageing body set to be heavily managed next season, Lyon said it was probably best for him to hand over the captaincy to someone younger.

“There’s no doubt it’s on the radar,” Lyon told 3AW.

“Pav will be thinking about it. The group will make the decision. We’ve got a couple of big influences outside of Pav – David Mundy in particular and Nat Fyfe.

“Matthew is probably (at the point of his career) where we’re going to be managing his load, so he’ll have some challenges.

“It’s clearly an opportune time to look at handing over the baton. But will that happen? The players will talk.”

Dockers players will hold a vote on the captaincy early next year.

Each player will vote on their top five choices.

Fyfe is the early favourite to win the captaincy role, with the Brownlow medallist already expressing his leadership ambitions.

But Mundy would also be a popular choice among Fremantle players, although he would only be a short-term option given he’s already 30 years old.

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