Collingwood's AFLW team has announced a shake-up in their leadership group, adding three vice-captains to assist the two current captains in Steph Chiocci and Brianna Davey.
The vice-captains include Brittany Bonnici, Ruby Schleicher and Stacey Livingstone, who will assist Chiocci and Davey around the club and on game day.
The Magpies will run out in 2022 for the sixth straight year with Chiocci leading the black and white army, and the second year of Davey as co-captain.
Our leaders for 2022 🌟@BriannaDavey + @Steph_Chiocci will co-captain again, while @britbonnici, @StaceyLivo23 and @ruby_schleicher are vice-captains for the upcoming season.
— Collingwood AFLW (@CollingwoodAFLW) November 30, 2021
Collingwood's Head of Women's Football, Jess Burger, expressed her excitement about the new additions to the leadership group, and expects a good mix of youth and experience leading out the playing squad in 2022.
"We are delighted to have both Steph and Bri continue as our captains in 2022," Burger said in a club statement.
"Both players demonstrate elite leadership qualities in their own right. To have them continue in their role as co-captains provides great stability for the program.
"Britt, Stacey and Ruby have proven to be strong leaders within the team, and we are pleased to reward them with official leadership roles.
"As a collective, the five bring a wealth of experience to our program and offer different leadership styles, positional roles, and personalities. They complement each other really well. We’re excited to see where they can lead this team in 2022."
Chiocci remaining at the helm will see the 32-year-old become the longest-servong captain in the AFLW's history alongside Adelaide Crows captain Chelsea Randall.
Meanwhile, Davey is coming off a career-best year which included Collingwood's best and fairest, AFLW's best and fairest and the honour of All-Australian captain.
The additional vice-captains to the leadership group bring a host of talent and experience into the mix heading into a promising 2022 campaign.
Livingstone was named at full-back in the AFLW Team of the Year, and delivered 52 rebound 50's across 2021, the most by any defender.
Bonnici has played every single game for the Magpies since 2017, obtaining an All-Australian jumper in 2021, returning to the leadership group after serving in the 2018 and 2019 seasons.
Schleicher delivered an impressive 2021 campaign, being named in the back-pocket of the All-Australian team and for good reason, with a league-high 90 intercept possessions across the season.
Boasting four All-Australians and a slim preliminary final loss to the eventual premiers in the Brisbane Lions, Collingwood will look to perform strongly in 2022 as they chase their first premiership in the club's history.
The 2022 AFLW season kicks off on January 6th, with the fixture yet to be confirmed by the AFL.
