Leadership at every AFL club is different. Some teams go for a solo captain, while another decides three co-captains is best. Some teams pick their best player to lead, while others believes a trusty stalwart galvanises the group more.
However each organisation does it, like the Flying Dutchmen in Pirates of the Caribbean, every crew and ship needs a captain. And there are some mighty fine captains in the AFL.
The pinnacle is Melbourne's Max Gawn who has led his club with honour during the good times and the bad, of which there have been plenty of both.
Newcomers such as Essendon's Andrew McGrath and North Melbourne's Nick Larkey are learning how tough the job can be this season.
While two-time reigning premiers Brisbane decided to move from two co-captains to a trio in 2026 with Harris Andrews, Hugh McCluggage and Josh Dunkley leading the charge.
But who are the next cabs of the rank at your club in terms of players that are captain material?
St Kilda
Co-captains Callum Wilkie and Jack Sinclair are both stars in their own right and distinguished leaders at Moorabbin, so there is no rush to push the next captain in while the club looks to prove its finals credentials.
The Saints would have loved for Max King to have taken the same trajectory as Saint Nick Riewoldt who took on the captaincy in his fifth season.
But King has been struck down for the past two seasons with a plague of injuries, so official leadership roles will be on the back burner as he looks to simply get his body right.
Marcus Windhager, 23, has the personality and aura of an AFL captain. Tough, talented and willing to play a wide variety of roles to support the team.
He has also committed to the Saints recently by signing a four-year contract last year.
A curveball and a way-too-early prediction would be for first-year player Charlie Banfield to one day take the reins.
Was a leader at his school and has impressed at St Kilda early in his first season on and off the field.
