“Stay positive”: How hard yards have steeled new Roos skipper

North Melbourne captain Nick Larkey believes the long grind he's endured since arriving in the AFL will help him in his new leadership position.

The Roos have not played finals since the key forward was drafted at the end of 2016, with Larkey playing 134 games in that time.

“When things aren't going your way, people turn to the leader to see how they're feeling and as soon as you drop your head or lose a bit of confidence or body language people read into it,” Larkey noted to Zero Hanger.

“It filters through the group so the ability to stay positive even when times are tough is really important for a leader.”

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Not until it became clear that Simpkin's tenure as captain was untenable following his attempt to leave the club in the off-season did the possibility of leading the club occur to Larkey.

Larkey entered the leadership group in 2021, growing significantly as a leader since that time as he has increasingly understood the impact he can have on teammates.

“I think I've put more thought into how I carry myself and how much the leaders can dictate the direction of the club and drive the club forward in the best way possible,” Larkey said.

“I think I have a good knack of reading people and perceiving how guys are feeling, so trying to hone in on that as well and not lose that is something I want to do.

“You can do a lot of different things but you want to play well on game day. ‘Clarko' (coach Alastair Clarkson) always says the best form of leadership is playing well on Saturday so I'm under no illusions that's a main part of leadership.”

Larkey has kicked 38 or more goals every year since having an official leadership role.

With veteran Jack Darling who has been a superstar but is entering the last year of his career and second-year player Cooper Trembath as his likely support, Larkey will again have a central role to play as the anchor of the forward line.

Having played under Jack Ziebell, Luke McDonald and Simpkin, Larkey has gained important and varied knowledge about how leadership looks.

“What I've learned from them and the advice they've given to me is just to be true to myself. There's no one set way to lead I don't think," Larkey said.

“It's about tailoring it to different people. Jy is an incredible standard driver and the way he plays is inspirational. 

“‘Lukey Mac' is more relaxed but drove culture and got around everyone so you can take a bit from each of those leaders and I always admired ‘Ziebs'' ability to put on a brave face and stay really positive about how things were going even when it was tough.”