RYAN Griffen has been unveiled as the Western Bulldogs' new captain after veteran Matthew Boyd encouraged the 27-year-old to take the reins at the rebuilding club.

Griffen, who won his second club champion award in 2013 and was named All Australian, has developed into a genuine leader at the Bulldogs and flourished when handed the captaincy in Boyd's absence this year.  

Boyd missed nine games in 2013 because of a fractured jaw and calf injury and chose to hand over the captaincy.

Griffen said he would treasure the opportunity to lead the club he has played 183 games for since he was recruited with pick No.3 in the 2004 NAB AFL Draft. 

"It’s a huge honour to lead this club – a club I love dearly," he told westernbulldogs.com.au. 

"I’m extremely humbled, that the coaches, staff and my teammates nominated me as the person to captain the club." 

With the Bulldogs entering an exciting phase of their rebuild, coach Brendan McCartney said Griffen was the ideal leader to step in for Boyd. 

"Matthew has been a great leader of this club, particularly through some challenging times over the past three years where he shouldered some enormous responsibility both on and off the field," McCartney said.

"We see Ryan as the right person to help take this club forward and we look forward to seeing him continue to grow as a leader, player and person."

Hard to catch: Ryan Griffen roams free during the Dogs' round 13 clash with Richmond. Picture: AFL Media