Former Geelong captain Ben Graham may or may not be a fan of musician James Taylor, but the words to Taylor’s Carole King song You’ve Got a Friend, may well provide an inspiration for his relationship with new skipper Steven King (no relation to Carole).

Just as Taylor once offered, “You just call out my name, and you know wherever I am. I'll come running ….. you’ve got a friend”, so to has Graham offered his support to King, his replacement as leader of the Cats.

King said that Graham has put the disappointment of losing the captaincy behind him.

“Benny was a little disappointed, but his support for me was terrific and it’s something that I appreciated greatly,” King said.

“He rang me up and came around as well and basically said I’m there for you any time you need support and help. Benny’s relaxed the way he’s going about his footy as well, so hopefully it works out well.”

King said he expects to rely on Graham’s leadership experience this year, as the Cats strive to improve on their ninth position of last year.

“I’m sure this week I’ll have a bit of a chat to him on the eve of the 2003 season.”

The star ruckman added that he will also have to slightly alter the way he approaches his football.

“I guess it’s a little different, you sort of tend to focus on yourself in the past, making sure you’re playing well.

“(But now) it’s your responsibility as well to get the team playing well and to do the things that Bomber (Mark Thompson) wants to take out on the field. From that point of view, it’s a little bit more of a responsibility, but it something that gets you involved in the game as well.”