FORMER Richmond defender Reece Conca has made an immediate impact at Fremantle after being voted into the leadership group by the Dockers' players.
Nat Fyfe will lead the Dockers for a third season as skipper, while Joel Hamling joins off-season recruit Conca as a new leader, with David Mundy, Michael Walters and Alex Pearce making up the rest of the group.
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Veteran ruckman Aaron Sandilands has stepped aside after a 10-year stint, while former leader Lachie Neale has joined Brisbane.
Bradley Hill hasn't been recalled after being dumped only months after joining the group last year following an off-field incident.
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Hill will take on an informal leadership role this year.
Conca only joined the Dockers as a free agent last October, but the effervescent ex-Tiger has wasted no time leaving an imprint.
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"I've made a conscious effort to drive really strong standards, and bring what I learned across from Richmond and start implementing some stuff here," Conca said.
"Didn't really expect the leadership role, formally, but it's something I've strived for my whole career.
"I took a bit of a back seat at first (at Fremantle), just observed and took everything in and just slowly trying to do what I can.
"I just want to create positive change, but also just be my essential self and create a really nice environment to be around.
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"The little things (have improved). Training standards have lifted, I feel like guys are connecting a lot better."
The Tigers' togetherness underpinned their stunning 2017 premiership success, and Conca believed bonding would help Freo climb the ladder following consecutive 14th placings.
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"If you develop those strong relationships away from the field, and you trust them, the same is going to happen out on the field," Conca said.
"It's not necessarily kicks, marks, handballs, it’s the little things. Picking someone up off the ground and celebrating goals, that's the stuff that really means a lot."
Hamling, who voted for Conca and lauded his character, conceded leadership doesn't necessarily come naturally to him.
However, the ex-Bulldogs premiership defender felt the time was right for him to step up and help drive the Dockers back towards finals.
"I think winning a premiership in 2016 really drove me to be a better player and have better standards around the club, and be a role model, to get back to that stage eventually," Hamling said.
"I don't know when it will be, but that's probably what really drives me forward.
"I think the age demographic of being about 25, 26, there's only about six or seven of us so, for me, I think I have to be a leader and sometimes it's not natural for me to speak up.
"But I have to do that, that's what the group demands."
The Dockers have endured a range of off-field dramas in recent years, including Connor Blakely's surf suspension, Hill's brush with the law, club-imposed bans for Luke Ryan and Brennan Cox, as well as several misdemeanours by Harley Bennell.
Hamling was confident the Dockers' youthful squad was learning from those issues.
"We're all learning. As leaders, it's for us to lead the way now and implement those standards around the club, really," he said.
"We're all human. Everyone's entitled to enjoy themselves off the field. I'm not going to say the days are over, because every club has indiscretions at times, but we're definitely on the right path."
