MELBOURNE coach Paul Roos has indicated the club will settle its captaincy appointment by the end of February.

The issue has been a hot topic for the Demons, with a number of football commentators criticising the club's lack on-field leadership last season.

Former captain Jack Trengove – who was appointed to the role alongside Jack Grimes at the start of 2012 – stepped down from the position at the beginning of November. 

Roos said he would allow the players to make their own judgments about the club's leadership this pre-season, before making any announcements.

"[It's just about] setting the standards of the group and giving the players a chance to watch each other and then vote on the leadership group," Roos said on Monday.

"I suspect somewhere mid-February type (the appointment)."

Nathan Jones is a leading candidate to fill the role, having already said he would like to lead the Demons.
 
Jones said the players had started to gain some understanding about how Roos will coach the team in 2014.
 
The former Swans coach has introduced the renowned 'Leading Teams' program to the club, as he looks to build the culture and fabric of the Demons.
 
Jones said the team had had a specific focus on skills based training during the early stages of pre-season.
 
"They did a big pre-season last year, with running, and they're ready to take the next step with their skill based training," Roos said.
 
Key forward Mitch Clark was impressive at training on Monday morning, running hard and displaying good touch as he continued his comeback from a foot injury.
 
The Demons trained strongly with new recruits Christian Salem, Jay Kennedy-Harris and Jayden Hunt mostly taking it in from the sidelines on their first day.
 
"It's a great lift for the boys seeing him (Clark) up and about," Jones said.
 
"He's had two hard years of pretty limited footy and to come back and see him going as well as he is, it's a really positive sign."
 
Roos and Jones led a march against family violence through Melbourne's CBD on Monday, as part of White Ribbon Day.
 
Twitter: @AFL_BenGuthrie