THE INTRIGUE surrounding who will captain Fremantle this season continues to grow, and David Mundy and Nat Fyfe aren't the only candidates for the top job, defender Garrick Ibbotson says. 

Mundy took the reins from club legend Matthew Pavlich and led the Dockers in trying circumstances during their disappointing four-win campaign last year. 

Superstar Fyfe, who is coming back from a broken leg and could be a free agent at the end of 2017, is widely viewed as Mundy's main challenger for the role.

However, Ibbotson said the Dockers boasted a number of candidates to lead the club when the players cast their votes in the coming weeks.

"Obviously Dave (Mundy), I think, did a good job last year in a tough season for the club, so until everybody does their votes I don't really know (who it will be)," he said. 

"I think (Fyfe's) definitely capable, but Mundy did a great job, Lee Spurr possibly could as well. There's plenty of guys at our football club who are capable of being captain. 

"That's what we pride ourselves on, picking a leadership group and we've usually had five or six guys that could probably step into the role.

"It's more about the group for us. I understand the interest in the captaincy with Dave and Fyfey … but for us it's more about spreading the load." 

Under the Dockers' system, the players voice their leadership group votes in front of the entire squad, with their overall choice for skipper then ratified by the board.

"The reason behind it is once you stand up and say your vote, you're owning it," Ibbotson said. 

The Dockers sweated through a testing open training session on Friday in front of hundreds of fans at Fremantle Oval. 

But there was no sign of injury-plagued star Harley Bennell as he continues to build his comeback from a fresh calf setback in November. 

"He's been good. He works really hard in his rehab stuff. His dedication's definitely there, it's frustrating for him with the injuries that he's had and not being able to get out and play," Ibbotson said of the ex-Sun. 

"He's been able to get on the track a little bit more, not with us (the main group) as much, but in rehab and … he's getting there slowly." 

Ibbotson has enjoyed an injury-free pre-season to date and is keen to start playing alongside defensive recruit Joel Hamling in the upcoming JLT Community Series.

The Dockers will also have the chance to test out how they can exploit Aaron Sandilands' ruck dominance following the outlawing of the 'third-man up' at stoppages. 

"I'm sure he probably appreciates it a little bit … he doesn't have to worry about guys jumping into his back," Ibbotson said. 

"It helps that you don't have to worry about a third-party going into the contest, and even for midfielders not to have to worry about stopping their opponents being third-up."