HAWTHORN will head to Morwell for a four-day pre-season camp on Monday where the club will dedicate time to finding the side's 38th captain, following the retirement of Ben McEvoy at the end of last season. 

With North Melbourne appointing Luke McDonald and Jy Simpkin as co-captains last Friday, Collingwood and Geelong are the other clubs with current vacancies, while Adelaide, Brisbane, Essendon, Fremantle and West Coast all could make leadership changes.

Reigning Peter Crimmins medallist James Sicily is widely considered to be the favourite following a career-best season in 2022, after spending more than 18 months on the sidelines due to a knee reconstruction in 2020. 

Hawthorn coach Sam Mitchell, who captained the club between 2008 and 2010, believes it is well placed to replace McEvoy, despite the departures of seasoned leaders Jaeger O'Meara, Jack Gunston, Tom Mitchell and Liam Shiels during the off-season.

"I'm pretty confident we've got a few options. I mean it's obvious on the external that James Sicily is the big, obvious one, but certainly there's a lot of players who I wouldn't underestimate their influence on our group," Mitchell told reporters at Monash University.

"I go back to my early days and I remember when Shane Crawford retired and it was like 'how is this club going to run without Shane Crawford?' It was quite amazing that losing someone of such significance as him, every club they find their equilibrium when they come back. 

HAWKS FANTASY Midfield options aplenty, backline jet a lock

"We lost some experienced players and some good players, of course, but the group came together and they just find this groove and equilibrium. We spent a lot of time last year energising the group and flattening the leadership. We go on camp next week where we'll start to knuckle down on what the process and what the structure of our leadership program will look like for the year. 

"I don't think we'll have a leadership group vote as in who do you want your captain to be or who do you want your leadership group to be, we won't do it as plainly as that. It will be a discussion on what we stand for and what we want to achieve, who are the best people to take us there? Collectively we'll make some decisions after that camp, I'd imagine."

Hawthorn is on the hunt for a fourth captain in seven years since club great Luke Hodge passed the baton to Jarryd Roughead ahead of the 2017 season.

Now less than two months out from Hawthorn's season-opener against Essendon, the other point of intrigue at Waverley Park is who will be the No.1 ruckman against Bombers star Sam Draper on March 19. 

INS AND OUTS Every club's full list changes ahead of 2023

The Hawks beat more than a handful of legitimate suitors to land Lloyd Meek from Fremantle during the trade period. The opportunity-starved 24-year-old has been impressive on the track this summer, but Ned Reeves and Max Lynch are also determined to claim the spot after injury-ravaged seasons.

Mitchell will trial playing two ruckmen in the practice matches ahead of the season and then make a decision ahead of round one, searching for an improvement at stoppage after the Hawks ranked 18th for clearances, clearances differential and opposition disposals in 2022, as well as 16th for hit-outs conceded. 

"It's actually been really good to watch," he said. "Max Ramsden is a bit younger and coming from a little bit further back, but in match play yesterday he really troubled them with some of the stuff that he's doing. The four rucks all have different strengths. 

"Ned Reeves is fantastic in the centre bounces but not quite as mobile. Meeky is the big aggressive one but doesn't have quite as good forward craft as say Max Lynch, who is kicking a few goals in training. 

"They all have different strengths and weaknesses and when you have genuine competition for spots, what it does is it creates this feeling of 'I need to perform'. That is so important for getting a group to get better as quickly as possible."

Hawthorn has almost a full list on the track heading into the pre-season camp, with Josh Ward dealing with a hip issue and expected to be back next month, Conor Nash managing a minor knee injury and Josh Morris still recovering from a shoulder reconstruction.