FREMANTLE star Nat Fyfe has stood down as captain, paving the way for the club to appoint its first new on-field leader since the dual Brownlow medallist took the role in 2017.
Fyfe told teammates on Tuesday that he would stand aside as captain before the upcoming player vote and would not nominate for any formal leadership roles this season.
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The 31-year-old, who last year became the Dockers' second longest serving captain behind Peter Bell, told teammates the decision to let go was a difficult one, but he knew "intuitively" that it created an exciting opportunity for the club.
"It has been something I've known for the last three or four weeks," Fyfe said on Tuesday.
"Last year was a challenging year for me individually, but a great year for the club and it started to pave the way for a transition.
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"Intuitively, I knew that it was an exciting opportunity for the club for me to step aside and let someone else come through.
"It took a while for the emotions and my mind to line up with my intuition, it feels like I was letting go of a dream in some ways, but once I connected with that feeling, it opens up the possibility for so much more.
"I'm optimistic about what this transition can do for the club."
Shoulder and back surgery as well as a hamstring strain saw Fyfe restricted to just seven games last season as the Dockers turned to key defender Alex Pearce to stand in as captain.
Pearce, who overcome his own injury issues to play a career-best 21 games, excelled in the role and is a likely choice for the club if the players opt for experience in the leadership vote.
Young midfielders Andrew Brayshaw and Caleb Serong are also strong contenders to lead the young group after establishing themselves as stars of the competition with complementary leadership attributes.
Fyfe hoped his decision to step aside from all leadership responsibilities would help new leaders emerge in 2023.
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The champion midfielder said it would also allow him to focus entirely on his new role as a permanent forward, where he is becoming more prominent with each week that passes this pre-season.
"By stepping away completely from the leadership group that allows me to focus all my energy on helping our other forwards and learning my craft again," he said.
"It also allows someone else to step into the leadership group potentially and give us that fresh push of leadership which will propel us forward."
