Jy Simpkin will lead North Melbourne for a third season after being backed in as captain by his teammates and coaches again for 2025.
Simpkin will be the club’s sole captain in 2025 after former co-captain Luke McDonald made the decision to step aside prior to the leadership vote last week.
The 26-year-old was appointed co-captain alongside McDonald ahead of the 2023 season, with the pair becoming the first in the club’s history to share the captaincy role.
Simpkin will be supported by Nick Larkey and Harry Sheezel, who have been appointed co-vice captains by their peers.
A proud Yorta-Yorta man, Simpkin is currently one of two First Nations captains in the league.
Drafted from the Murray Bushrangers, Simpkin has played 152 AFL games across eight seasons in the royal blue and white.
"Jy, Nick and Harry are outstanding leaders for our club and received strong support from the players and coaches," North Melbourne general manager of football Todd Viney said.
"Jy has taken great strides forward in his leadership capabilities over the last two seasons, supported by Luke McDonald and is well placed to lead as a standalone captain.
"The standard Harry has set since he walked into the club has been quite remarkable for his young age, and Nick continues to be a clear standout leader in our group.
"In addition to the three key leadership positions, we are fortunate to have a group of established and emerging leaders to give us additional depth and capabilities in this area.
"We have actively sought to bring experience into our club with the likes of Luke Parker, Caleb Daniel and Jack Darling and their extensive leadership experience, along with the strong leaders within the group, such as Griffin Logue, Tristan Xerri, Cam Zurhaar, Bailey Scott, Aidan Corr, Luke Davies-Uniacke and of course, Luke McDonald.
"As we’ve come to expect with Luke, he demonstrated great leadership when he decided that it was time for him to move away from the captaincy role and support the next group of leaders coming through.
"Luke has been an exceptional leader for our club. His experience has been critical for us in recent years with a relatively young group, his strong connection across the whole club has supported our ‘one club’ ethos, and I know he will continue his leadership on and off the field by supporting Jy, Harry and Nick in their roles."
