Who will your club’s captain be in four years’ time?
Some younger captains now will probably still be holding onto the role by the time 2028 comes around, but most clubs will need to make a switch.
With that in mind, we’ve looked into our crystal ball and tried to predict who we think will be each club’s skipper come that season.
We’ve listed the age of each player picked before the start of the 2028 season. With 2024 on the horizon, this is their age in approximately four years and three months’ time.
Check out all 18 clubs below!
Jordan Dawson (31)
Currently aged 26, Jordan Dawson should still be holding the role at West Lakes come 2028.
The smooth-moving midfielder plays the kind of footy that should serve him well into his 30s and by then he’ll have five years of experience under his belt.
There are several young guns beneath him, but surely Dawson will be the man to lead Adelaide back to contention.
Harris Andrews (32)
Andrews will be recently turned 32 before the start of the 2028 season.
Current co-captain Lachie Neale would be doing very well to still be playing by then, but you’d expect Andrews to still be firing.
Brisbane aren’t short of options though, with Hugh McCluggage (30), Jack Payne (29) and potentially even Will Ashcroft (23) chances come 2028.
Ashcroft could be the long-term option, but he’s more likely to get his go later in his career.
Sam Walsh (28)
A pretty obvious choice, Walsh is definitely captaincy material and will surely skipper the Blues one day.
Patrick Cripps (32) and Jacob Weitering (30) could also easily hold this role, but around this time you’d imagine the club would want to hand Walsh the keys.
In his prime and captain, it just makes sense.
Nick Daicos (25)
The young superstar will be recently turned 25 by the 2028 season.
While the club won’t be in a rush to move on premiership skipper Darcy Moore, he’ll be 32 by this stage and Daicos looms as an obvious successor.
It could even be this season when a potential handover is made.
If not in 2028, you’d expect this to happen one or two years later.
Zach Merrett (32)
The current Dons skipper will be nearing the end of his reign by 2028, but he still looks the smart choice.
Andy McGrath (29) or Mason Redman (30) are both viable options, but you’d imagine Essendon would like to transition away from Merrett to a younger player that can lead the next generation.
If he hasn’t chosen to give up the role, he still looks the most likely to have it by then.
Andrew Brayshaw (28)
Many felt Brayshaw would be the man to take over from Nat Fyfe last season, but Alex Pearce won the role instead.
By 2028 though, Pearce will be nearing 33 and by then you’d think the Dockers would want the role in the hands of either Brayshaw or Caleb Serong, who will be 27.
We've got Brayshaw ahead as a leader at this stage ... just.
Jack Henry (29)
Geelong is an interesting one, many of their obvious choices are already above the age of 30 and Patrick Dangerfield will surely be done by 2028.
While Tom Stewart (35) or Tom Atkins (32) could hold the role, the Cats may want to look slightly younger.
In the next crop, Henry, Zach Guthrie (29), Brad Close (29) or Gryan Miers (28) could be asked to step up. For this exercise, we’re with Henry.
Noah Anderson (27)
Current co-captain Touk Miller (32) is still every chance to hold the position but Noah Anderson looks like the next man up.
The gun midfielder is already in the club’s leadership group and will be recently turned 27 by the 2028 season.
In all likelihood he’ll be the club’s future captain, but will it be by 2028? That appears to be the only real question.
Tom Green (27)
Toby Greene is still every chance to be playing aged 34, but the young midfielder is an obvious next choice.
Already a member of the leadership group, Green will be in his prime hitting zone like many other players to step into the captaincy in this timeframe.
Sam Taylor (28) and Connor Idun (27) are also viable candidates.
Will Day (26)
Given James Sicily will be 33 by the 2028 season, the Hawks will likely have a new skipper leading the club.
Current vice-captain Dylan Moore (28) is a viable selection, but Will Day (26) could be the man to hold the job.
Another star midfielder who looks and feels like a club captain, Day could be ready to take on the role at this stage of his career.
You wouldn’t be hearing any complaints from Hawthorn fans if this were to happen.
Christian Petracca (32)
With Max Gawn (36) and Jack Viney (33) as the current leaders, the Demons may need someone to stand up underneath them by 2028.
Petracca is a superstar, and like Patrick Dangerfield, could receive the captaincy later in his career.
He’ll have recently turned 32 by the 2028 season and could still have some good footy ahead of him.
Below him, Trent Rivers (26) could loom as a viable option.
Jy Simpkin (30)
North’s current co-captain alongside Luke McDonald, Simpkin will still be in his prime by 2028.
Barring an unlikely situation, he still looks like the obvious skipper for the Roos as he’ll have five years of experience under his belt by then.
Nick Larkey (29) is also a current member of the leadership group. Luke Davies-Uniacke (28) is a quality option too.
North’s younger stars will probably be too early in their careers to shoulder the load.
Zak Butters (27)
This one is incredibly hard to split, and Kane Cornes thinks Connor Rozee (28) is a lock to be the club’s next skipper.
Both are brilliant options, but Butters is the type of player who has the star quality to inspire as well as the toughness, having won the Robert Rose Award for the league’s most courageous player in 2023.
At 27, he’ll be entering his prime and potentially ready for the role. If Rozee gets the nod in the next season or two though, the club won’t be in a rush to remove him from the role.
Liam Baker (30)
Richmond’s current co-captains Dylan Grimes and Toby Nankervis will be in their mid-30s by 2028 and either retired or nearing the end, so a captaincy change won’t be too far away.
Liam Baker is one player who inspires his teammates on the field, and he’ll be recently turned 30 and in his prime by 2028.
Another good option is Tim Taranto, who will also be (30) and sets the standard in all facets for the Tigers.
Both are solid picks but Baker gets the nod for us.
Max King (27)
A bit of a hard one, but current options Jack Sinclair (33), Jack Steele (32) and Callum Wilkie (32) would all be nearing the end of their potential captaincy reigns.
With that in mind, the Saints could be looking to make a switch by 2028 and King will be right in his prime and one of the leaders of the club.
If not King, the Saints could look even younger with the likes of Marcus Windhager (24) and Mitch Owens (24) already standard setters at Moorabbin.
Callum Mills (30)
One of Sydney’s current co-captains, Mills is the only one of the current trio – that includes Dane Rampe and Luke Parker – that will likely be in the role or even playing come 2028.
With most of the other players in the leadership group already senior heads, Mills looks like he’ll hold the position for many years to come.
In saying that, the Swans do love having multiple captain and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Mills share the role with a player, or players, like Tom McCartin (28), Chad Warner (26) and Errol Gulden (25).
Oscar Allen (29)
Oscar Allen recently won the role for 2024 alongside Liam Duggan, but with Duggan 31 by 2028, the key forward could have the role on a sole basis by then.
By that season, Allen will have just turned 29 and he’ll be in the prime of his career with four years of captaincy experience under his belt.
Given there are no obvious choices younger than the key forward, he could captain the Eagles well into his 30s.
Marcus Bontempelli (32)
One of the best captains in the AFL, the Bulldogs should be in no rush to take the title away from their superstar midfielder.
While he’ll be 32 come the 2028 campaign, he should viably still be at the top of his game and will no doubt be leading from the front.
Aaron Naughton (28) was a member of Bontempelli’s leadership group in 2023, but he looks more likely to be a long-term assistant given he’s relatively close in age to the current skipper.
Under that, it’s too early to speculate on who could take over once Bontempelli is finished if not Naughton.
