Essendon have announced their 2021 leadership group, with midfielder Zach Merrett re-joining the captaincy ranks at Tullamarine.
Merrett and 22-year-old onballer Andrew McGrath have been added to the four-piece, with Dyson Heppell holding the captaincy for a fifth straight year and veteran defender Michael Hurley remaining as vice-captain.
Devon Smith, Dylan Shiel and David Zaharakis have made way for the two new additions after sharing leadership roles in 2020.
Our 2021 leaders ๐ดโซ๏ธ
— Essendon FC (@essendonfc) January 20, 2021
First-year senior coach Ben Rutten lauded the commitment of the club's newest leadership group.
โDyson, Michael, Zach and Andy each possess outstanding work ethic, professionalism and commitment to the Essendon Football Club,โ Rutten told the club website.
โThese players lead by example and are committed to the programโs values, so they are each to be congratulated on this achievement.
โWe also commend Dyson in being unanimously endorsed to lead this football club as captain for a fifth year. It shows the high regard he is held in by his peers.
โDysonโs leadership continues to evolve year on year and he leads from the front. He nurtures but challenges the playing group, and is incredibly determined to take this group forward. He is to be applauded for his caring and committed attitude across all facets of this organisation and we look forward to seeing him once again drive this playing group into 2021.
โWe would like to thank David (Zaharakis), Devon (Smith) and Dylan (Shiel) for their contribution in the group last year. Theyโll each play an important role in building the leadership capabilities of our playing list this season.โ
Heppell stated his excitement for the upcoming season under Ben Rutten and beyond.
โDespite the challenges 2020 presented both on and off the field, weโve seen some important growth in this emerging playing group and weโre better placed because of it. We are excited for the next phase ahead and itโs a true honour to lead the group as skipper again,โ Heppell said.
โThere is a really good energy at the football club under a new senior coach in Ben (Rutten) and we are all united and committed in wanting to be better across the board. Weโre hungry and determined and weโve seen that desire in our training sessions this pre-season.
โAs a playing group, weโve spoken about wanting to be a really dependable and hard-working football team. While we can set the example as a leadership group, it takes all of us to drive this football program forward. Iโm excited to see what this playing group can bring in 2021.โ
