Stratton vow as leader

BEN Stratton says he would gladly accept the Hawthorn captaincy, but would not attempt to change if he was voted in as Jarryd Roughead’s successor.

The Hawks, in Tasmania for their annual community camp, are yet to decide who will lead the team in 2019 after Roughead stepped down as skipper in November after two years at the helm.

Three weeks out from the club’s first JLT game against the Brisbane Lions, Isaac Smith and Liam Shiels are thought to be the leading contenders for the role as joint vice-captains.

Defender Stratton was also in last year’s leadership group alongside Jack Gunston.

“I would be the best leader I can be and I’m going to be myself and that’s it,” Stratton said yesterday.

“If that’s going to be good enough to lead the club, then so be it. There are three or four guys that would probably say the same thing. I will be the best leader I can be, not going to change myself, not going to change my lifestyle, not going to change anything about me.

“I’m just going to do me. Hopefully the boys will follow that, and I think the other boys will be in the same position as well.”

Hawthorn will decide their next captain with a 5-4-3-2-1 player vote, with Stratton telling SEN radio it would be a “pretty open discussion”.