MELBOURNE veteran Brad Green wants to continue as club captain in 2012 but will happily step aside if new coach Mark Neeld decides to go with a new-look leadership group.
Neeld has declared the leadership structure as "a blank canvas" going into next season and will not make any decisions on who will lead the club until March.
Green, who took over from James McDonald for the 2011 season, said he would love to continue in the role but would do what was best for the club rather than put his own aspirations first.
"I certainly would, but whatever is best for the Melbourne football club and that's always what I've been about," Green said on Wednesday at Casey Recreation and Aquatic Centre, where the Demons held a swimming carnival.
"Where I am in my career, it's about what's best [for Melbourne] and we'll see what happens, and at the end of the day that's what I want.
"I'm totally comfortable. I had a meeting when Mark came on board and he doesn't know me, he doesn't know how I go about my football, how I play my football and me as a person.
"That takes time and I've got to get to know Mark as well and he's got to get to know all of us.
"I'm fully comfortable in the process."
Green further strengthened his captaincy credentials this off-season by leading the Australian side in the International Rules series, which he said was a great honour.
He said he understood where Neeld was coming from with only midfield coach Brian Royal remaining from this year's coaching panel.
"As everyone's been saying, it's a blank canvas for everyone going into the new season," he said.
"Leadership … will be looked upon when the season comes but it will be all done by actions and the way we go about our training and football.
"It's great and everyone's got to step up and hopefully we get more leaders out of this."
Green named Jack Grimes, Jack Trengove, Nathan Jones, Daniel Nicholson and Rohan Bail as players to step up their leadership involvement in 2012, with Grimes on the comeback trail from the season-ending broken foot he sustained in May.
He also said players such as Nicholson, Bail and young defender Tom McDonald were impressing on the track - with the latter in the top three for running - under Neeld's tough new regime.
"I think no matter what pre-season you do they're tough, but certainly with Neeldy and the coaching staff and the whole new set up it's been challenging times for the boys," he said.
"It's certainly been put on us by the fitness staff and the coaching staff that we need to get better in a lot of areas and fitness is one of those.
"It's been really challenging, which is great and what we needed.
"The boys have lifted their intensity in training, their efforts have been outstanding and no doubt there's a whole new look on life in the direction the footy club is going with training standards.
"When you see us play next season there will be a whole new direction with the way we're going to play."
The Demons had some fun on Wednesday with a "school sports" style swimming carnival after three tough weeks at the club.
Green said they were enjoying a step down in intensity this week but he was concerned about some of his teammates' swimming ability.
"I reckon a few of them will sink rather than swim."
