Why captaincy appointment is the "proudest moment" of Larkey's career

The Kangaroos have appointed a new leader ahead of 2026, with star key forward Nick Larkey to take the reins following a player-led vote in early pre-season.

North Melbourne was forced into a change in leadership after former captain Jy Simpkin stepped down from the role, having requested a trade from the club over the course of the off-season.

Larkey, having shared vice-captaincy with young gun Harry Sheezel last season, was nominated as the club’s newest skipper as he approaches his 10th season in the royal blue and white.

A former All-Australian and star of the competition, Larkey revealed that winning the player-led vote was the proudest moment of his 134-game career thus far.

“The proudest moment before yesterday was being voted into the leadership group,” Larkey told SEN's The Run Home.

“It was about four or five years ago now, and that moment… it’s so special because you’re voted in by your peers.

“That’s what makes it, for me, so good, is that they are putting their faith in you, they see you in that light, and it sort of makes you see yourself a little bit differently. It dictates how you act and how you carry yourself a bit more.

“Throughout the years being in the leadership group for a while and having the vice captaincy for a few years – I’ve been lucky to have a couple of great leaders to look up to and bounce off through my time, and they’ve led the team through really, really tough years.

“That’s when leadership is at its toughest. It would be a lot easier to captain a club that’s right up the top of the ladder than it is with a team that’s bene struggling for a long time. I’ve been lucky to be under a couple of great people that have kept the club together and kept the culture strong.”

Having held co-vice captaincy with Harry Sheezel in 2025, both he and Larkey entered the vote as shared favourites to claim the captaincy ahead of the upcoming season.

And although the key forward took out the vote this time around, Larkey is certain that the young gun is next up.

“When Jy stepped down as skipper, I thought it’d probably be either me or ‘Sheez’,” Larkey said.

“It’s fallen my way, but it could have gone either way, and I know that ‘Sheez’ is a remarkable player himself.

“To even be considered in his fourth year coming up is pretty special and one day I’m sure he’ll take the reins. It’s just a huge honour to get it.”

Larkey’s role as a leader will be far from easy, taking over a side that has finished in the bottom three for six consecutive seasons and has failed to make the finals since 2016.

That said, the key forward remains aware that the leadership the club requires is far from that of what one man can produce.

“I think you can get in your head about trying to be the perfect leader here and there, but no one is,” he said.

“The constant advice that I’ve gotten is just to be yourself and be authentic to yourself and know that there is a reason that you got voted in and trusting that.

“Obviously, you have to tweak things here and there, but I think backing in my own traits as a leader, and I spoke to it yesterday to North Melbourne media about the balance of our leadership group, and how each guy might and does lead differently.

“Nobody is a perfect leader, but altogether we have a really strong unit that covers a lot of bases. My style of leadership will be different to Bull’s (Cam Zurhaar), or Big X (Tristan Xerri) and ‘Sheez’ and to each and every one of them.

“It’s the uniqueness that makes it a good group, but sticking true to what I know is what I’ve been told and what I’m going to try to do.”

Now over a week into pre-season training, Larkey pointed out a number of players that have stood out across the early stages, confident that the club’s young core will step up in a big way in 2026.

“Finn O’Sullivan, I just can’t wait to see him develop,” Larkey said.

“He’s had a great start to pre-season. Cooper Trembath looks like a specimen, we saw what he could do in the back end of last year and it’s only a glimpse of it. I can’t wait to see it with a full pre-season under his belt, just looks like a supreme athlete.

“Riley Hardeman also looks really good off half back. He’s come back and put in a lot of work, (and) Colby McKercher looks good.

“Just you wait and see. There’s a few to mention. Keep those receipts, and hopefully I’m proven right.

“I could keep going, but I’ll stop there.”

Larkey’s first game as skipper is scheduled for the first day of March, as North Melbourne hosts Collingwood in a pre-season contest at Mars Stadium.