Ben Stratton has the backing of teammates to captain Hawthorn, says Campbell Brown

Campbell Brown believes Ben Stratton is a left-field contender to captain Hawthorn, saying his popularity around the club made him an ideal choice to take over from Jarryd Roughead.

There will only be one captain at Hawthorn while president Jeff Kennett is in charge. Picture: Michael Klein

Campbell Brown says Hawthorn will never have a co-captaincy under Jeff Kennett, believing left-field contender Ben Stratton has the players’ backing as captain.

Premiership defender Brown and former Hawks captain Gary Ayres paid tribute to Jarryd Roughead, who will hand over the captaincy to one of a field that includes vice-captains Liam Shiels and Isaac Smith.

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Ayres said Roughead still had a huge on-field role next year as an onfield leader of a young forward line, even if he only played 14 games to ensure he remained fresh through the season.

But Brown said the kind of co-captaincy adopted by Carlton was forbidden under Kennett, who prevented Luke Hodge and Sam Mitchell sharing the captaincy in the 2008 premiership year.

Kennett said later of that decision: “While I am president of Hawthorn there will not be joint captains. You can only have one captain of the ship.”

Ben Stratton is well loved by his Hawthorn teammates. Picture: Michael Klein

Brown said the mulletted Stratton, who regularly DJs in Melbourne pubs and co-owns a beer label, had to be a candidate.

“The players absolutely love him. I reckon he is the most popular bloke on the list,” he told the Herald Sun.

“Clarko loves him and internally he is one of the most highly rated guys on the list and he was in the leadership group this year.

“Clearly he is the leader of the backline. I am just not sure if Liam Shiels wants it. He has been the next in line for a long time but he needs to make up his mind if he is interested.

“Hawthorn never do co-captains under Jeff, they have never had one and they wouldn’t entertain it.”

Jeff Kennett prevented Sam Mitchell and Luke Hodge from being co-captains.

Hawthorn football boss Graham Wright said as many as nine Hawks were in contention for the club’s leadership group, adamant Roughead had a large role to play next year.

Ayres, the club’s dual Norm Smith medallist as well as captain in 1992-93, said Roughead wasn’t going anywhere as an on-field presence.

“Thirty-four goals is still a bloody good effort and there is plenty of room for experienced players with the changing of the guard and players like Luke Hodge moving to Brisbane and Jarrad McVeigh signing on again at Sydney.

“It would be silly not to utilise Roughead, he might only play 14 or 15 games but we all know he is a fierce competitor.

“The club is using a (membership) slogan ‘Always Hawthorn’. That is what Roughy’s legacy is — ‘Always Hawthorn’.

“He is a unique Hawthorn person who talks to everyone, has time for everyone, fought back from adversity, is a four-time premiership player and will go down as one of the all-time greats of the club.”