THERE will be a new captain at Essendon this season for the first time since 2017 after Dyson Heppell stood down from the role.

The Bombers announced on Friday that Heppell, 30, will be handing over the captaincy after six seasons in the position. The club will appoint his successor before next week's pre-season clash with Gold Coast.

“As a little tacker, playing AFL footy was a dream, let alone playing for the club I supported and then further to that, becoming the captain of that club,” Heppell said. 

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“Over the past six years, I had enormous pride and respect for my role as captain. Leadership can be a tough caper at times, but it has given me so much joy and has played a big part in my growth as a person, player and teammate. "

It sees gun midfielder Zach Merrett be the favourite to take over the captaincy at the club, having been Heppell's vice-captain, while Andrew McGrath was the third member of the Bombers' leadership group last season as deputy vice-captain.

Merrett, a three-time best and fairest winner, first captained the club at the back end of 2016 when he was just 20 years old. 

Heppell, who played every game for the Bombers last season, took over the captaincy in 2017 when he returned to the club after being suspended for the 2016 season.

He was the full-time successor to Jobe Watson, although Brendon Goddard had been appointed the stand-in skipper for the 2016 campaign under John Worsfold after the Bombers' list had been wiped of experience following the 12-month anti-doping bans for players involved in the supplements saga. 

Heppell was the Bombers' first winner of the NAB AFL Rising Star award back in 2011 in his debut season off half-back before he became an elite midfielder and won All-Australian honours in 2014. 

The changing of the captaincy at Essendon sees the Bombers enter 2023 with a new coach, president, board members, chief executive, high performance manager, development coaches and now skipper.