Dyson Heppell at Essendon's team photo day on February 15, 2023. Picture: AFL Photos

FORMER Essendon captain Dyson Heppell is embracing the next evolution of his career and is committed to helping the club develop its next batch of budding stars, according to the veteran's manager Marty Pask.

Heppell attracted interest from Gold Coast during last October's trade period, but opted to remain at Essendon on a one-year deal that ensured his Bombers future stretched into a 13th season.

However, the 30-year-old has had a reduced role to start the 2023 campaign and was subbed out of the side's round two victory over Gold Coast before finishing with just five kicks against St Kilda last week.

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Initially named on an extended bench for the side's clash with Greater Western Sydney this Sunday, Pask reiterated on AFL.com.au's new trade and draft podcast Gettable this week that Heppell was fully invested in the next phase of his career.

"It's the evolution of a player," Pask said.

"First of all, you're proud of the fact that as a player you've survived in the industry this long and the other things that come with it. You're an All-Australian, captain, best and fairest winner.

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"You just think, from that aspect, when you're a 17- or 18-year-old kid coming from the country and you get to the other side of the mountain and you start looking at it and you tick off those aspects of your game … you've had a really successful career.

"It's putting it into perspective, that's the main thing. There's a lot that he's done very well and he's had an extremely good career. Now it's just understanding where his role fits.

"He's not captain anymore, he's supporting a new captain, he's a terrific human being, he's got value to the club as a development person, and obviously he has aspirations to be in that space at the club too.

"I think it's now looking at how he makes the other players better around him and the club better as a whole. If you know the person that Dyson is, having an understanding of him that way, he has no problems whatsoever in allowing other people to be good and helping them to be good as well."

Gettable is the new trade, draft and free agency podcast on AFL.com.au, the AFL Live Official App, or wherever you get your podcasts. The latest episode is live now.