NEW LEADER Nat Fyfe says there will no added pressure as a result of being elevated to Fremantle's leadership group for 2015.
Fyfe was the sole addition to the Dockers' six-man group that was announced on Wednesday with the 23-year-old replacing Matt de Boer following a player vote.
The players reinstated Matthew Pavlich as Dockers captain for a ninth straight season and also endorsed 2014 leaders David Mundy, Aaron Sandilands, Luke McPharlin and Lee Spurr to remain in the role.
Fyfe's elevation has come on the back of two extraordinary seasons. He has won consecutive best and fairest awards and in 2014 won the AFL Players' Association MVP and polled 25 Brownlow Medal votes despite being ineligible due to missing four games through suspension.
But the freakish midfielder told the club's website he does not feel any extra pressure on his shoulders.
"I don't think there's any great expectation," Fyfe said.
"I think I've sort of grown into this role over the last couple of seasons. I won't change much about my day-to-day work at the club. I'll just have a greater awareness knowing that players look to me as a leader.
"It's certainly a great vote of confidence from the other players that they voted me in. There's certainly new responsibilities and challenges and I'm really looking forward to taking them on."
Pavlich said on Wednesday that Fyfe's growth as a leader had been evident over the past 12 months and his understanding of modern football and the Dockers' game plan was second to none.
Fyfe, who has played 92 matches over five seasons, explained that his growth had simply come through time spent at the football club.
"Certainly experience is invaluable," Fyfe said.
"Just more time around the footy club learning off some pretty good leaders that we already have, playing a lot of games of footy in different scenarios.
"That experience is something you can't buy."
