A MONTH after leading Australia, Brent Harvey could become captain of his club after Adam Simpson yesterday stood down as North Melbourne skipper in what he expects to be his final year as an AFL player.

While the Roos will make a decision on the captaincy within the next three weeks, Harvey would appear the likely successor, while fellow leaders Drew Petrie and Brady Rawlings would also figure strongly as potential replacements.

North coach Dean Laidley said the club was highly unlikely to select multiple captains. He was open to the idea that with such a young list, the club select a young captain to be the long-term leader, but there was a sense it would look to the best credentialled of its leaders.

"I think it is time to pass it on. I always said I would like to pass it on going into what could be my last year of footy and it gives me a real chance to work with some young kids and a bit more one-on-one stuff," Simpson said.

"I want to help the new skipper get through his first years and take it from there."

Simpson, who turns 33 in February, had a serious shoulder injury during the miserable end to North's season this year, when it again failed in the finals, and admitted the experience of Melbourne's David Neitz — who carried the captaincy into what became an injury-plagued final season — weighed heavily on his mind.

"If you are captain in your last year and it doesn't go well it could create a bit of a void for the next captain … so worst-case scenario we wouldn't want that to happen," Simpson said.

"We have a couple of leaders I reckon might be ready, so I thought why wait? And instead of making a tough decision mid-year we could start fresh now.

"There are a few obvious candidates there with Brent Harvey, Drew, and Brady being in our leadership group, so I would say they would make a decision out of those three — but then there is Daniel Pratt who is an exceptional leader as well."

Simpson held the job for five difficult years, with the club facing relocation to the Gold Coast and the on-going battle to survive.

"It was pretty tough because you are always thinking of the survival of the club and I think we have just about got over that horizon … I don't think some of the leaders from other clubs have that pressure although it was never put on me personally. You just feel that being an older player and the captain, you feel like you need success for us to survive.

"It's a new era now … but there was always that pressure that, gee, if we have a couple of bad years in a row, you don't want to be the last captain of the footy club."

■Robert Harvey still speaks of his new club Carlton as "them" not "us", suggesting 20 years of indoctrination cannot be forgotten in days, but he has at least learned to pull on the new navy blue shirt of his new club.

Harvey began as an assistant coach on Monday but it took until yesterday to pull the new shirt over his head.

"I was keen to get away from the place I have been for so long — I think that will give me the answer in the next couple of years whether that (ambitions for senior coaching) is the case."

Harvey joins former West Coast assistant Darren Harris and former Blue David Teague in setting up the Blues' development academy, which will focus on the under-22 bracket.

Joining the Blues in pre-season training will be former Melbourne player Chris Johnson.

■Collingwood resumed training with a time trial on Monday and training on Cup day and yesterday. The Pies fly to Arizona on Monday.