The Essendon match committee will shortly finalise the official leadership group for season 2004. Last season the group comprised captain James Hird and his deputies Mark Mercuri, Matthew Lloyd, Joe Misiti and Sean Wellman. It is a group with plenty of experience among it. The question is, will the Essendon match committee want to inject some fresh blood into the group?

Succession planning is a part of any quality organisation, and apart from Matthew Lloyd, the captain and his other vice captains are certainly in the second half of their careers. One or all them could finish AFL football within one or two years of each other. So to avoid the leadership vacuum, the match committee may well be looking at changing or increasing the size of the deputy group.

The two Johnsons – Mark and Jason – are two players who immediately spring to mind as does last season’s Crichton Medal winner Scott Lucas. Players from left-field might be Adam McPhee, who impressed in his first year in the club and Andrew Welsh, who filled leadership positions throughout his junior career. Ruckman David Hille has also been touted as a possible future leader.

An announcement on the Bombers' 2004 leadership group is expected to be made in the next couple of weeks.

Have your say. Would you change the Essendon leadership group?