DAYNE Beams is not campaigning for the Brisbane captaincy.

But if he gets the tap on the shoulder, he would relish the chance to steer the Lions into a brighter future.

The first priority for the 2010 Collingwood premiership player and 2012 All-Australian midfielder is to get his troublesome knee right after being restricted to just seven quarters of football in 2016.

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Beams, 26, has been running for almost three months after the latest round of surgery and — with smart management — is aiming to play every match in 2017.

He will also be in the running for the captaincy with the new brains trust of senior coach Chris Fagan and football boss David Noble keen to put their stamp on the club and go through their own process to appoint a skipper.

media_camera Lions star Dayne Beams returned to training last week. Picture: Claudia Baxter

Beams has never coveted leadership roles and will strive to set the right example regardless of whether or not he is captain.

“It’s not something that I’ve ever thought about. I’m certainly not going around on street corners with a poster campaigning for the job,’’ Beams said.

“But if it came down to my teammates wanting me to do it and they charge me with that responsibility, I’d certainly take it on board and do it to the best of my ability.

“At the moment Tom (Rockliff) is the captain and I support him.

“I worked on my leadership stuff last year when I wasn’t playing and there’s plenty of different forms of leadership. The main one is you want to be on the ground.

“There’s also a lot of time during the week when you have to lead by example especially with our young group that need guidance and nurturing. They need the right role models in front of them.’’

Beams said he was not prepared for the extra responsibility when he was elevated into the Collingwood leadership group in 2012 and has learned from the experience.

“I was coming off the back of a really good year and I felt like I was in there on my playing ability — not my leadership,’’ he said.

“I didn’t nominate myself the next year because I just wasn’t ready.

“I feel like I’ve matured a fair bit since I’ve come to Brisbane. I’ve learned from my mistakes and believe I have a bit to offer.’’

Beams and his wife Kelly welcomed daughter Ruby into the world in September and said the experience had given him perspective.

media_camera Dayne Beams was struck down with injury last year. Picture: Peter Wallis

“I love being a dad and Kelly loves being a mum. We are enjoying everything that comes with being parents. It changes your life for the better,’’ he said

Beams believes the new era at Brisbane under Fagan and Noble could give birth to success.

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“The club has been in a position where we haven’t been too relevant and I’m not sure if opposition teams really respect us,’’ he said.

“The only way we can get out of that is hard work and our ultimately our performances. You can notice the change around the footy club.’’

* The Brisbane Lions women’s team will start pre-season training at Yeronga tonight (MON). The full playing list for the men’s team will also report for pre-season training today.

Originally published as Beams to lead regardless of captain tag