PATRICK Dangerfield has been elevated to Geelong’s new-look 2016 leadership group ahead of his first season at the club.

The former Adelaide star, who was traded to the Cats last year, is one of three fresh inclusions to the club’s six-man group, with Mark Blicavs and Mitch Duncan also elevated.

Duncan was voted into the group two years ago but was left out last season.

Joel Selwood will remain skipper for a fifth consecutive campaign, while defender Harry Taylor has been named vice-captain. Tom Hawkins also maintains his leadership mantle.

Round 18

Veterans Andrew Mackie and Corey Enright have stepped down from the group, meaning no official leader is aged over 30 for the first time in years.

The leadership group announcement was made at Geelong’s season launch on Tuesday evening.

Cats leadership group Mark Blicaves, Patrick Dangerfield, Joel Selwood, Harry Taylor, Mitch Duncan and Tom Hawkins. Picture: Peter Ristevski Source: News Corp Australia

Despite being at the club for less than five months, reigning best and fairest winner Blicavs suggested Dangerfield’s elevation was a no-brainer.

“He’s had a massive impact right from the get go,” Blicavs said.

“You’d understand if Patty wanted to take a step back, (after) being a leader in Adelaide, and just see how it all works, but straight away, he didn’t impose himself in a negative way or anything, he was just talking about his experiences and through the midfield group (saying) ‘maybe we should do this, maybe we should look to that’.”

“He’s been working really hard with (Nakia) Cockatoo. So straight away he’s been unbelievable and his knowledge of the game is really good.

“He’s very calm when he talks to people and organises things, you can just see he’s very switched on and the game makes sense in his head really quickly.”

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Selwood shared Blicavs’ belief that Dangerfield was a natural fit after holding a similar position at the Crows.

“Patty brings across the experience from Adelaide that he’s had in the leadership group there,” Selwood said.

“We’ve been super impressed with him in what he’s brought already but we expect that he’s going to bring more of that in the years to come.

“This is a leadership group that is not only looking at now but looking into the future.”

Selwood suggested the club is a far different place to what it was when Duncan was voted into the leadership group ahead of the 2014 season.

“Mitch has been in the leadership group before but grown up a lot since the last time he was in there,” Selwood said.

“He’s about to take his footy to the next level and he understands that. Being a leader of this footy club is going to help him I think.

SELWOOD: I've joined back in with the boys this week. It's a little late but I'm confident I'll be right. — Geelong Cats (@GeelongCats) February 23, 2016

Cats president Colin Carter also announced that the new stand under construction will be named the Brownlow Stand after the former Geelong captain and VFL president. The development replaces the Brownlow and Jennings stands and will be completed in May 2017.

Charles Brownlow, who also has the game’s most prestigious individual award named after him, has also been an Australian Football Hall of Fame member since 1997.

The season launch was capped off with the club inducting eight men who played for Geelong before the formation of the VFL in 1897 into its hall of fame.

The Cats open their NAB Challenge campaign against Collingwood at Simonds Stadium on Friday night.

Tom Morris is on Twitter: @tommorris32