CAPTAINCY won’t temper Jack Ziebell’s kamikaze game style.

The Herald Sun can reveal the 25-year-old will take the reins as North Melbourne skipper next year after Andrew Swallow — who led the side for five years — announced at the end of the season that he would be relinquishing the role.

And the midfielder said the role will not change him.

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“I think I’ll be going just as hard at it,” Ziebell said.

“Over the journey, I’ve had a few indiscretions here and there ... but it’s all controlled aggression and it’s something that I’ve been working on and last year was a good year for that. I didn’t get suspended, which was a positive, so we’ll look to do that again.

“But, as I’ve said along the way, my greatest asset is my attack on the football. The day that I change that will be the day I probably stop playing AFL footy.”

media_camera Jack Ziebell takes over from Andrew Swallow. Picture: Michael Klein media_camera Robbie Tarrant is vice-captain under Ziebell. Picture: Michael Klein

Breakout key defender Robbie Tarrant becomes vice-captain with Swallow, Shaun Higgins and Jamie Macmillan completing the leadership group.

After 147 games in white and blue, Ziebell said he had always aspired to lead the club that drafted him at the end of 2008.

The Kangaroos saw 1345 games of experience walk out the door at Arden St at the end of the season after AFL games record-holder Brent Harvey, Drew Petrie, Michael Firrito and Nick Dal Santo were not offered contracts.

Harvey had been at the club since 1995, when the team’s new captain was just four years old.

But Ziebell is not daunted by the challenge of leading the club into the era of the unknown.

“I’ve played every game with those guys, so it’s hard seeing that, but there’s a lot of young guys coming through and guys that have not played senior footy,” he said.

media_camera North Melbourne's new leadership group (from left) Robbie Tarrant, Jamie Macmillan, Jack Ziebell, Shaun Higgins and Andrew Swallow. Picture: Kylie Else

“The excitement levels are really high and to be able to take charge and be captain of the footy club at this time is super exciting. There’s some pretty big steps that we need to take forward this year, but it’s something we’re looking forward to doing.”

Tarrant, 27, enjoyed a career-best season this year that was capped with the club’s best and fairest award and he said he is only just getting started.

“It was good to play a full year of footy which I hadn’t been able to do before,” he said.

“We all need to improve, and I’m no different.”

North Melbourne also announced that it has recorded an operating profit for the eighth time in nine years.

The club notched a net operating profit $470,046 and also reduced its overall debt by $400,000, to $1.25 million.