NEW coach Scott Watters wants Nick Riewoldt to captain St Kilda for a seventh season.

A decision has yet to be ratified by the Saints chiefs, but Watters has thrown his support behind Riewoldt, who is the club's second-longest serving captain behind Danny Frawley.

"It's not entirely my decision. It's not entirely Nick's decision. It's a club decision, but from my perspective I'd love to see him stay as captain at this point," Watters said.

"But the captaincy is not a topic Nick and I have broached because there's been more pressing things to get through . . . to be honest, I don't get hung up on leadership by title as much.

"Ultimately, you want a club with a critical mass of leaders and you have to ask, 'Who is captain?' That's what I would like to build."

Riewoldt, who is said to be re-energised after knee surgery, told the Herald Sun he wouldn't have an issue if he was replaced as skipper.

"I'll be a leader whether I'm captain or not and I won't do one thing differently," Riewoldt said.

"If the club sees fit they want me to be captain, I'm absolutely honoured, and if not, that's fine, I won't change anything I do."

In a positive note, Riewoldt said he was confident Brendon Goddard would stay at the Saints for the rest of his career, despite speculation he is the No.1 target for Greater Western Sydney at the end of next season.

"We're great mates and I'm confident in Brendon (staying)," Riewoldt said.

"He's as driven a person as I've seen. He wants success for the St Kilda Football Club as much as anyone."

Goddard and Watters have communicated only via text message because Goddard is overseas.

But the coach admitted he was excited about the future.

"I know it's texts, but you pick up his fire straight away. He's a great competitor," Watters said. "I can't wait to work with him.

"I feel a great responsibility to him to make sure this (club) is the vehicle for him to achieve what he wants to achieve, personally and from a team level.

"I want to work with this whole group, but I really look forward to working with him because he's got leadership written all over him."

Goddard, Lenny Hayes, who trained yesterday and is coming off a knee reconstruction, midfielders Leigh Montagna and Nick Dal Santo and best-and-fairest winner Sam Fisher would be contenders for the captaincy if Riewoldt is overlooked.

Riewoldt was captain in 2005 under coach Grant Thomas, lost the role to Luke Ball in 2006 under Thomas's rotation policy, shared the job with Ball and Hayes in 2007 under coach Ross Lyon and has been sole captain since 2008.

Decisions on uncontracted players such as Zac Dawson, Farren Ray and Brett Peake have not yet been made.

Originally published as Riewoldt to stay as Saints captain