Geelong premiership captain Cameron Ling has endorsed David Mundy to remain Fremantle’s skipper, saying it would allow Nat Fyfe to concentrate on recapturing his best form.

Fremantle players are expected to gather next week to vote on the club’s leadership group for 2017.

Mundy, 31, is bidding to retain the captaincy for a second season despite a horror 2016 when he battled soft-tissue injuries and a personal form slump as the Dockers won just four matches.

Play Video The Dockers star says energy is good, six weeks before their first pre-season hitout. The West Australian Video The Dockers star says energy is good, six weeks before their first pre-season hitout.

He faces a challenge from 25-year-old Fyfe, viewed in some circles as the personality needed to stabilise Fremantle after a string of off-field mishaps since last season and drag the club back into finals contention.

Under Fremantle’s annual polling system, each player gives his top five choices and must explain his decision in front of the entire squad.

Ling, a Channel 7 commentator and 2011 premiership captain, said retaining Mundy as skipper would free up Fyfe to get back to his 2015 Brownlow Medal form.

Play Video Connor Blakely is shadowing Brownlow medallist Nat Fyfe in training. The West Australian Video Connor Blakely is shadowing Brownlow medallist Nat Fyfe in training.

Fyfe played the first five games last season before missing the rest of the year with a broken leg.

“The ideal scenario would be Mundy does it for another year and let Fyfe get back to playing his best footy, having missed basically an entire season,” Ling said.

“He’ll then be that year older and he slots in perfectly after that.

“I know there’s sometimes ... a feeling that the star player, a great player and a great leader, needs to be captain straight away. There’s something to be said for taking your time with it and being patient.

“Mundy has obviously been there and done that and he’s got the respect of the group. He could nurture whoever the next captain is — let’s say it is Nat Fyfe — for another 12 months as Freo come through this phase.

“From all my dealings with him, Mundy is just one of the high-quality blokes in the AFL.

“There’s that bit less pressure on him because it’s not a new job for him.”

Ling spent two seasons as captain of a Geelong line-up that boasted Gary Ablett, Jimmy Bartel, Steve Johnson and Paul Chapman. Though premiership greats Michael Voss and Wayne Carey had become club captains at the age of 21 and 22 respectively, Ling said others such as Luke Hodge had served long apprenticeships before becoming highly respected skippers.

Fyfe is out of contract at the end of this year when he will become a restricted free agent.

Ling said contract status should never be a reason for elevating a player to the captaincy.

“Ross Lyon doesn’t strike me as the type of person who would want that sort of thing anyway,” Ling said. “He’d want the best person to do the job to take the team forward.”