Former Magpie Dayne Beams has emerged as the Brisbane Lions' 2017 captain after a tightly contested leadership vote.

In what came down to a narrow contest between three contenders, Beams won the player vote on Monday ahead of former skipper Tom Rockliff and Dayne Zorko.

Classy: Dayne Beams is the new Brisbane skipper. Credit:Getty Images

Rockliff is understood to have polled impressively after a strong pre-season under new coach Chris Fagan.

The skipper of the past two seasons almost left the club in controversial circumstances after he put himself on the trade table.