Habel to captain Bulldogs

By ZAC MILBANK

Central District stalwart Luke Habel has had his unwavering loyalty rewarded with the club’s captaincy as the Bulldogs revealed their 2020 leadership group on Friday night.

The 31-year-old, who has played 155 Statewide Super League games since arriving from NSW in 2009, assumes the mantle from Trent Goodrem, who has been the Dogs’ skipper since 2015.

One of the most team-orientated players in the Statewide Super League, let alone at Elizabeth, Habel’s selfless style was illustrated in Round 14 last year when he sacrificed his own game to blanket Eagle James Rowe in the Bulldogs’ upset victory at Woodville.

The dashing half-back will be joined in the new-look leadership group by joint vice-captains Jarrod Schiller and Troy Menzel.

Schiller is coming off a fine 2019 campaign in which he streaked to victory in claiming the Norm Russell Medal as best and fairest while Menzel earned a berth in The Advertiser Team of the Year after booting 33 goals for the season.

Goodrem and former vice-captain Kyle Jenner – both members of SANFL’s 200 Club – are still expected to make their presence felt around the Bulldogs’ young playing group despite not officially holding leadership titles this year.