A growing network of senior players and a solid club culture will only ease the pressure on him as captain, Mt Clear leader Jacob Smith believes.
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Already club coach, the wicketkeeper-batsman is deep in preparations for his first season as skipper as well.
"I'm happy to do it. I think the captaincy is only another 2 per cent on the workload that I'm doing around the club so it's not really that much of a big deal," Smith told The Courier.
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"I think we've got a team that's experienced enough and responsible enough that I'm not going to have hold blokes' hands during the year.
"That was one of the reasons I was happy to take it on. We've got a good team, there's no one that's going to try and take over on the weekends."
Smith expected former captain Jarrod Burns to almost be like a new recruit for the club.
"He's had so much on, we can't blame him for stepping back," he said.
"He didn't have his best year last year and I think it was because he had to think about too much.
"He's one of the blokes who plays on feel.
"We'll be happy to get him back and just worrying about him. I think we can expect a big year from him."
Mt Clear picked up 11 wins en route to a third-place finish last season, before bundling out in the qualifying finals to eventual premiers Darley.
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