MAIN'S LEADERSHIP GROWTH ON SHOW WITH BULLDOGS

NOW entering his third season as South Fremantle captain, Dylan Main is emerging impressively into a strong leader at the Bulldogs and that's evidenced by his approach to helping his group not just forget last year's Grand Final, but now make amends for it.

They were massive shoes to fill for Main when he was appointed captain ahead of the 2018 WAFL season taking over from Ryan Cook who had been the longest serving skipper in the long and rich history of the South Fremantle Football Club that is now in its 120th season.

But the fact that his first season as captain still saw him having Cook playing alongside him to help him out along with other strong, experienced leaders like Ashton Hams, Shane Hockey, Cory Dell'Olio, Adam McIntosh, Shaun Bewick and company allowed for a smooth transition.

That's why now that Main is embarking on his third season as South Fremantle captain which begins this Saturday against East Fremantle at Fremantle Community Bank Oval, he is feeling comfortable and confident in the role.

The fact that he's now an experienced WAFL footballer with 94 games under his belt surely helps as well on top of the fact that on the field he's a tremendously versatile player equally capable of filling roles up forward, through the middle or even off half-back.

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Dealing with a result like last year's Grand Final defeat to Subiaco is enough to challenge anyone's leadership though. 

But the way Main is approaching it, shows great maturity and strong leadership ability because it's not something that you can just hope to forget and move on from because eventually those dark clouds will resurface and potentially when you can afford them the least. 

Instead, Main has taken the approach of tackling it head on and wanting to make amends for it, and while the wait to start doing that has now been longer than expected thanks to COVID-19, that's where his focus as captain remains.

"It's something we do want to put behind us but also drive us going into this year. We were really primed for that April start to the season and the boys were looking really good and fit," Main told 91.3 SportFM. 

"Obviously we're still fit now but we've lost a few players and had a few changes here and there. But it's something that you want to look back on with that Grand Final where it was a very disappointing game, but we want to rectify it as soon as possible. 

"With the season being delayed it put a stall on that, but it's something we'd like to put behind us and use to drive us as well. We are feeling pretty confident going into this season now player-wise and with how we're playing as a team together so I'm excited to see where that will take us. 

"With it being a shorter season as well, obviously you can't afford any form slumps so we have to start off well this Saturday."

While the role as captain of a WAFL club might entail more responsibility and commitments than Main might have initially anticipated when taking on the role, it's something he takes tremendously seriously in ensuring he is setting the standards at the Bulldogs on and off the field.

There's no mistaking that he leads in a different way to his predecessor Cook with the old skipper potentially being the loudest man at the club and with Main being one of the quieter, but that doesn’t mean both aren't equally effective leaders in their own way.

Main prides himself on leading the Bulldogs players by example on the field, but off the field he is also happy to take on the responsibility of having to lead the way with how things should be done and how you should conduct yourself.

He's learned along the way that it's important to pull teammates into line if they aren't doing the right things as well because that's all part of being a captain and effective leader, and in setting the standard.

It's a role he has grown into and now entering his third season, clearly he was the right choice to replace Cook who had created his own remarkable legacy as a skipper in the Red V.

"It's quite draining that's for sure and it's a bit of a responsibility obviously on your shoulders. There's a lot that goes into it behind the scenes and then the game day stuff is just about leading by example," Main said.

"Some might say I'm not the best pre-game speaker and I just like to get out there and do my work on the field, and take charge that way and hopefully inspire a few boys along the way. 

"I was lucky enough to be at the Eagles under Darren Glass in his last year as captain and then had the likes of Shannon Hurn as a leader and then Ryan Cook when I came back to South Freo. 

"They have taught me a lot about what comes along with it and it's not necessarily about sacrificing your own game, but a lot of it is trying to lead by example, and taking responsibility for the team's actions, and trying to pump the boys up week in and week out. 

"It's my job to keep everyone in check and making sure everyone's doing the right thing on and off the field. It's quite draining but we have a pretty good leadership group down at South at the moment along with some good emerging leaders so it's nice to share the load with some of them too."

All that is great but what really matters is how Main and his team performs out on the field with four points in the WAFL on the line and the first chance for that to happen in 2020 comes this Saturday.

Main can't wait now to be leading the Bulldogs into battle against the Sharks at Fremantle Community Bank Oval.

"It's a bit hard to know what to expect really. We haven’t played East Freo for quite some time now obviously so they could be looking quite differently," Main said.

"We have had the rope over them the last few occasions we've played and we are hoping to keep it that way, and I know the boys are really excited. 

"Hopefully we get a decent crowd down there of close to 6000 people so we look forward to that and that it will be a nice day with the rain staying away. We'd then like to get a good run into the boys and hopefully come away with the choccies, but we're all very excited."