North Melbourne will appoint a fresh captain under new coach Alastair Clarkson after Jack Ziebell stood down as captain following six years in the role.

Luke McDonald and Jy Simpkin are the leading candidates for the job, having spent the past two seasons as co-vice captains.

The 31-year-old told teammates of his decision on Tuesday having played 111 games as skipper.

Ziebell was appointed captain by then-coach Brad Scott leading into 2017 and served in the role under Scott, Rhyce Shaw, David Noble and caretaker coach Leigh Adams.

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The hard-nosed midfielder, who shifted into defence late in his career, said he was a better person for the experience of being captain.

“The captaincy has been an unbelievably rewarding role ... now that I’ve reached the later stages of my career the time has come for me to hand over the reins. I’ll be there to support the next captain in any way I can and I have no doubt the incoming captain will lead our club with purpose and passion,” Ziebell said.

North Melbourne join Collingwood, Geelong and Hawthorn as clubs looking for new captains in 2023. Adelaide and Essendon are yet to confirm whether their captains will continue in the role in 2023.

Meanwhile, Adelaide’s Paul Seedsman became the second player in as many days to be added to the inactive list as they battle to overcome symptoms related to concussion.