Reigning Trevor Barker Award winner Seb Ross expects St Kilda skipper Jarryn Geary to captain the club again in 2018.

Geary took over the reins from champion forward Nick Riewoldt – the longest-serving captain in St Kilda’s 144-year history – at the start of last season.

Ross, who was voted into St Kilda’s leadership for the first time last season, along with Dylan Roberton and Josh Bruce, said the club will formalise its leadership group in the coming month.

“We haven’t had those meetings yet, but the way Gears’ leads and prepares sets a great example for the younger guys and he’s got great relationships with everyone, so I’d expect for him to do it again,” Ross told reporters at a press conference on Tuesday.

St Kilda coach Alan Richardson, Director of Coaching & Development Danny Sexton and the Saints’ leaders spent the first week of the pre-season in Darwin, where the group developed a blueprint to follow across the summer.

“The whole purpose of that trip was for the leadership group to get away and reflect on the season that has been and not sit and wait for the leadership vote, which usually happens at most clubs in January or February,” Ross said.

“It was good for us to talk about how we saw our leadership amongst the group and put in place a plan of how we want to drive the group throughout the whole pre-season and not just start from when the leadership group is voted in.”

With so much experience departing last year in the form of Riewoldt, Leigh Montagna and Sean Dempster, players like Ross are being asked to fill the void left by the departed stars.

“It’s a strange one. I remember when I first got to the club, having guys like Lenny Hayes and Stephen Milne around, and thinking what the club is going to be like when these guys leave," he said.

“But you rock in day one (next pre-season) and there are fresh faces, so it’s just time to move on, you reflect on it at the end of the season and have a few beers with those guys, but as soon as day one of pre-season comes around you move on.