New Essendon VFL captain Aaron Heppell has implored his teammates to build on what they produced in a fast-finishing 2018 season.

The Bombers finished in sixth place after last year’s home-and-away season, culminating in a stirring finals run that ended with an eight-point preliminary-final defeat to Casey.

Heppell - the Bombers' reigning VFL best and fairest - acknowledged the pain of coming agonisingly close to a grand-final berth, but said the pre-season focuses had been training hard and getting the processes right.

“I think everybody lies awake at night thinking about a premiership, but we just want to put the pieces in place first and build on last year,” Heppell told SEN.

“We take what we learnt from our last finals campaign and apply it to 2019. We want to be a strong, ruthless, inside type of side.

“We have a pretty strong midfield shaping up in the VFL this year, so we will work around that – hard on the inside and then using the pace on the outside. A bit of everything - I think that’s what every club strives for.”

Heppell will lead the side this season with the support of vice-captains Heath Hocking and Daniel Younan.

Newcomers Kurt Aylett (Werribee) and Liam McKenna (Perth Demons) make up the five-man leadership group.

“I am very honoured to be appointed skipper,” Heppell said.

“I have only ever captained one side throughout my junior career and that was under 13s, but my main priority is to build relationships within the squad.

“I have ‘Buddha’ (Hocking) as vice-captain who is an experienced AFL and VFL player, and Danny Younan has played a lot of VFL, so I have great experience alongside me.”

Heppell will also draw on the guidance of older brother and Essendon AFL captain Dyson Heppell to help with his development as a leader.

“Dyson has been a great support over the years. I have lived with him for the past three years, so I was able to learn a lot from him away from the football club - things like diet and relationships,” he said.

“He will provide great support for me over the next 12 months.”

The 24-year-old was appointed as captain following a recent training camp in Mount Evelyn.

“We had our pre-season camp over the weekend and did a leadership vote,” Heppell said.

“Heath Hocking and I polled similarly, but Buddha was our captain last year, so he decided to hand over the reins to myself for 2019.”

Heppell joins Hocking, Younan, Jake McQueen, Wilson Berry, Edyn Sibbald and Nino Lazzaro as players retained from 2018, while the Bombers have so far announced Aylett, McKenna and Irishman Ray Connellan as new signings.

Essendon will begin its 2019 VFL campaign on Sunday, April 7 against Frankston at Skybus Stadium.

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