All-Australian midfielder and two-time best and fairest James McDonald is the new captain of the Melbourne Football Club.

The 32-year-old, who started with the Demons as a rookie in 1997, was the 'standout candidate' and made of the 'right stuff' according to senior coach Dean Bailey.

McDonald said he was honoured by the appointment and intended to lead by example on and off the field alongside new vice-captain, Cameron Bruce.

He said it would be his priority to assist in the rebuilding of the club which he conceded had 'hit the bottom in 2008' and to support the growing group of talented youngsters on the club's list.

"All these young players, you never know how quickly they're going to develop and that's going to be a big part for me, to try and speed up their development," McDonald said.

"One thing that I'll be instilling into the players is about hard work and effort."

"You don't have to be the most talented player to get to where you want to get to."

Just how long he remains in the job, McDonald conceded, would depend on how his body holds up but he would like to play on for another couple of seasons at least.

"Time will tell, I suppose," he said.

Asked whether he lobbied for the role, McDonald said: "I wasn't out handing out lollypops to the players at training."

"The question I would ask is, 'why wouldn’t a player want to captain a football club?' - it's a great honour."

"Five years ago I probably wouldn't have thought about it too much, but as I've developed as a footballer and a person it's been good for my development and I think I've got a lot to offer the football club."

"Now it's my turn to give something back."

Bailey said McDonald was the unanimous choice of the coaching panel and leadership group to succeed David Neitz who held the club captaincy for a record nine years.

"He's incredibly well-respected amongst his team-mates to the degree that when James talks you can hear a pin drop," said Bailey.

"Players have great regard for his intellect as a football but the behaviours that he holds within in the community are outstanding."

"He's made of the right stuff."

Bailey described McDonald's appointment as a significant step in the club's rebuilding process, but he warned that success would take time.

"There needs to be a bit of patience, but we don't want to rely on that as an excuse," Bailey said.

"That's not an excuse - we still need to be competitive."

"We've got a healthy list at the moment and there's some competition amongst the young guys and so far it's a real good feel at the moment."

The departure of veteran trio Neitz, Jeff White and Adem Yze leaves McDonald as the Demons' most experienced player with 217 games to his credit since his debut against Collingwood in Round 17, 1997.

He was an All-Australian in 2006 and won the Bluey Truscott trophy as the club's best and fairest that year and in 2007.