New co-captain, coach shoot for ultimate success for RoyalsTuesday, March 15, 2016 - 1:06 AM - by Chris Pike

NEW co-captain Kyle Anderson and coach Jaymie Graham both have big shoes to fill at East Perth in 2016 but the Royals remain buoyant regarding their hopes of a first premiership since 2002 after being so close the last three years.

Craig Wulff will remain East Perth co-captain in 2016 and the Royals' legend will become the club's all-time games record holder when he leads the team out on to Medibank Stadium this Saturday against Claremont to open the season.

Wulff will play his 270th game with the Royals seeing him go one ahead of the club record he currently shares with Derek Chadwick.

However, Wulff will have a new captaincy partner in 2016 with Brendan Lee suspended for the season, Anderson steps into the void as a richly-deserved honour for a man who has been the best lockdown defender the last several seasons while also proving a handy goal kicker on occasion.

Graham also has a big job to do to replace Brian Dawson as coach. Dawson stepped down following the 2015 season after leading East Perth to two grand finals and a preliminary final in his three years.

That was on the back of a premiership, grand final and preliminary final in his three years at Swan Districts. In six years as senior coach, Dawson won a premiership, led his teams to four grand finals and two preliminary finals.

That is quite the record for Graham to try to live up to, but the former West Coast big man and South Fremantle premiership ruckman has the credentials to do the job.

Having now made the finals in four successive seasons and losing two grand finals and a preliminary final the last three years, everyone at East Perth remains focused on winning the club's first premiership since 2002.

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Anderson has built his reputation of being a defender near impossible to beat despite some injury troubles throughout his WAFL career, but once Lee was suspended for 2016 and with the departure of Freddie Clutterbuck for Swan Districts, he was a natural choice to join Wulff in the captaincy.

He is honoured with the increased responsibility he will have for this season and hopes to be part of an East Perth team that can go two steps better than 2015, and one step better than 2013 and 2014.

"The club approached me a few weeks ago and asked me if I was interested in doing the co-captaincy with Craig Wulff. Of course I wanted to jump at the opportunity and it's something that I have wanted to do for a while," Anderson said on Channel 7's East Perth preview.

"I'm looking forward to that challenge and the year. Everyone knows our history the last few years, but this is a new season, we've got a new coach and it's a different team with a different look. Of course we are looking to go a couple of steps better than last year but we'll see how it pans out."

While East Perth have again lost some key players coming into 2016 including Lee and Clutterbuck, Graham feels good at the group he will have at his disposals both in terms of local Royals players and the influx they will get from the West Coast Eagles.

While he acknowledges replacing Dawson will be no easy task, still having his support will help and with a goal of developing players and still trying to win, he is looking forward to what 2016 will hold for East Perth.

"They are big shoes to fill. I've been involved the last couple of years as an assistant under Brian and the transition has been smooth. I've built relationships the last few years with the players and staff, and Brian is staying on as coaching director and mentoring me," Graham said.

"Our main focus has been on developing the players. We are in a unique situation where we can't recruit players so we are developing within and obviously we'll have several AFL players each week which will help us. But our main focus has been on developing the players in our zone.

"Tom Gorter is one young guy who has trained well in the pre-season and he's looking good. The likes of Shayne Hille, who played in the finals last year, are looking good and we have got some guys from our country zone who have trained really well."