JAY Blackberry admits he thought it was a joke when he first got the call, but the Western Storm skipper says its a "big honour" to be one of the state's vice- captains for its representative clash with the NEAFL tomorrow.
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Blackberry is in his first year as captain after he was part of South Launceston's leadership group last season.
"Where I've come from, being emergency for the team a couple of years ago to now be a vice-captain is a very big honour," the midfielder-forward said yesterday.
"Being captain of the Storm this year, I've really had to step up my on-field and off-field leadership and be more vocal, and not kept to myself as much as I have over my first few years.
"Being captained by Hillsy (Mitch Hills) was a good apprenticeship and he really showed how to lead a club.
"Being captain has made me a better footballer and has taught me to not just think of myself, but to put the team first.
"But this weekend is not about me, it is how we come together as a group and represent Tassie the way we want it to be represented, as they've got some really good players and we need to shut down their run.
"If we apply the Tassie pressure, we'll be able to get the score on the board through our strong forwards, so it will come down to how hard we work in the midfield."
Clarence's Brady Jones will captain the Map for the second year in a row, with Glenorchy's Brayden Webb the other vice captain.
Glenorchy's Sandy Eaton will captain the women's team for the fourth year in a row when they take on Queensland in the curtain-raiser, with Devonport's Rachel Crack her deputy.