With a maiden Best & Fairest trophy in her cabinet from 2024 and the official title of skipper now etched into the team sheet each week, new Collingwood AFLW Captain Ruby Schleicher’s on-field leadership is set to go to new heights this year.

A bubbly personality around the Club and through her extensive work in the media, the utility said she likes to bring much of the same enerfy during the heat of a game.

And her teammates will get their first taste of Schleicher the Captain in action this weekend, with the Pies headed to Windy Hill for an official match simulation against Essendon on Saturday.

“I think my on-field leadership – I probably try make my players feel as good as they can,” Schleicher said.

“A happy player is a confident and performing player, so for me it has always been about knowing your times when you need to be direct and for me having the off-field relationships I have and the care, I feel like my moments where I need to be direct are really well received.

“I couple that with the ability to pump up my players and making them feel comfortable and confident out on the field so they can then perform.

“That doesn’t change – going from Vice-captain to Captain, my mentality is always a happy player will perform.”

One of Schleicher’s great qualities is being able to form relationships with absolutely anyone.

That is most pertinent with the teammates that she will guide though the 2025 season and beyond, with her knowledge of how each person operates crucial to her ability to provide feedback and support.

“Giving feedback in the right way that suits that individual is important – there’s not any one way of going about it so tailoring your approach and I think that comes back to the off-field connections I have with the girls and knowing how to approach each one,” she said.

“It’s something I would’ve found really difficult when I first joined the leadership group is having to have harder conversations, but naturally the more you have them, the better you get at them.

“And like I said, knowing how to go about it with each individual is important, but for me I can always bring it back to I trust in my relationship and connection in that person.

“I don’t hesitate to do that now because I know they know it’s coming from a place of care and that I’ll be the first one to tell them when they’ve done something good or that I’m proud of them.

“You’ve got that money in the bank to be pretty short and sharp with them when you need and they know it’s coming from a good place.”

The newly appointed skipper pointed to an early season game from last year where she was mic’d up as a great example of her style.

Then first-year player Amber Schutte was in the midst of her AFLW debut, with Schleicher offering encouragement in true Ruby fashion of hype and care.

“That was a debut game, first-year player. It would’ve felt a million miles an hour and all she would’ve needed was a little bit of confidence,” she said.

“I think it was against Hawthorn and we were down, she just needs to know what she’s doing well and to keep it simple and make sure she can channel her energy into that.

“It was like, ‘alright, what did it feel like when I did that, when I got that approval and how can I channel that and put it into another energy of the game’.”

The Captaincy title will bring with it an increased responsibility for the two-time All Australian, but there’s an assuredness in her processes to set up success.

Embracing the fun of game day and all it brings with it, Schleicher said she will continue to play her way and connect with her teammates as she embarks on the new journey.

“If I’m stuck in my own head and I go internal and I’m not talking to my teammates, I’m not connecting, that’s when I know I’m going to have a poor performance,” she said.

“Some people are different, some people thrive off just being insular and being in their own head and you get to know those players and what makes them tick.

“For me personally I am someone that I want to enjoy the pre-game build up with my teammates, I want to get really excited for what’s about to go on out there.

“The more I think myself into this really serious state, way before the game, I’ve already wigged myself out and I’m more nervous for the game then.

“My hard work happens Monday to Friday so that I know when I get to game day, I’m able to enjoy it because I’ve done the work.”