BRENT Harvey says he is no certainty to continue captaining North Melbourne in the 2012 season.

Harvey told the Herald Sun a decision on the captaincy would be made next year and he was comfortable passing the baton to a younger man.

Harvey has been captain of the club since 2009, however, his leadership was questioned early in 2011 when North Melbourne was well beaten by Collingwood and he named and shamed teammates Lachie Hansen and Sam Wright.

Following the radio interview, Harvey was admonished by coach Brad Scott and publicly apologised.

When discussing the 2012 captaincy, Harvey said: "I think it's just about whatever suits the football club at the present time.

"To be honest, we haven't sat down and had a proper discussion about it.

"The good thing about it is that we've got some fantastic leaders underneath me. There's probably five or six blokes that could do the job and do it really well.

"You look at Drew (Petrie). He's only 28. I don't think I took the captaincy until I was 30. He could quite easily do it.

"You've got the obvious one in Andrew Swallow, then there's Scott Thompson, Nathan Grima and Jack Ziebell, who would be a young one."

Harvey, 33, has returned from the club's high-altitude training camp in Utah, and, prior to that, a family holiday in Thailand where he became engaged to partner Shayne McClintock.

This year he agreed to a one-year contract extension and said it was unclear how long he would keep playing for.

"Straight after the season next year I'll sit down again with Brad [Scott]," he said.

"If things are going well ... and Brad wants me around, then I'll stick around for another year.

"But if he says 'it's time to retire' or I think 'it's time to retire', well then that's going to be an easy decision.

"I'll still be eager to go on, don't worry, but it's all got to do with performance and how the body's feeling, how the mind's feeling and then what the football club wants."

The News Limited paper reported the players helped fund their trip to Utah, and Harvey said it was now time for them to reap the benefits of the high-altitude training.

"I think we improved last year on the year before ... but finishing ninth next year I just don't think will cut it," Harvey said.

North Melbourne has finished ninth in the past two seasons and Harvey said: "We need to play some finals footy for our group.

"I think anything short of that would be a small failure."