Dylan Grimes has stepped down from his position as Richmond co-captain in a move that leaves Toby Nankervis as the AFL club’s sole skipper.

The Tigers confirmed Grimes’ decision in a statement on Monday, saying it will allow the 32-year-old to focus on his own performance and life balance.

Grimes is set to remain a sounding board for Nankervis, with whom he shared the captaincy for the past two seasons.

The premiership pair took the reins after triple flag-winning skipper Trent Cotchin stepped aside at the end of 2021.

“Dylan has been a leader at Richmond for a long period and has decided to take a step back from everything that captaining an AFL club entails,” Richmond football performance boss Tim Livingstone said.

“His experience and guidance will continue to be a great asset for our group, and we thank him very much for his commitment and efforts across the past two years since being appointed as our co-captain.”

Nankervis, 29, was left as a standout choice as Richmond’s sole captain for their first season under new coach Adem Yze.

“Being able to lead this club and our team is something I will never take for granted, so to be backed in to continue on as captain next year is a privilege,” Nankervis said.

“We have some great leaders at the footy club and are united in what we want to achieve going forward on the field and as a high-performance environment, so I am looking forward to the challenge ahead.”

Richmond finished 13th last season amid upheaval as long-time coach Damien Hardwick stepped down, replaced on a temporary basis by Andrew McQualter.

Former Melbourne player Yze was appointed as Richmond coach in September after successful stints as an assistant with the Demons and Hawthorn.