Captaincy and leadership from 2022 onwards

[Raider47]

One thing that became clear is that with Hodgo and Croker flagging in performance we have a void in leadership.

Whitehead- he may be respected by Ricky but with his performances flagging too I can't see how he is captain material. He doesn't have that same leadership quality and aura that Hodgo did circa 2019 and is too busy whinging rather than influencing.

IMO he may have been a good stop gap during this debacle of a year, however there is clear need for a rejuvenation of the leadership group and re-energisation of those to take us to the next level. Is it time for a younger brigade ala what Ricky did with Croker in 2015?

Who though? I know CNK isn't the flavour of the month and his long term output as a fullback is questioned by many but he seems one of very few youngins with any sort of leadership ability. Tom Starling? Or we go down the Papa/Wighton route? I can't imagine Wighton coping with that added pressure too well.

It's a clear problem atm IMO.

[Finchy]

Make Rapa captain

[Azza]

Make Rapa captain

Love him but too much of a hothead.

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[Raider Azz]

Papalii is more of a quiet leader type. Not really captain material. I think if he was interested in it he would have been named our captain already.

As for Wighton, yeah i don't think we should be putting more pressure on him by naming him captain. He is already expected to carry the whole team on his shoulder and as we all know he is a confidence player and I can't see that pressure doing good for him.

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[-PJ-]

Sia.

With a 5yr contract extension.

[BadnMean]

Papa could be it. But you'd need co-captains as props don't play all game.

Wighton is a numpty, not suitable.

CNK would have the respect of the group and drive standards and I think would have the personality. I'm not convinced he's our best FB but I'd have him as a centre.

My preference would be Papa, with CNK when Papa is off the field.

We'll see what Ricky comes up with but I find it hard to get past that he'll just make it Hodgo or Whitehead and plow on with his old guard.

[Raiders_Pat]

Papa could be it. But you'd need co-captains as props don't play all game.

Wighton is a numpty, not suitable.

CNK would have the respect of the group and drive standards and I think would have the personality. I'm not convinced he's our best FB but I'd have him as a centre.

My preference would be Papa, with CNK when Papa is off the field.

We'll see what Ricky comes up with but I find it hard to get past that he'll just make it Hodgo or Whitehead and plow on with his old guard.

I think I'd also prefer Papa as captain with CNK as vice captain

[GreenMachine]

Papalii then daylight.
Nobody else comes close ...
Now watch us fumble around and pick 7 captains and neither of them will be named Papalii...

[legend]

Can we find a player with a surname of Hoover or Dyson? Would be perfect for the leadership vacuum and replace the whinging pom whose only leadership attribute is whining to the ref after every decision as opposed to leading by example.

I'm betting the only communication that goes on behind the goal posts after a try is done with sign language!

[Matt]

Make Rapa captain

ummmm... Im not putting Shane Watson in charge of challenges

[Hong Kong Raider]

Make Rapa captain

ummmm... Im not putting Shane Watson in charge of challenges

I don't think Whitehead is any better! Papa and CNK joint captains for mine.

I'd consider Jack as well.

[Matt]

Make Rapa captain

ummmm... Im not putting Shane Watson in charge of challenges

I don't think Whitehead is any better! Papa and CNK joint captains for mine.

I'd consider Jack as well.

Honestly, id worry if Papa or Jack were capt. They dont scream leader to me.
Im not sure CNK is either, but he is the nice guy Croker type on and off the field. At least he would be a good club capt, even if he isnt a general.

[Raiders_Pat]

Make Rapa captain

ummmm... Im not putting Shane Watson in charge of challenges

I don't think Whitehead is any better! Papa and CNK joint captains for mine.

I'd consider Jack as well.

Honestly, id worry if Papa or Jack were capt. They dont scream leader to me.
Im not sure CNK is either, but he is the nice guy Croker type on and off the field. At least he would be a good club capt, even if he isnt a general.

There are a serious lack of options though and it's hard to bring in somebody from another club and make them captain in their first year

[Matt]

Make Rapa captain

ummmm... Im not putting Shane Watson in charge of challenges

I don't think Whitehead is any better! Papa and CNK joint captains for mine.

I'd consider Jack as well.

Honestly, id worry if Papa or Jack were capt. They dont scream leader to me.
Im not sure CNK is either, but he is the nice guy Croker type on and off the field. At least he would be a good club capt, even if he isnt a general.

There are a serious lack of options though and it's hard to bring in somebody from another club and make them captain in their first year

Yup. The changing of the guard is happening very quickly, and the experienced guys are all the capt options. Its a worry

[cat]

I would say Raps and Jack

Raps to do the on field rev up , motivate the team
Jack to talk to the refs

We need a strong voice with the refs, something Jarrod never achieved.
Papa and Taps are too controlled by their partners to do the job and too softly spoken

Raps would go off to much at the refs, Elliott is struggling with the balance too.

Hodgo was good at the talking to refs part on the field

It is actually a worry how young our team will be once sia and Jarrod go and James.

CHN seems to have found his groove and if Junior comes back as per the rumour they are options in the leadership group

[Raiders_Pat]

I would say Raps and Jack

Raps to do the on field rev up , motivate the team
Jack to talk to the refs

We need a strong voice with the refs, something Jarrod never achieved.
Papa and Taps are too controlled by their partners to do the job and too softly spoken

Raps would go off to much at the refs, Elliott is struggling with the balance too.

Hodgo was good at the talking to refs part on the field

It is actually a worry how young our team will be once sia and Jarrod go and James.

CHN seems to have found his groove and if Junior comes back as per the rumour they are options in the leadership group

CHN has had a few **** ups this year but I think he's the type of guy who would thrive in a leadership role

[Matt]

I would say Raps and Jack

Raps to do the on field rev up , motivate the team
Jack to talk to the refs

We need a strong voice with the refs, something Jarrod never achieved.
Papa and Taps are too controlled by their partners to do the job and too softly spoken

Raps would go off to much at the refs, Elliott is struggling with the balance too.

Hodgo was good at the talking to refs part on the field

It is actually a worry how young our team will be once sia and Jarrod go and James.

CHN seems to have found his groove and if Junior comes back as per the rumour they are options in the leadership group

CHN has had a few **** ups this year but I think he's the type of guy who would thrive in a leadership role

Dont hate it as a left field option. But whats the backlash given his rep... even if he was exonerated?

[Raiders_Pat]

I would say Raps and Jack

Raps to do the on field rev up , motivate the team
Jack to talk to the refs

We need a strong voice with the refs, something Jarrod never achieved.
Papa and Taps are too controlled by their partners to do the job and too softly spoken

Raps would go off to much at the refs, Elliott is struggling with the balance too.

Hodgo was good at the talking to refs part on the field

It is actually a worry how young our team will be once sia and Jarrod go and James.

CHN seems to have found his groove and if Junior comes back as per the rumour they are options in the leadership group

CHN has had a few **** ups this year but I think he's the type of guy who would thrive in a leadership role

Dont hate it as a left field option. But whats the backlash given his rep... even if he was exonerated?

I don't care about some media backlash... if it's the best fit for the club then we should go for it

[cat]

Matt the dragons nearly gave Jack Debelin captain so the media backlash wouldn't be a concern for me

My only concern would be is he " green enough " , he has only been here 18months but we do have a young team next season and the only 3 coming through who I think have the ability to be captain in the future are Timoko, Harley or Savage but in all three cases thats 3-5 years away

[Matt]

Matt the dragons nearly gave Jack Debelin captain so the media backlash wouldn't be a concern for me

My only concern would be is he " green enough " , he has only been here 18months but we do have a young team next season and the only 3 coming through who I think have the ability to be captain in the future are Timoko, Harley or Savage but in all three cases thats 3-5 years away

Yup. That's the worry

[Botman]

Whitehead just re-signed, keep it with him for now until a viable long term option emerges
Probably Wighton would get the nod if they made a change

[greeneyed]

You need a captain who’s a sure selection each week and who will be on the field for 80 minutes. And then you need a leader. I’m not sure who that is right now. CHN is not a guaranteed selection for a start. There’s rarely been such a lack of options since Croker took over. No change atm is the most sensible.

[cat]

Based purely on his end of season form and with sia possibly retiring ( haven't heard he actually is) I reckon CHN will be a certain starter next season

To be completely honest though looking through other teams I dont think this problem is just a raiders problem, there doesnt seem to be many options across the comp

They talk about there not being enough talent across the comp for a new team, I dont think " skill and talent" is the problem I think mental ability is ( commitment? Attitude? Willingness to start at the bottom and work hard? Respect for senior players/clubs/ the game etc)

Seb is a great example, does he have the skills? Yep but does he have the commitment and mental edge ? Not so sure

Dugan based on skill could of been a super star but his lack of discipline and respect plus his softness let him down

How we turn that around I'm not sure but I do hold some hope with Savage, Harley and Timoko, possibly even Huddy.
Big Red isnt calm enough and I think the game will move passed him like it did for Shannon, Dane etc

[Lui_Bon]

I would say Raps and Jack

Raps to do the on field rev up , motivate the team
Jack to talk to the refs

We need a strong voice with the refs, something Jarrod never achieved.
Papa and Taps are too controlled by their partners to do the job and too softly spoken

Raps would go off to much at the refs, Elliott is struggling with the balance too.

Hodgo was good at the talking to refs part on the field

It is actually a worry how young our team will be once sia and Jarrod go and James.

CHN seems to have found his groove and if Junior comes back as per the rumour they are options in the leadership group

You want Jack to talk to the refs? Does he know, like, you know, words?

Sorry but I don't want to imagine a universe where Jack is a spokesperson for anything.

[cat]

I would say Raps and Jack

Raps to do the on field rev up , motivate the team
Jack to talk to the refs

We need a strong voice with the refs, something Jarrod never achieved.
Papa and Taps are too controlled by their partners to do the job and too softly spoken

Raps would go off to much at the refs, Elliott is struggling with the balance too.

Hodgo was good at the talking to refs part on the field

It is actually a worry how young our team will be once sia and Jarrod go and James.

CHN seems to have found his groove and if Junior comes back as per the rumour they are options in the leadership group

You want Jack to talk to the refs? Does he know, like, you know, words?

Sorry but I don't want to imagine a universe where Jack is a spokesperson for anything.

He is the best choice from a dodgy group, raps etc have a tendency to start swearing and going off at the refs.
We need firm with a bit of a profile.
Cam Smith got respect/positive reaction from the refs because he had both a profile and spoke well.
I actually think Sammy would be good at talking to the refs but he doesn't have a profile big enough.
So we need Sammy's mouth and Jack's body......


An interesting question is though if we signed say Mitch Pearce, DCE, Cam Smith ( yes i know he is retired) etc would you be happy making them captain even though they haven't demonstrated they "bleed green" and been with the club long enough?

I dont think I would want them as captain...

[Lui_Bon]

I would say Raps and Jack

Raps to do the on field rev up , motivate the team
Jack to talk to the refs

We need a strong voice with the refs, something Jarrod never achieved.
Papa and Taps are too controlled by their partners to do the job and too softly spoken

Raps would go off to much at the refs, Elliott is struggling with the balance too.

Hodgo was good at the talking to refs part on the field

It is actually a worry how young our team will be once sia and Jarrod go and James.

CHN seems to have found his groove and if Junior comes back as per the rumour they are options in the leadership group

You want Jack to talk to the refs? Does he know, like, you know, words?

Sorry but I don't want to imagine a universe where Jack is a spokesperson for anything.

He is the best choice from a dodgy group, raps etc have a tendency to start swearing and going off at the refs.
We need firm with a bit of a profile.
Cam Smith got respect/positive reaction from the refs because he had both a profile and spoke well.
I actually think Sammy would be good at talking to the refs but he doesn't have a profile big enough.
So we need Sammy's mouth and Jack's body......


An interesting question is though if we signed say Mitch Pearce, DCE, Cam Smith ( yes i know he is retired) etc would you be happy making them captain even though they haven't demonstrated they "bleed green" and been with the club long enough?

I dont think I would want them as captain...

I don't care about the bleeding green thing, and yes I'd make every one of those three captain in a heartbeat. Especially DCE, who is awesome and also knows words. Pearce maybe not so much but apparently his dad is smart enough to be on the commission - then again boys get their brains from their mums. Not sure where I'm going with this...

The Broncos will make Reynolds their captain next year and no one will question it at all, and no-one will wonder why he doesn't bleed maroon and yellow (probably because that would be brown and fairly icky). They will just know he's the best and in fact only option. At least they'll have an option, which right now we look pretty slim on.

and if we had Sam's brain in Jack's body, we'd have a player twice as smart as Brad Fittler. But you can't have everything.

[cat]

The idea of Sammy's head on Jack's body is a nice dream though lol

But I agree the captain puzzle will be an interesting challenge for a few years I reckon

[Lui_Bon]

The idea of Sammy's head on Jack's body is a nice dream though lol

But I agree the captain puzzle will be an interesting challenge for a few years I reckon

I said brain not head! Calm down!

[cat]

The idea of Sammy's head on Jack's body is a nice dream though lol

But I agree the captain puzzle will be an interesting challenge for a few years I reckon

I said brain not head! Calm down!

What about jack's body, Sammy's brain and sia's heart

[Hong Kong Raider]

I don't think Whitehead is a good captain. He should stop whingeing to referees when he deals with them. He incessantly complains and throws his hands in the hand even after being tackled. And this year, he's been less than inspirational when Hodgson stood down. He should worry about his own form and improving that.

I'm all for the Papa/CNK/Jack combo.

[gerg]

I think our whole squad is lacking football iq. As emphasised by Whitehead's challenge. He probably knew he'd stripped it but wasted a challenge to question the ref about Lam dropping the ball. You've got to create a break in play when it actually occurred. Lay all over Lam until a penalty is called and then challenge it. Same when Tupou stripped the ball from Valemei.

Papa is not captain material and like others have said the cupboard is bare. I have no idea about the young group coming through as to who has the leadership qualities... but that's potentially 5 years away.

[Hong Kong Raider]

I think our whole squad is lacking football iq. As emphasised by Whitehead's challenge. He probably knew he'd stripped it but wasted a challenge to question the ref about Lam dropping the ball. You've got to create a break in play when it actually occurred. Lay all over Lam until a penalty is called and then challenge it. Same when Tupou stripped the ball from Valemei.

Papa is not captain material and like others have said the cupboard is bare. I have no idea about the young group coming through as to who has the leadership qualities... but that's potentially 5 years away.

Agreed. Whitehead's challenges have been pathetic. Also agree with our team lacking IQ. Ricky had football smarts but doesn't seem to be able to coach this into the team.

I didn't think Croker would make a good captain until he was given the role so I'm open for Papa/CNK/Jack to be tried, with CNK probably the leading candidate

[Billy Walker]

You need a captain who’s a sure selection each week and who will be on the field for 80 minutes. And then you need a leader. I’m not sure who that is right now. CHN is not a guaranteed selection for a start. There’s rarely been such a lack of options since Croker took over. No change atm is the most sensible.

As long as your comfortable with no charge in results.

This thread is just “who’s your favourite Raider”.

Read this and understand what a good captain is and appreciate the void we have in our ranks
https://www.news.com.au/sport/nrl/retir ... bc9367cc1f

[greeneyed]

I’m not sure I can see a better option.

[Raiders_Pat]

You need a captain who’s a sure selection each week and who will be on the field for 80 minutes. And then you need a leader. I’m not sure who that is right now. CHN is not a guaranteed selection for a start. There’s rarely been such a lack of options since Croker took over. No change atm is the most sensible.

Harawira-Naera should be a guaranteed selection to start. He's by far our best second rower. Never thought of it until cat suggested it but I think he would take captaincy very seriously and I think he's the type that would benefit from it rather than suffer under pressure.