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Hindmarsh prepared to wait for captaincy

Roar Guru
15th April, 2010
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Parramatta forward Nathan Hindmarsh wants the NRL club’s captaincy, but not until good friend Nathan Cayless retires at season’s end.

Named co-captain with Cayless to celebrate breaking the record for most games by an Eel, Hindmarsh says there has been no indication from coach Daniel Anderson that he might continue the role throughout the season.

Cayless will retire at the end of 2010 but his leadership and form have been under the microscope with the pre-season premiership favourites stumbling to just one win from five games.

“Ando’s just said we want to go co-captains this week and I said ‘OK’ and that was it,” Hindmarsh told reporters on Thursday.

“That was all (there was) to the conversation.

“As far as I know it’s just co-captain this weekend.”

But Hindmarsh is keen for the job, which he says he already unofficially shares with Cayless, full-time from 2011.

“Yes, I am, why not,” he said.

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“It’s going to be different. There’s no harm in grooming someone that’s going to be at the club for a long time so we’ll have to wait and see what happens there but that’s a long time away.”

Cayless recently nominated Hindmarsh and his backrow partner Ben Smith as candidates to take over from him.

The Eels’ poor start, a freeze on off-contract player negotiations and the leaking of Cayless’ decision to retire have created some tension around the Parramatta camp.

But Hindmarsh defused any suggestion of awkwardness in his appointment for Sunday’s ANZ Stadium clash with in-form South Sydney.

“Do we want to hold hands or run out together, do you want to go first, do you want to skip out, whatever you want to do,” he joked of his conversations with Cayless.

“It’s very easy. It’s not awkward at all. He’s happy for me to breaking this record and he told me I can lead us out.”

The man whose 265 games Hindmarsh will pass, Eels great Brett Kenny, said he was in disbelief that Cayless’ captaincy had even been questioned.

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“People who are making these calls, half of them wouldn’t know what it’s like to be captain of a first grade side,” Kenny said.

“All they think is you walk out, you toss a coin, you make a decision on whether we kick for goal or kick for touch.

“He’s no bum of a captain if you can captain a club for 200 games.”

Test, State of Origin and grand final great Kenny also backed Hindmarsh to be NSW skipper.

“I believe if Nathan Hindmarsh was selected he would be an ideal captain,” Kenny said.

“He’s one of the few forwards that go for 80 minutes and he would lead by example.”

Kenny said he could think of no better player to surpass his match tally.

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“A lot of people talk about Ray Price probably being the greatest forward we’ve ever had at Parramatta and I think Nathan Hindmarsh is the closest you’ll ever get to Ray Price,” he said.

Meanwhile, Souths captain Roy Asotasi (knee) and former Test forward Michael Crocker (hamstring) are reportedly in doubt for Sunday’s clash.

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