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Watching Jarryd Hayne’s whingeing, whiny audiences with referees this season tells me that modern day league players are clueless when trying to get a better deal from referees.
More so, I believe the NRL has only a handful of good captains – leaders of men who set the standard by stirring example, making their men want to follow them into battle.
I can name only three or four standout skippers: Cameron Smith, Paul Gallen, Johnathan Thurston and Jamie Lyon.
Sam Thaiday, Greg Bird, Simon Mannering and Anthony Minichiello will have some supporters I’m sure but in my mind, they aren’t in the same class as the leaders mentioned above.
You are welcome to disagree, but I reckon most modern skippers aren’t really worthy of the honour that used to accompany the captain’s title down through the years.
The coach’s penchant for choosing co-captains and club captains etc has weakened the job and I can’t see it improving any time soon.
Take a look at the South Sydney situation and the man named as their 2013 captain, Michael Crocker.
He has spent lots of time warming the bench and it’s pretty hard inspiring your troops from the sideline.
History shows the truly great teams in any era you care to examine, had brilliant leaders out in front.
Men such as Clive Churchill, Norm Provan, Mal Meninga, Wally Lewis, Steve Edge, George Peponis, Arthur Beetson and Max Krilich earned legendary status not only for their skills, but also their generalship.
They knew how to address the whistle-blowers, whether they were buying a little time for their team-mates or somehow trying to engineer a better ‘shake’ by way of penalties.
Team captaincy, to me, looks to be a fading facet of the modern game.
I wonder what we will be seeing and expecting from our on-field leaders in 10 or 15 years down the track.
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