The Eels captaincy for the 2019 season has yet to be announced. I note with interest speculation that Newcastle is set to dump the idea of dual captains and will give Mitchell Pearce the sole captaincy.
CLICK HERE TO VOTE ON YOUR PREFERRED CAPTAIN
I hate co-captains. There is a reason that leadership structures in almost every facet of life, be it workplaces, politics or most sporting arenas, lead all the way up to a single authority figure, and that comes down to the fact that at the end of the day, people want to have one person they trust to make the difficult decisions.
I believe co-captaincies and leadership groups also fail to promote a culture of accountability. Accountability always starts at the top, and the more you diversify authority and provide an opportunity to pass the buck and accept responsibility for results.
So if we have to appoint one captain, who should it be?
- Tim Mannah
Tim has been captain for a good number of years now, and I don’t particularly agree with the sentiment that he is a poor leader. However, I don’t know if he’s that inspirational leader that you really want to turn to when the chips are down. More so, it’s pretty likely that Tim’s place will be coming off the bench this year, and I think you have to have your captain leading you out onto the field.
- Clint Gutherson
Gutho was promoted into the captaincy role last year, and to be honest, I don’t necessarily think it was good for his game. It could have been a result of his injuries or being chopped from position to position, but I thought his form was down and I don’t know if carrying the captaincy contributed to that. Gutho is certainly a lead-by-example guy, but I can’t see him being the guy laying down the law, either, when it's needed.
- Nathan Brown
This time last year, a lot was being made of Nathan Brown’s leadership skills off the back of his stellar 2017 season. He will always be on the run-on-side and for a forward, he plays a lot of minutes. However, I can’t say last year Browny’s resilience showed through. His body language seemed poor at times and he seemed to be one of the blokes who really let the run of poor results get him down.
- Daniel Alvaro
If you’re happy with a prop as a captain, then Alvaro could be a surprise choice. He speaks well, works hard and presents well. He comes across as intelligent but also a really top quality individual. On the downside, does he have that killer instinct. Perhaps, like Tim Mannah, he’s just too nice a guy to be a really effective leader. And you do have the fact that he’s likely to be off-the-field half the time.
- Blake Ferguson
It would be unimaginable to think the Blake Ferguson of a couple of year’s back could be even considered as a captain. However, he’s possibly the only Eel that would be considered for rep honours, he’s a recent Premiership winner and he’s come directly from a club with a great culture and that is full of leaders. Brad Arthur has spoken highly of his talk and the impact he’s having as a leader and with his talk. On the flipside, he’s a winger and certainly not a natural leadership option. We’re really only going on other people’s assurances that he has grown up and left his troubled past behind him.
They’re my top five candidates. Others you could make an argument for are Mitchell Moses (his questionable position at the club probably rules him out), Gower (would probably be the best option bar for the fact he’s not going to be in the 17 most of the time) and Jennings (accomplished, but no).
The upshot of this analysis is that it continues to be an area where the club is lacking. The fact it has chopped and changed its leadership on an almost annual basis. For me, locking in a captain that is going to lead your roster, is just as vital to your overall recruitment strategy as say ensuring you have a goal kicker in the team. The club has a lot of players coming off contract at the end of the year, and this is a failing that the club simply has to fix if we’re ever to become a consistently successful club.
GUTHERSON AND BROWN PREFERRED CANDIDATES
1Eyed Eel's poll asking you to nominate your preferred candidate has Clint Gutherson just edging Nathan Brown as the favoured Eels captain for 2019
Comments
Billy Roger's > Tim Mannah
Should the first line read cpt for 2019 season?
Nah mate - we've got to sort out the captaincy for last year.... granted it's running a bit behind, but sometimes it's better to take some time and get it right.
Ha. Cheers, fixed.
Great blog. The problem as I see it is that we don't have anyone that is up for the task.
Mannah found his calling from the bench and with minimal minutes he isn't suited As club captain maybe.
I agree with your comments about Gutho. Should he find a permanent home then is probably our best option.
As with player that have talent we need to as a club develop leadership for the future. I am not suggesting a Salmon or Brown are ready for captain but leadership needs to be a consideration also.
With what we know right at the minute I would stick with Gutho but I am not saying that's a long term option
Our captain really needs to be someone who is on the field for the entire game and can direct our team around in both defence and attack. Gutho is our only option and hopefully last season being his first and coming back from injury was just a learning curb because its wasn't a stellar start.
It has been a while since Parra has had a great leader.
going back a long time .we had a bloke called Ray Higgs .one tough SOB and a good skipper i see a lot of him in Nathan Brown so its Brownie for me
A few mistakes in the Nathan Brown section, should it not read "stellar 2017 season" and it seems to be cut short.
Phil you have just highlighted another failure of BA's coaching, he has failed to address the serious issue of not having a strong leader, fans have been pointing this issue out for a few years now and yet here we still are.
Even though as you've pointed out he's not the ideal candidate, I think it has to be Gutho.
I agree with the sentiments regarding Fergo, but not sure whether on the wing the captain is best option, likewise moving him from the wing to the centres, may lessen his impact unless he is given a more roving role. A big call for a new recruit though and how others in the team may take it.
Looking at the whole eels squad, both backs and forwards, I only see one really 80 minute player in the pack who can go the distance., and that is Brown. He plays hard and could be the inspiration needed for the next captain. LIke Phil I am not a fan of co captains but a vice or secondary captain who can take over when the captain is out for some reason is needed and on that score I would look at Gutho, another of the 80 minute players.
The other option that could work would be Moses, it might just be the thing needed to bring out his best, there are times when one can see his hatred in losing and could well be the heel nipper needed, only thing going against him though is he is likely to be only at the eels for this year, especially if the others from the lower ranks show they will be ready for 2020.
-
1
-
2
-
3
of 3 Next