Ivan Cleary Names 5 Co-Captains For The 2018 NRL Season

Well that's unconventional


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Wests Tigers coach Ivan Cleary has gone down the completely unconventional route, naming 5 co-captains for the 2018 NRL season.

As revealed by NRL.com, new recruits Josh Reynolds and Russell Packer will join Chris Lawrence and Elijah Taylor as part of the group. 

The final position on the 'captaincy squad' was awarded to club legend and the returning Benji Marshall. 

While Cleary himself doesn't exactly know the mechanics of how it will work, he does know each player part of the captaincy squad bring their own strengths to a relatively new team. 

"They're all pretty different," Cleary told NRL.com.

"They have different strengths and are at different levels, not just with their playing careers but their leadership development.

"I think those guys will function well together. There'll be a nice real flow through the team and the squad rather than this real hierarchy.

"It was just natural. There was no pecking order.

"An NRL captain these days has a lot of stuff to do. There's enough stories around where it effects guys negatively.

"There's the extra burden and off field stuff, which is where we are at as a sport because every club is competing for corporate dollars.

"The captain has to be the face of the club and do this, that and the other. I think initially, sharing all those duties won't hurt."

The Tigers open their season on Saturday March 10 against the Sydney Roosters at ANZ Stadium with kick-off set for 4:30pm. 

14 February 2018




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