Under the microscope: Who will captain every NRL club in 2023?

The Newcastle Knights face a massive dilemma on misfiring superstar Kalyn Ponga. We analyse every NRL club’s leadership situation ahead of 2023.

Kalyn Ponga needs to prove he’s a leader, on and off the field. Picture: Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images

Do the Wests Tigers need a new leader? Who should take over from Josh Jackson at Canterbury? Has Kalyn Ponga’s off-field behaviour affected his standing at Newcastle?

News Corp looks at the captaincy situations at all 17 NRL clubs. From veteran Adam Reynolds calling the shots at the Broncos, to Jesse Bromwich being the Dolphins’ inaugural skipper, to a potential changing of the guard at Cronulla.

Every club’s leaders are put under the microscope to see what on-field shape your club is in from the top down.

Captaincy call: Which players could walk straight into a leadership role?

BRISBANE BRONCOS

2022 captain: Adam Reynolds

Contenders: Pat Carrigan

Situation: An inspired choice from coach Kevin Walters to give Reynolds the captain’s armband when he joined the club last season. At 32 and with two years remaining on his deal, Reynolds is the ideal man to guide this young Broncos team before they transition the leadership to Pat Carrigan.

Verdict: No change.

Patrick Carrigan is a future Broncos captain, getting valuable leadership lessons from current skipper Adam Reynolds. Picture: Liam Kidston

CANBERRA RAIDERS

2022 captain: Elliott Whitehead, Jarrod Croker

Contenders: Jamal Fogarty, Joseph Tapine, Jack Wighton

Situation: Question marks remain over the future of Croker, who is the emotional leader of the Raiders but injury has kept him stranded eight games shy of 300 appearances for the club. Co-captain Whitehead has two years left on his deal, while Tapine skippered the side against the Tigers in Round 25 last year. Jack Wighton is another strong option.

Verdict: Hinges on Croker’s future.

Canterbury recruit Reed Mahoney is in the captaincy conversation.

CANTERBURY BULLDOGS

2022 captain: Josh Jackson

Contenders: Reed Mahoney, Viliame Kikau, Matt Burton, Luke Thompson, Josh Addo-Carr

Situation: Canterbury need a new skipper for the first time since 2018 following Josh Jackson’s retirement. Former Eels hooker Mahoney is an option as an 80-minute player in a key position, although he’ll have plenty on his plate at hooker. Kikau has impressed in pre-season and is another option. The Bulldogs have gone into camp which gives new coach Cameron Ciraldo a look at other contenders like Burton, Thompson, or Addo-Carr, but it means a decision isn’t likely until closer to trials in February.

Verdict: It’s unlikely Ciraldo will opt for Addo-Carr on the wing, so look to Mahoney, Burton or Kikau.

CRONULLA SHARKS

2022 captain: Wade Graham

Contenders: Nicho Hynes, Blayke Brailey

Situation: Graham has been skipper since Paul Gallen retired at the end of 2019 and has signed a deal to play another season, potentially his last in the NRL, with head knocks a genuine concern. The transition of responsibility to a Hynes-Brailey makes sense given they are 26 and 24 respectively, are the future of the club and important players in Craig Fitzgibbon’s game plan.

Verdict: Transition of power to Hynes-Brailey during the season.

Wade Graham of the Sharks. Picture: Mark Kolbe/Getty Images

THE DOLPHINS

2022 captain: N/A

Contenders: All 30 new faces

Situation: Jesse Bromwich was an obvious choice as inaugural skipper, given he led the Storm for so many years. They’ll need someone to take over when Bromwich is on the bench, so someone like hooker Jeremy Marshall-King makes sense.

Verdict: Jesse Bromwich.

Tino Fa'asuamaleaui leads from the front.

GOLD COAST TITANS

2022 captain: Tino Fa’asuamaleaui

Contenders: AJ Brimson, Beau Fermor, Kieran Foran

Situation: Fa’asuamaleaui was handed the captaincy last season at just 21, showing coach Justin Holbrook’s faith in the young forward. Although the Titans floundered in 2022, Fa’asuamaleaui was a model of consistency, earning Queensland and Australian call-ups. The only blight was him grabbing NSW centre Matt Burton while Dane Gagai punched him repeatedly in Origin III, but it didn’t threaten his captaincy.

Verdict: Big Tino’s for as long as he’s there.

MANLY SEA EAGLES

2022 captain: Daly Cherry-Evans

Contenders: Jake Trbojevic

Situation: DCE enters his seventh season as Manly skipper, the longest current streak in the NRL. He’s also Maroons captain and contracted to the Sea Eagles for another three years. Given the drama following the Manly pride jersey debacle and sacking of former coach Des Hasler, some stability is desperately needed on Sydney’s northern beaches.

Verdict: DCE keeps the big C next to his name.

Is a co-captaincy role in Cameron Munster’s plans for 2023? Picture: Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images

MELBOURNE STORM

2022 captain(s): Jesse Bromwich, Christian Welch

Contenders: Ryan Papenhuyzen, Cameron Munster, Jahrome Hughes, Harry Grant

Situation: With Bromwich now at the Dolphins, the Storm need a skipper when prop forward Welch is not on the field. Melbourne have no shortage of leaders in their spine and it will be interesting to see which way coach Craig Bellamy leans.

Verdict: Respected leader Welch should share the role with Munster.

NEW ZEALAND WARRIORS

2022 captain: Tohu Harris

Contenders: Wayde Egan, Jazz Tevaga

Situation: Harris took over from Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, charged with keeping the team together during last season’s Covid-enforced nomadic existence. Harris has plenty of experience and plays big minutes, so there’s no need to force a change. Although more responsibility for Egan can only benefit the young hooker.

Verdict: No change

Kalyn Ponga needs to prove he’s a leader, on and off the field. Picture: Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images

NEWCASTLE KNIGHTS

2022 captain(s): Kalyn Ponga, Jayden Brailey

Contenders: Tyson Frizell, Daniel Saifiti, Kurt Mann

Situation: Brailey is a reliable choice who is locked in at Newcastle for four more years. Ponga’s leadership credentials came under scrutiny following his toilet cubicle scandal and, while his on-field potential is unquestioned, he is dealing with a move to five-eighth and needs to prove himself away from the field to deserve the captaincy. Mitchell Pearce lost the captain’s armband a year earlier following a flirty text exchange with a staffer before he left the club, so the struggling Knights really don’t need any more drama involving their leadership group.

Verdict: Keep the Brailey-Ponga combo, give Kalyn a chance to earn it.

NORTH QUEENSLAND COWBOYS

2022 captain(s): Jason Taumalolo, Chad Townsend

Contenders: Reuben Cotter, Scott Drinkwater, Reece Robson

Situation: Formed quite the partnership as the Cowboys made the preliminary final. Taumalolo has five years remaining on his deal and is the heartbeat of the Cowboys, while Townsend’s leadership has proved invaluable. Townsend will be 32 when the 2023 season kicks off, and with two more years in North Queensland, they have plenty of time to develop the next generation of leaders at the club.

Verdict: No change.

Off-contract Eels halfback Mitchell Moses.

PARRAMATTA EELS

2022 captain(s): Clint Gutherson, Junior Paulo

Contenders: Mitchell Moses, Josh Hodgson

Situation: Paulo was named co-captain alongside incumbent skipper Gutherson and produced a career-best year that included a State of Origin series, and captaining the Eels to the grand final and Samoa to the World Cup final. Gutherson and Paulo are locked in for three and four years, respectively, giving the Eels stability. They could use the lure of the captaincy to keep off-contract halfback, Mitchell Moses at the club, should he covet the role, but he already knows he runs the team.

Verdict: No change.

PENRITH PANTHERS

2022 captain(s): Nathan Cleary, Isaah Yeo

Contenders: Dylan Edwards, Liam Martin, Jarome Luai

Situation: Cleary and Yeo took over from James Tamou and led the Panthers to back-to-back premierships. Enough said.

Verdict: Status quo remains.

SOUTH SYDNEY RABBITOHS

2022 captain: Cameron Murray

Contenders: Damien Cook, Latrell Mitchell, Cody Walker

Situation: Despite a number of more experienced contenders, Murray was awarded the captaincy when Adam Reynolds left last season. Still just 24, he was named Kangaroos vice-captain at the World Cup. With Cook, Mitchell and Walker all happily re-signed, it’s business as usual.

Verdict: No change.

Cameron Murray could captain the Bunnies for the next decade.

SYDNEY ROOSTERS

2022 captain: James Tedesco

Contenders: Angus Crichton, Luke Keary, Joseph Manu

Situation: Tedesco is arguably the world’s best player and is captain of his club, state and country. Why would you change it?

Verdict: If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

ST GEORGE ILLAWARRA DRAGONS

2022 captain: Ben Hunt

Contenders: The three blokes who turned up to presentation night.

Situation: They’ve lost veterans Andrew McCullough and Tariq Sims, and there’s been a severe lack of leadership shown over the past two years that led to the Paul Vaughan barbecue debacle and a presentation night where only Hunt, Zac Lomax and Michael Molo attended. The Dragons even flirted with naming Jack de Belin as fill-in captain in 2021 in what would have been a PR disaster.

Verdict: Ben Hunt is there until the end of 2025. Set and forget.

Apisai Koroisau brings premiership-winning experience to the Tigers. Picture: Charlotte Tattersall/Getty Images

WESTS TIGERS

2022 captain: James Tamou (after a five-man leadership group also including Adam Doueihi, Luke Brooks, Ken Maumalo and Tyrone Peachey was dissolved)

Contenders: Apisai Koroisau, Adam Doueihi, Luke Brooks

Situation: The five-man leadership group concept provided unintended comedy value before Tamou was given sole captaincy duties. Tamou is now a Cowboy, Peachey is a Panther and coach Tim Sheens has a decision to make. Coming off a wooden spoon season and no finals since 2011, the best decision would be to go fresh and give Koroisau the role.

Verdict: Api Koroisau

Originally published as Under the microscope: Who will captain every NRL club in 2023?