Why ‘best-choice’ Alex Glenn will succeed as Broncos captain
The Broncos have been rocked by news Darius Boyd will no longer captain the side — but his replacement has the pedigree to take Brisbane to the title.
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Former Broncos five-eighth Ben Ikin believes the Broncos will benefit from handing Alex Glenn the captaincy reins for 2020 and was the “next best choice” from former skipper Darius Boyd.
Glenn was announced on Friday as the club’s skipper for the upcoming season to become the 11th formal captain in Brisbane’s 32-year history.
The New Zealand international is the first non-Queensland product to captain the Broncos but the club’s hierarchy have backed the 31-year-old to help deliver them their first premiership win in over a decade.
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At the end of last year, Broncos front rower Matt Lodge was also touted as a possible captaincy choice for 2020, however Ikin said Glenn was the only logical choice.
“He’s a terrific player. He consistently delivers. He’s highly respected by all his teammates,” Ikin said.
“He speaks well, leads well, plays well. He’s a good human being. It’s a really clever choice.”
The Broncos backrower takes over from former captain Boyd, who struggled with form during 2019, in what Ikin has described as a “lumpy” leadership transition at the Broncos.
Glenn was shopped to the Gold Coast Titans just two years ago and he tossed up a potential move to the Panthers at the end of last year.
Ikin said whatever machinations were in place to install Glenn as captain, it was the right choice by the Broncos.
“I’m a huge Darius Boyd fan,” he said.
“If they were going to shift away from him, Alex Glenn was the best choice.
“The fascinating thing in this, I don’t think you can talk about the leadership succession at the Broncos as seamless. It’s been a really lumpy journey.
“It looked like he was entertaining deals elsewhere including the Penrith Panthers but if a week is a long time in rugby league, then what happens in 12 months is incredible.
“However they got there, I think they’ve made the right decision in the end.
“Sometimes it’s not about how you get there, but about making the right decision in the end.”
“Darius did a terrific job as captain over the last 12 months in challenging times,” he said.
“But one thing I saw throughout the year was that for whatever reason there was a lot of external noise and pressure around Darius.
“Darius is a legend of our club and a legend of our game … and I just wanted to take some of those commitments away.
“He doesn’t need to do all the external things that a club captain has to do.”
Originally published as Why ‘best-choice’ Alex Glenn will succeed as Broncos captain
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