Greg Bird says Ryan James must succeed him as Titans captain

FORMER Titan Greg Bird says there is only one man who should succeed him as captain — inspirational prop Ryan James.

Ryan James was the Titans best player this season.

FORMER Gold Coast skipper Greg Bird has called for a Titans leadership shake-up, urging the club to hand the captaincy to front-row enforcer Ryan James.

NSW Origin hopeful James spearheaded a new era yesterday as the Titans launched their pre-season at the club’s plush $25 million home at Parkwood International.

Coach Neil Henry settled into his new office and one of his most critical tasks is assessing the club’s leadership options following the retirement of co-captain Nathan Friend.

Friend’s captaincy cohort Will Zillman struggled to cement an NRL berth last season and has been told his contract won’t be renewed beyond 2017.

James led the Titans earlier this year when Bird was unavailable.

After flirting with a series of co-skippers, the Titans are crying out for a consistent long-term leader and Bird said James was the ideal candidate to be Gold Coast’s main man.

“Ryan has really come along as a leader and hopefully I helped him in some way with some advice he can use moving forward,” said Bird, who departed Australia on Thursday to begin his stint with French club Catalans.

“I definitely think he’s ready.

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“He has improved out of sight on and off the field.

“If nothing else, Ryan has toughened up over the last few seasons. His football has gone to another level over the past 12 months.

“He has always been a strong competitor and he’s an aggressive, follow-me sort of player.

“I’d love to see him get the captaincy, he’s the bloke to take the Titans forward next season.”

The one impediment is James’ uncertain future. He is off-contract at the end of 2017 and has attracted interest from five NRL rivals, including the Broncos.

James was the Titans best player this year.

But James is determined to stay at the Titans and plans to sign a $2 million upgrade next month once he completes his university degree.

The tryscoring prop ticks all the leadership boxes. At 25, he is entering the prime of his career, is a homegrown product from Bilambil and will celebrate his 10th season in the Titans’ system in 2017.

James said he would relish the leadership post if Henry believes the time is right for him to captain the Titans.

“There’s a few senior players who have left like Friendy and Birdy,” he said.

“I enjoyed the role filling in (last season) when Friendy and Zilly were injured.

“I looked to Greg Bird for a bit of guidance but with him going to France, I’d like to play more of a leadership role next year.”