Michael Morgan reveals ambition to captain North Queensland Cowboys
COWBOYS gun Michael Morgan says the role he played last year for his club made him realise how much he enjoyed being a leader.
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MICHAEL Morgan has revealed he wants to eventually become a captain of the Cowboys, after last year taking on a bigger leadership role for the club.
The playmaker, who is expected to return from an abdominal strain in Friday’s derby clash against the Broncos, was forced to become a stronger leader for North Queensland in 2017, after season-ending injuries to co-captains Johnathan Thurston and Matt Scott.
Morgan has been repeatedly praised by teammates for not only his growth in form last year, but also for the way he and fellow gun Jason Taumalolo guided the team to the grand final.
And now Morgan, who recently signed a five-year deal with the Cowboys, has shared his ambitions, saying the role he played last year made him realise how much he enjoyed being a leader.
“We still have good leaders here at the moment but long-term, it’s certainly something I would like to have,” Morgan said of being a captain.
“(Taumalolo and I) had to go into that role a bit more than we were probably planning last year, but the more I did it, the more I enjoyed it.
“We have a good group of leaders and I have a few good guys to learn off. But I have to make sure I’m not going backwards with anything I built last year,’’ he said.
“It made me develop and learn, in the sense of having more control and having more of an impact. The key now for me is to not go backwards.”
With Thurston to retire at season’s end, it is unclear whether coach Paul Green will opt to keep his co-captaincy system or give the responsibility to veteran forward Scott.
If he does continue with the dual skipper roles, Morgan would be a frontrunner for the job alongside Gavin Cooper, who took on the role last year while Thurston and Scott were injured.
Taumalolo is another who has been touted as a future leader of the side, but the star forward believes Morgan deserves the first shot at the job.
“Morgo deserves that captaincy role if that opportunity was to arise,” Taumalolo said.
“He’s been great for us last year, and over the years he’s been building into a great leader and someone the boys want to follow.
“I definitely think Morgo would suit that role, and whether or not I suit that role, we’ll find out later down the track. I’m more than happy leading the boys around on the field my way.”
Scott, who is contracted to the Cowboys until the end of 2019, also endorsed Morgan for the job in the future.
“He’s the logical choice moving forward,” Scott said.
“He showed great leadership skills last year. He didn’t have the ‘‘c’’ next to his name, but he was the one that steered the side around.
“Being on the ball so much and a ballplayer ... he’s definitely a logical choice.”
Originally published as Michael Morgan reveals ambition to captain North Queensland Cowboys