http://foxsports.news.com.au/story/0,8659,11645767-23214,00.html
AUSTRALIAN coach Wayne Bennett has called on the ARL board to make a decision about Australia's Test captaincy before they embarrass the position.
The captaincy issue was stirred again yesterday after Bennett publicly endorsed Darren Lockyer, who has led the past two Kangaroo tours while Andrew Johns has been injured.
Johns is considered the incumbent Test captain but, through injury, has led Australia only twice since taking over from Brad Fittler, while Lockyer has led the Kangaroos eight times.
"I would rather they get it out on the table now because it is only going to raise its head continually until they do," Bennett said.
"And in my opinion it degrades the position. The decision should be made sooner rather than later so it puts the speculation to bed."
Johns is already gun-shy of the debate, having gone through a similar experience with Gorden Tallis in 2002.
Bolstering Bennett's call, Johns's manager John Fordham said the Newcastle captain was unwilling to comment for fear of involving himself in another prolonged debate.
"His main priority is to get back playing football and he is available assuming his return is successful, but Andrew doesn't want to get involved in a situation like he did with Gorden Tallis two years ago," Fordham said.
Fordham said Johns would support Lockyer if he was named captain.
Bennett said the game, to say nothing of the prestige of the Australian captaincy, would be tarnished unless a decision was made now.
"I personally don't want to see what happened to Andrew and Gorden happen again. That became an issue that wasn't in the individuals' interests," he said.
"It tarnishes it because there is huge debate about it and at the end of the day who doesn't get it comes across as a loser anyway.
"Make the decision sooner rather than later. Don't degrade the position by making it an issue."
Bennett opened the debate shortly after the Kangaroos arrived home on Wednesday, saying: "I don't think there will be any doubt that Darren Lockyer will be captain of Australia [in 2005]."
It appeared pre-emptive, as the ARL board appoints the Test captain, not the coach.
Bennett's fear is set to be realised, though, with ARL chairman Colin Love and chief executive Geoff Carr saying the ARL policy is to not name a captain until the team has been named.
Obviously, this will not happen until shortly before the first Anzac Test in April.
"The last time this came up it went for two months as to who would be captain out of Joey [Johns] and Locky [Lockyer] and at the end of the day Locky was the only one in the team," Carr said.
"If we had gone ahead and picked Joey in advance we would have had to change it.
"The policy has always been that we pick the team and from the team we pick the captain."
When I saw the headline, I thought this was an opinion piece from some dickhead journalist. I'm surprised that Bennett has said this but after reading his reasons, I can understand it somewhat.
However, I still feel that there's no point in naming a captain until the side is named, the ARL's view. Who's to say Joey is going to make a full recovery and be the player he was? Who's to say Locky won't be injured or struggling for form because of injury?
What do you guys think?
AUSTRALIAN coach Wayne Bennett has called on the ARL board to make a decision about Australia's Test captaincy before they embarrass the position.
The captaincy issue was stirred again yesterday after Bennett publicly endorsed Darren Lockyer, who has led the past two Kangaroo tours while Andrew Johns has been injured.
Johns is considered the incumbent Test captain but, through injury, has led Australia only twice since taking over from Brad Fittler, while Lockyer has led the Kangaroos eight times.
"I would rather they get it out on the table now because it is only going to raise its head continually until they do," Bennett said.
"And in my opinion it degrades the position. The decision should be made sooner rather than later so it puts the speculation to bed."
Johns is already gun-shy of the debate, having gone through a similar experience with Gorden Tallis in 2002.
Bolstering Bennett's call, Johns's manager John Fordham said the Newcastle captain was unwilling to comment for fear of involving himself in another prolonged debate.
"His main priority is to get back playing football and he is available assuming his return is successful, but Andrew doesn't want to get involved in a situation like he did with Gorden Tallis two years ago," Fordham said.
Fordham said Johns would support Lockyer if he was named captain.
Bennett said the game, to say nothing of the prestige of the Australian captaincy, would be tarnished unless a decision was made now.
"I personally don't want to see what happened to Andrew and Gorden happen again. That became an issue that wasn't in the individuals' interests," he said.
"It tarnishes it because there is huge debate about it and at the end of the day who doesn't get it comes across as a loser anyway.
"Make the decision sooner rather than later. Don't degrade the position by making it an issue."
Bennett opened the debate shortly after the Kangaroos arrived home on Wednesday, saying: "I don't think there will be any doubt that Darren Lockyer will be captain of Australia [in 2005]."
It appeared pre-emptive, as the ARL board appoints the Test captain, not the coach.
Bennett's fear is set to be realised, though, with ARL chairman Colin Love and chief executive Geoff Carr saying the ARL policy is to not name a captain until the team has been named.
Obviously, this will not happen until shortly before the first Anzac Test in April.
"The last time this came up it went for two months as to who would be captain out of Joey [Johns] and Locky [Lockyer] and at the end of the day Locky was the only one in the team," Carr said.
"If we had gone ahead and picked Joey in advance we would have had to change it.
"The policy has always been that we pick the team and from the team we pick the captain."
When I saw the headline, I thought this was an opinion piece from some dickhead journalist. I'm surprised that Bennett has said this but after reading his reasons, I can understand it somewhat.
However, I still feel that there's no point in naming a captain until the side is named, the ARL's view. Who's to say Joey is going to make a full recovery and be the player he was? Who's to say Locky won't be injured or struggling for form because of injury?
What do you guys think?
