http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sp...-dragons-in-2013/story-e6frexnr-1226499894436
BEN Creagh is the man to captain St George Illawarra in 2013, with Dragons greats anointing him "the perfect leader" for one of the toughest periods in the club's history.
The Sunday Telegraph has been told Creagh is set to take over as skipper of the Dragons following the retirement of veteran halfback Ben Hornby.
Missing the playoffs this year with the worst attacking record in NRL, Creagh has the task of rebuilding a relatively inexperienced squad alongside rookie coach Steve Price. After winning the 2010 grand final under Wayne Bennett, the Dragons have since lost not only the super-coach, but experienced stars Hornby, Dean Young, Mark Gasnier, Darius Boyd, Jeremy Smith and Neville Costigan.
But former club captain Trent Barrett has backed the appointment of Creagh. "Things are going to be tough for the Dragons but Benny Creagh is the perfect man to lead them through it," Barrett said. "Ben's attitude, his passion, the way he carries himself and his efforts in games and at training ... it all ensures he warrants the position. The captaincy will sit well with him because not only is he happy to speak his mind, what he's done in the past, both on and off the field, has earned him the role. There isn't anything he needs to change going forward."
Former NSW utility Shaun Timmins agreed. "Ben has a massive challenge ahead of him because there's a real changing of the guard at the club right now," Timmins said. "But he's already established himself as a leader, so this is the obvious next step. The guy is a lot tougher than he gets credit for. I know Benny copped a bit for that stuff in Origin a few years ago, but he plays hard, trains hard. He's also studying a university degree. Younger players notice stuff like that, how he manages to put in despite having so much on, and respect him for it."
There's no denying Saints are a club under pressure with reports that management will make a play for premiership-winning coach Craig Bellamy next season. Star five-eighth Jamie Soward will also be looking to find the form that won him a NSW Origin jersey.
"Having lost a lot of experience, they know they're going to go through a tough period," Barrett said. "But that's why you give the captaincy to someone like Ben Creagh, a footballer who you know will handle the pressure when it's on. But the Dragons are going to need more than just Ben to play the leadership role.With what they have ahead of them, it takes five, maybe six guys to put their hand up."
