Who should be our Captain in 2011

[Dymock]

Well Inu is a good footballer, he's smart and he's likely to deal with the referees very well. But on the downside he seems quiet and a captain also has to talk to the team a lot.

I don't think Mateo would struggle with talking to the team. He's needs something to make him really step up to be the player that we all know he can be.

Tbh there aren't any options that I'd get excited about. Even Hindy whilst good won't be outstanding.

The captain should ideally be someone who thinks about the team's game as much as the coach does, a person who can communicate easily with others, a person with a good football brain, somebody who can interact well with the referees and a player who can hold a spot in the team.

Nobody in the squad has all five of those qualities - at least as far as I can tell. Bear in mind that not actually knowing the players its hard for me to really say. But from what I've seen Mateo and Inu strike me as being reasonably bright, if a tad under-utilized, and I'd rather that the next Eels captain is a thinker rather than just a motivator.

 

[JessEel]

no idea tbh... Ben or Tim Mannah i guess, but i think thats only coming from years of watching a Big Guy as a captain (Caylo) and not liking the thought of having a Little Guy like KK or Morts..

 

[Casper The Ghost]

The 80 minute stalking Preying mantis is going to be around for quite a few years so Ben Smith gets the C - otherwise another 80 minute player J Robson or D Mortimer or T Mannah.

 

[NorthShoreEel]

Not that I disagree that Mannah is too raw....but the world's biggest prankster Mickey Vella was always a good skipper when he ran out for us in that role and has done wonders at Hull KR

Yeah, but as I said, maybe further down the track for Mannah. At what age did Micky V first captain a 1st grade team, was it at Hull?

 

[Gronk]

All aboard the Benny bus !

 

[Bazal]

Yeah, but as I said, maybe further down the track for Mannah. At what age did Micky V first captain a 1st grade team, was it at Hull?

Tbh I couldn't tell you the exact age, but he definitely captained games at Parramatta when Cayless was out

 

[Dymock]

Vella would've captained the Eels in 2003 along with Wagon when Hindy and Cayless were out. I remember watching a replay of a 2003 game a while back and being shocked at the appalling state of our forward pack!!

 

[JessEel]

What are you talking about? 2003 was a team of superstars!! :sarcasm:

 

[Eels Dude]

Vella would've captained the Eels in 2003 along with Wagon when Hindy and Cayless were out. I remember watching a replay of a 2003 game a while back and being shocked at the appalling state of our forward pack!!

It was in '03 wasn't it where mid season we lured Willie Leyshon and Darren Treacy out of retirement to booster our forward pack?

 

[Bazal]

We just outright signed Leyshon if I recall rightly...good player, wrecked by his injuries.

 

[1 Eyed TEZZA]

Well, you need to look at the qualities you want of a captain.

You want the player to be respected, mature, to be able to lead by example and to be virtually guarenteed a spot in the side everyweek.

I cant think of any player other then Hindmarsh who fits any of those roles right now. But thats right now. Hindmarsh will be captain next year, 2012 is where it gets interesting. By then, Hayne and Mannah might have matured. By then Benny might be here long term and guarenteed a spot in first grade.

But to be honest, I think the 2 darkies could be KK and Morts. They are young, but they wont be very young in 2 years time. KK already has the maturity to do it, hes not seen joking around or anything, he is the kind of player we want to lead the team.

My vote is with KK....if he stays. (But our next captain will and should be Hindy)

 

[Eels Dude]

We just outright signed Leyshon if I recall rightly...good player, wrecked by his injuries.

Nup he had definately retired as Melbourne were considering taking legal action at the time as he retired mid contract with them (due to his injuries), only for him to come out of retirement to play for us.

 

[Dymock]

Leyshon was pretty good for us as well from what I could see.

I think the forward pack was Vella, Morris, Leyshon, Treacy, Crouch, Hopkins or something like that with Webster, Widders etc on the bench. Wagon might've been 5/8. Those were scary days and as bad as we're playing now this is still better than that!!

We had Dunley as well in '03 and he was pretty good. I think that year we had bad injuries to Hindy, Cayless, Burt, Lyon, Dykes (surprise, surprise) and Paul Green ... and we still almost made the top 8.

 

[Bazal]

Nup he had definately retired as Melbourne were considering taking legal action at the time as he retired mid contract with them (due to his injuries), only for him to come out of retirement to play for us.

Really? Well there you go...also, IIRC, didn't Leyshon then go on to take legal action against his original surgeon for some form of stuff up that effectively ended his career (despite the few games he got through for us)?

 

[Dymock]

If you want to see something really scary, this was our line-up against Canberra in for one game in 2003:

Parramatta

​

A. GRAHAM, R. PRINCE, W. TONGA, D. VAEALIKI, M. PETERSEN, D. WAGON (c), M. WITT, K. LEULUAI

J. MORRIS, A. PEEK, D. TREACY, D. WIDDERS, L. HOPKINS,

Bench: D. HECKENBERG, S. DUNLEY, S. CROUCH D. SOLOMONA

Apologies for the format I copied it off the NRL project site. Fascinating stuff, I never knew that Ronald Prince actually played five games for us.

We lost 50-10 or thereabouts.

 

[Eels Dude]

Really? Well there you go...also, IIRC, didn't Leyshon then go on to take legal action against his original surgeon for some form of stuff up that effectively ended his career (despite the few games he got through for us)?

Yeah the Storm didn't go ahead with it in the end given he only played a few games for us before retiring again. Not sure if he went on to sue his surgeon, but I'll trust your memory. It was a shame injury forced him to retire from footy when he was only in his mid twenties as he was a very good player at peak fitness.

 

[Eels Dude]

I think the forward pack was Vella, Morris, Leyshon, Treacy, Crouch, Hopkins or something like that with Webster, Widders etc on the bench. Wagon might've been 5/8. Those were scary days and as bad as we're playing now this is still better than that!!

I believe Brian Smith also experimented with starting Dean Widders and Lee Hopkins at 5'8th on occasions in 2003. It's funny looking back at these old teamlists from only a few years ago and thinking WTF.

 

[Dymock]

I often have a wtf feeling when I look at Brian Smith's old team lists. Loved him as a coach ... but wtf!! On the Rugby league project site I looked up some of the 1998 team-lists and they were puzzling at best. I guess it made sense at the time. He doesn't seem to be a fan of a settled halves combination our Brian even though some of his best seasons '97 and '01 were with settled combinations.