As far as our club is concerned this type of process would be inadequate, our players would not be up to it or ready for it at present. Maybe in a couple of years a concept such as the saint's might be a viable proposition at Richmond but at this stage there is still to much growth to be had by our list for it to be effective for us.
Agree Rodger, too early for us to go down that track.
I like the idea behind the rotation system though. It would be a great learning curve for anyone and would greatly benefit any player to have the Captaincy for any amount of time. They get a greater sense of responsibility and maybe learn something about themselves they didn’t know before.
Whether it would work just as well at others Clubs, as it does at the Saints, is debatable. But I think it works there because they have a Coach who knows how to work the system he’s put in place and, most importantly, he’s created the environment where it can work. Also, he’s got a good group of players and a number of them with leadership qualities. And by giving players even one year at the role, they learn and grow by being Captain. So it can only make them a better team in the long run.
It’s easy to see leadership qualities in someone, but it’s up to the player to tap into his natural ability to handle the role in his way. The advantage the Saints players have is that they know they are going to have great support from their teammates, as well as the coaching staff, which is probably vital with any Captain, but especially in a developing team with a young Captain. I don’t know too many Clubs who would have as many young players ready to put their hand up for the role as the Saints seem to have. Which probably says a lot about the work that Thomas has done there to create such an environment where young players can feel confident enough in their own ability to be Captain. Hats off to Thomas.
