Sam Tomkins to be the captain for me. Already seems to be the most vocal with our players and officials. Smart player with a massive desire to win. One the most experienced players in our squad with both NRL and international caps. Sadly I can see Bateman leaving in the next few years for the NRL.

Agree with the above. Tomkins will most likely now be at Wigan for the rest of his career, he is a natural leader on the field and matured in the NRL.

Bateman will be away within 2 seasons.

The only way I can see us giving him the role is if it was a clincher in him signing a long deal with us without any NRL clause on it.

Yep so agree with Tomkins as future captain. Bateman is very vocal too on the field so it all helps really.
Wonder if they would revisit that Leadership group (Sam, Bateman, Joel, Faz....etc)?

This subject rears it's head quite a few times a season but it is a very relevant subject. For me yes i agree, i think it's time to retire for both him and the club's sake. He has lost any pace he had, his aggression is still there but it is littered with bad passes, penalties and constantly jawing at the ref's now. It is time to retire for me certainly. We aren't missing what he brings to the table any more. i think from the club's point of view, every season is built around him but we can't rely on him on the field any more (when he is fit enough to get on it) and need to look to move forward. I don't like the idea of Bateman at 13, i would like to see a seasoned, experienced NRL type of loose forward here to take up the mantle.

On the subject of future captain. 100% Sam. He has matured an awful lot in the last few years, is highly experienced in the big matches and he seems to now talk to the ref's in a considered manner rather than an aggressive and childish one he used to do.

Peacock was one of the worst disciplined players in SL but was a great player and captain. He also got sin binned for fighting plenty of times. Ditto Andy Farrell.

Sinfield had no pace and chirped at the ref every 5 minutes but was a great player and captain.

I'd class Peacock is a good cool head under pressure though. He will stand up for himself and his team mates in fights obviously but I tend to think that's when it is required of him to be an enforcer (e.g when Fielden got floored) rather than when the opposition have managed to get under his skin. You can't really put Peacock off his game like that, but you can with Bateman.

Farrell was a brilliant player, lead by example and him rollocking the team under the sticks was crowd pleasing, but controversially I'm not convinced his 'shout at everyone' style of captaincy was very effective. I suppose it's difficult not to give a player the captaincy when he is a miles better player than those around him though.

Sinfield - I've no idea what his pace has to do with it. Again, he was a cool head under pressure, no issue with him talking to the referee, I don't recall him ever giving away a penalty for dissent or appearing out of control. He is likely someone the referees could communicate effectively with. I can't say the same for Bateman at this stage.

I recall Sinfield getting a red card for head butting someone not so long ago.

It's pretty clear that, either together or individually, Peacock and Sinfield provided what Leeds are sorely lacking at present - and that is quality leadership.

Faz's shouty style was more from the Alex Murphy school of captaincy, and the trouble with that is if that's all you've got where do you when the players get used to it? That, for me, is why Murph ultimately got found out as a coach. But as you stay, Faz was so much better than everyone else around him that he was a towering figure and an obvious skipper.

I preferred the Hanley approach myself, which was to maintain a constant dialogue with the ref and rather than publically bollock his players if they got things wrong, have a quiet and encouraging word with them. I know he gave out team rollockings, but that's fair enough as no individual was being humiliated.

You can't define a whole players' career because of one moment of madness. On the whole, Sinfield was generally the ultimate professional. Great captain.

Memorable mainly because it was totally out of character. Surely you wouldn't say that typified him as a player or captain?

I didn't say I was defining his career on that moment nor would I say that typified him as a player or captain. I was merely pointing it out as a fact as Grimmy had said he didn't recall Sinfield ever giving away a penalty.

I think you have misread my post. I said I couldn't remember him giving away a penalty for dissent, i.e he is presumably talking to the referee in an acceptable manner

It was Castleford's Luke Dorn that Sinfield head butted. In his recently released book, Sinfield said he has no regrets over the incident.

Every player has done something in their careers on or off the pitch they aren't proud of but Sinfield was a born leader and i think it's glaringly obvious who was the real coach at the Rhinos. How many of those close games Leeds have lost would they have won with Sinfield in the side? He epitomises what a captain should be. As much as i hated the fact he played for Leeds i don't think anyone could deny begrudgingly wishing he played for their team. When he announced he was leaving early last season McDermott started leaving him out of the side for Sutcliffe, that didn't last long. McDermott probably knew in those few matches he was going to be in great trouble this season. Losing Aiton was a blow for him, he had probably hoped the money he spent on Falloon was going to be used for a new no. 7

Bateman is as close to Faz as any player I can think of. His ability to lead by example and take a game by the scruff of the neck by pure aggression is almost parallel.



The pace point was in reply to CW's post above mine. The fact that Lockers has lost a lot of pace is irrelevant IMO.

I actually think Bateman has matured a lot even since last year. Wane wouldn't have given him the captaincy against Huddersfield(?) if not.

Plenty of captains have been naughty boys. Morley, Tallis, Harragon, Gallen etc. it is not a measure of captaincy.