Former juniors rise to the top
THEY’RE the Gold Coast success stories every local junior player can hope to emulate. New Titans co-captains Ryan James (left) and Kevin Proctor began their rugby league careers at Bilambil and Tugun respectively before playing at school footy powerhouse Palm Beach Currumbin. They’ll lead a squad that has the Coast’s best chance yet of premiership glory.
RYAN James and Kevin Proctor have promised to provide the long-term stability and leadership as co-captains to steer the Gold Coast to prolonged NRL success.
The pair were unveiled last night as the Titans co-captains, the first genuine homegrown products to lead the club having grown up playing juniors for Bilambil (James) and Tugun (Proctor) and schooled at rugby league nursery Palm Beach Currumbin.
Importantly, James and Proctor offer the club valuable stability in the leadership department. They become the fifth and sixth different permanent Titans skippers since 2014 – following Greg Bird, Nate Myles, Nathan Friend and William Zillman – but are set to buck such constant change being only in their mid-20s and contracted until the end of 2020. Recruit Proctor was shocked by his appointment but believes their commitment to the Gold Coast had played a part in the decision.
“I think that’s why they picked us, because we’re both here long term, we’re both from the Gold Coast, I suppose we’re both at that age with our football career too,” he said.
“It’s a massive honour and privilege.”
It marks Proctor’s first opportunity as an NRL captain and he hopes to take a leaf out of the book of his respected former skipper, Melbourne Storm champion and Test leader Cameron Smith.
“I don’t think anyone can be like him. He’s just a freak in what he does,” Proctor said.
“I have learnt a few things off him over the years playing with him. I’ll just try to lead by example.”
Proctor and James attended the same school but only really knew of one another, with the latter – two grades younger – often watching his older brother Tim James line up alongside Proctor.
“He (Proctor) was actually one of those boys I looked up to. He played schoolboys and went straight into first grade,” James said.
The pair got their first real chance to meet properly when James followed Proctor to Melbourne for a trial opportunity before returning to the Gold Coast, where he would rise to the Titans under-20s captaincy.
Their school football mentor Rod Patison said both had “NRL written all over them” during their teen years.
But while James was a natural captain, leadership was something that grew with Proctor, a late starter in league.
“The stint in Melbourne was a great thing for Kevin,” Patison said.
“He was a leader as a junior but he has become a senior leader now. Ryan was just born one, simple as that.
“For Kevin, the first sign of leadership was the fact that at 16 years of age and with probably only three or four games of rugby league, he stepped up to play first grade at school.
“And I think it has always been apparent with Ryan … he just gets better with every layer of responsibility.”
Patison added the choice of leaders was a huge tick for the Gold Coast’s breeder system.
“One school of thought is you have got to go away (from the Gold Coast) to make it – well not necessarily,” he said.