Proctor regains Titans captaincy
Almost three years after being stripped of Gold Coast’s captaincy for his involvement in a cocaine scandal, the one birthday present Kevin Proctor didn’t expect was to be restored to the Titans’ NRL leadership.
The 240-game forward’s career redemption was completed yesterday when coach Justin Holbrook confirmed the New Zealand international as his on-field captain for the 2020 season.
Proctor expressed his pride at the decision, admitting he believed his NRL leadership days were over after he and Kiwis team-mate Jesse Bromwich were caught in a cocaine scandal while on international duty in Canberra in May, 2017.
‘‘It’s a super proud moment for me and my family,’’ said Proctor, who turned 31 yesterday.
‘‘After everything that happened I never thought I’d see myself in this position again. To be back in this position, I’m truly grateful and I won’t be taking it for granted.’’
Proctor was only too aware his appointment would be viewed critically by some for his past indiscretions.
Bromwich, then captain, and Proctor were subsequently axed from New Zealand’s 2017 Rugby League World Cup squad because of the cocaine scandal.
‘‘I think it’ll just make me a bit more motivated to prove to everyone I can do it,’’ he said. ‘‘Everything that happened – it wasn’t anything small – but it’s all in the past now.’’
Holbrook said appointing Proctor had been an easy choice after he was forced to consider his captaincy options when Ryan James suffered a season-ending knee injury in late January.
Proctor’s past played no role in Holbrook’s thinking, although he did get the OK from the club’s board and executives before confirming him as captain.
‘‘As I said when I first came in in November, everyone’s got a fresh start in the playing group and as coaches we’re just going to observe how they perform at training and how they conduct themselves,’’ Holbrook said.
‘‘In the end it was an obvious choice to go with Kev. How much the players respect him is an important one and how much they do listen to him. Even with the croaky voice he gets his messages across to the players and makes it clear.’’
James will take up an on-field ambassadorial role as club captain while he recovers from his latest knee injury.
The 28-year-old backed Proctor’s appointment, pointing to his 240 NRL appearances as a symbol of his experience.
‘‘The club’s made a great decision with Kevin, he’s an experienced player coming up to 250 games and he’s just one of those players we always look to on the field, one of those players you can always seek advice from,’’ James said.
‘‘He’s got that leadership quality and if I can do anything to take any pressure off him that’s what I’ll be doing this year.’’