PROCTOR IN FRAME
Brennan impressed with Titans’ former co-captains
A REFORMED Kevin Proctor could rejoin Ryan James in the Gold Coast Titans captaincy group this season.
Proctor (pictured) was stripped of the co-captaincy last year in the wake of a drugs scandal while in camp with the New Zealand Test team.
New coach Garth Brennan says he has been impressed by Proctor and James since he had joined the club.
RYAN James will retain the Gold Coast Titans captaincy and could be joined in leading the club by a reformed Kevin Proctor.
New Titans coach Garth Brennan says he has found no reason to take the captaincy off James.
James and Proctor were installed as co-captains of the Titans for the 2017 season by former coach Neil Henry.
Proctor’s stint in the position lasted just seven games after he was involved in a drugs scandal while in camp with New Zealand for the Anzac Test.
Proctor was stripped of the co-captaincy, leaving James as the sole captain for the remainder of the season as the Titans plummeted to finish second-last.
When he arrived at the club, Brennan said he would monitor the leadership credentials of his players before deciding on a skipper.
He said he had been impressed by James and was set to stick with the local product.
“Ryan James is the current captain and I probably haven’t seen a lot to really change that,” he said.
“There is Nathan Peats, Kevin Proctor and Michael Gordon ... there are some names, but to be honest I haven’t seen too much to change my view on why Ryan James needs to have the captaincy taken off him at this point.
“He is a local guy who loves the club. He is passionate about the club and that’s important to me.
“I want a club that’s community-built, which we are on the way to doing.
“I want the local kids to have aspirations to be a Ryan James, play for the Titans and captain the Titans.
“Kevin Proctor is a local junior as well who had to go away but has come back with a lot of experience from the Melbourne Storm. Who’s to say he can’t tick that box as well?”
Proctor, 28, is also a Gold Coast product, having graduated from the renowned league nursery at Palm Beach Currumbin before forging a career at the Storm.
He was suspended for four NRL matches by the Titans and rubbed out of last year’s World Cup by the Kiwis following his incident in Canberra with former Storm teammate Jesse Bromwich.
Proctor captained the Titans late last year in James’ absence and Brennan said he had served his time.
“I don’t see why he needs to be punished for the rest of his career over it,” he said.