JAMES: I’LL BE BETTER
Reappointed Titans skipper Ryan James reveals why he’ll be better in 2018
RYAN James says he has learnt lessons from his horror first season as captain of the Gold Coast Titans.
The 26-year-old watched on last year as the Titans missed the NRL finals and then imploded amid controversy around coach Neil Henry and star recruit Jarryd Hayne.
“Hopefully that was the toughest part of it and it gets a little bit easier from here on in,” said James, who was yesterday officially named to lead the Titans this year.
RYAN James’s first season as Gold Coast Titans captain was a perfect storm of losing games, the Jarryd Hayne circus and Neil Henry’s sacking.
James questioned his own leadership credentials and whether he was up to the job as the Titans slumped to secondlast spot on the NRL ladder.
But it is those hard lessons learnt which James believes has primed him for a second crack at the role.
New Titans coach Garth Brennan yesterday appointed James as his sole captain for the 2018 season.
James, a Gold Coast product, said he would be a better captain following his experiences from 2017.
“It was tough and everything that happened on and off the field made it a little bit tougher,” he said.
“I’ve had the experience of it. I feel like I’ve come out better for it.
“Hopefully, that was the toughest part of it and it gets a little bit easier from here on in.
“I’m working on building good relations with people, referees and making sure everything I do in the community and footy field is up to scratch.”
James, 26, and wife Ana are expecting their second child this week, meaning the newly minted captain will miss his first engagement at Thursday’s NRL season launch in Sydney.
Having played 115 NRL games since his debut in 2010, James is entering his ninth season of first grade.
When he arrived at the club to replace Henry last year, Brennan said he would assess potential captaincy candidates before deciding who would lead the team.
What he observed over the past four months left him with no doubt that James deserved to retain the role.
“He epitomises what the Gold Coast Titans are about,” Brennan said.
“He’s a Gold Coast local, he loves the club and is passionate about it.
“He is a talented footballer, has the respect of his peers and ticks all the boxes for what a captain is.
“Ryan is a quality footballer and quality person.”
James started 2017 as a cocaptain with Kevin Proctor before the New Zealand Test star was stripped of the duty following an illicit drugs scandal.
James will look to the likes of Proctor, Nathan Peats and new signing Michael Gordon for guidance this season and said he still had plenty to learn.
“I don’t like to go out there and say too much to the boys,” he said. “I’m still learning. You can never stop improving.”
The Titans will officially launch their season tonight.