Star recruit Adam Reynolds will captain his new team in his first game with the Brisbane Broncos.
The club confirmed Reynolds as their 2022 captain on Monday evening, with Reynolds to begin his tenure as the on-field leader against the club he departed, the South Sydney Rabbitohs in Round 1.
Reynolds, who played with the Rabbitohs between 2012 and 2021, racking up 231 games, was captain of the Rabbitohs by the time he left Redfern at the end of 2021.
The star half, who played five games for the New South Wales Blues at State of Origin level in 2016 and 2017, has signed a mega deal with the Broncos as the club look to turn around a disastrous two years of bottom-four finishes.
It's unclear who will be Reynolds' deputy, however, it's thought Pat Carrigan is the next man in line after he filled in for Alex Glenn early last season before succumbing to a season-ending injury.
Carrigan has also recently re-signed with the club.
Reynolds said in a club statement that it was "an incredible honour" to lead the club.
“It’s an incredible honour to be asked to lead this great club,” Reynolds said.
"It’s a huge responsibility and I believe I can play a role in helping this group of players to grow together and deliver something special back to everyone who supports our club.
“In recent years, there was an opportunity for me to move into a leadership role and I’ve loved every minute of it – it can be challenging at times but also very rewarding.
“You get to see the players around you grow and get better and I like spending times with other players and trying to improve them.
“Obviously experience is handy to have at this stage of my career and I tend to think that I lead through my actions and challenging others to improve.”
He didn't hide from the enormity of the challenge in turning around the club though.
“Coming up here to Brisbane, it’s a challenge, and being named Captain adds to that challenge – and I’m looking forward to it,” Reynolds said.
Head coach Kevin Walters, who will be under the pump unless Brisbane can produce results on field this season, said Reynolds has a killer attitude.
“Adam is a proven leader and has already captained a team to an NRL grand final – he has a professional killer attitude and is a cool head under pressure and I like that in a captain,” Walters said.
“I’m looking forward to working more closely with Adam and getting to know him as a bloke because it’s important a coach-captain relationship is strong – In the conversations I’ve had with Adam, we are thinking along the same lines and see the game the same way.
“I like the fact Adam brings knowledge, leadership and experience, and he is a very strong character which you need to survive in the halves in the NRL.
“He will help a lot of us, but we have to help him too and make sure he is comfortable in his role and position here. I believe we have the right people here to take his game to a level that we expect from him.”
