New Titans co-captain Kevin Proctor says he is grateful for the support of his teammates, who have backed the Kiwi Test star’s return to the Gold Coast on-field leadership.
Titans Senior Coach Craig Hodges revealed that the playing group erupted with a roar of joy and support when it was revealed that Proctor would join Tyrone Roberts as co-captain of the Gold Coast for the rest of the 2019 season.
Proctor was co-captain of the Titans in 2017 with Ryan James, but had the leadership responsibilities taken away from him. The 30-year-old have vowed that his will cherish and enjoy the role the second time around.
“I suppose it’s a bit of a cliché, but you don’t really know what you’ve got until its gone,” Proctor said.
“I’m going to really enjoy it this time because I didn’t really get much of an opportunity to enjoy it last time.
“I know there’s only seven weeks left of the competition, but I’ll be grabbing it with both hands.
“I’ve learnt off some of the best leaders in the game like Cameron Smith, Billy Slater and Cooper Cronk they were all great leaders at the Melbourne Storm and I’ll try to take a leaf out of their book and try to be the best leader I can be I guess.”
Proctor said the support of his teammates made the news of his elevation to the co-captaincy even more special.
“Seeing the boys’ reaction made me really happy, and I guess proud to be named co-captain again,” he said.
“It probably wouldn’t have happened without their help on the field, so I’m just really grateful to them.
“I didn’t really know how to feel to be honest, to be given an opportunity to lead the team around again. I just felt really grateful to be back in that position. I’ll take it with both hands this time.
“I don’t think it’ll change too much. I’m still pretty vocal on the field and I just try to lead with my actions.
“My role doesn’t change too much, but it’s good to be recognised. I suppose it’s a little more responsibility with the ‘c’ next to your name, but I’m really grateful to be back in this position.”
Proctor said the Titans were determined to finish the season strongly, beginning with the Queensland Derby clash against the Broncos at Cbus Super Stadium on Saturday, with kick-off at 5.30pm.
“We’ve changed the way we play a little bit with the new coaches, and we started last week and there were bits and pieces that we did really well,” he said.
“We want to try and build on what we did, and set up for next year and finish off this season as well as we can.”
