Kevin Walters says Adam Reynolds ticks all of the boxes to be the Broncos next captain in his first season at Red Hill.
Brisbane will elect a new leader for season 2022 following the retirement of Alex Glenn this year and Reynolds looms as the obvious choice for Walters.
The premiership-winning former Rabbitohs skipper has arrived in Brisbane after his high-profile move from South Sydney but has yet to join his new teammates for pre-season training.
Brisbane have two emerging leaders in Patrick Carrigan and Payne Haas, although Reynolds was brought to the club to take the reins of the attack and act as the on-field leader for one of the competition's youngest sides.
Walters has insisted he won't rush into a decision on who will lead his side in 2022, suggesting it could come on the other side of the New Year.
Although, with 231 games, several years of representative experience and two seasons under his belt as an NRL captain, he hinted Reynolds is the man most likely for the job.
“He’s already a Bronco ... he’s loving life in Brisbane,” Walters told reporters on Friday .
“He’s got his family here now, they’ve bought a house. They’ve settled. I think next month they move into the house. That’s got nothing to do with it.
“What we need as our captain is someone that knows the game really well, plays really well and is a good person more than anything else.
“Adam ticks all those boxes so he’ll be a strong candidate.”
While 21-year-old Haas has naturally emerged as Brisbane's talisman on the field in his four NRL seasons and will inevitably lead the club one day, his tarnished off-field record, as well as his age, means it's unlikely we could see the Origin and Test prop take on the Broncos' captaincy for some years.
Carrigan, who was made part of the Broncos' leadership group under former coach Anthony Seibold, is another option although his future at Red Hill is yet to be secured.
The 23-year-old prop, who is recovering from an ACL tear, comes off-contract at the end of 2022 and is believed to be on new club The Dolphins' radar.
Re-signing Carrigan, before considering his candidacy for the Broncos captaincy, is Walters' priority.
“Redcliffe are a threat to a lot of teams,” Walters said. “They’ve got to assemble a squad of 30 players and some more on top of that.
“It’s not just us every club’s under pressure, but we’re confident with what we’re building here at the Broncos that we can hang on to the players that we need to hang on to.
“Pat is one of those, certainly.
“We’re doing our best and working with Patty and his management to make sure that happens.”
