Canterbury coach Cameron Ciraldo has handed new recruit Stephen Crichton the captaincy at the club after impressing with his leadership over the off-season.
Ciraldo informed his Bulldogs players on Thursday. The club’s previous leaders, Reed Mahoney and Matt Burton, had been made aware of the change before the announcement.
“Reed and Burto have played integral roles in setting the foundation for our team’s success, both on and off the field,” Ciraldo said.
“They did an exceptional job being thrown in the deep end last year and put their hands up during a challenging year to help guide our young squad. There were a lot of lessons and learnings out of last year and both Reed and Burto will be better from the experience of it.”
Crichton joins the club as a three-time premiership winner having spent his entire playing career at Penrith.
“Stephen is a really good reader of energy,” Ciraldo said.
Stephen Crichton is the new captain of the Bulldogs.Credit: Getty
“He understands when people are a little bit flat, low on energy, and when it’s a bit quiet, and he can change the mood in an instant. Sometimes that’s with some annoying music or sounds, or loud noises that he comes up with but he’s great at bringing people together,” Ciraldo said.
“He really understands bringing positive energy to the group and he’s been such a valuable asset to us this pre-season.”
Crichton is expected to play his first game for the Bulldogs in this week’s trial match against Cronulla at Belmore.
He has been hampered by injury in the new year but has proven his fitness and is excited to lead the team for the first time.
“I just want to lead with my actions,” Crichton said.
“I’ve been at a successful club and I’ve seen what good leaders look like and I’ve learnt a lot from the older boys that I was with and I’ve taken a few things from each person that I can implement in my life on and off the field, as well as in being a leader.
“Going into the camp I knew straight away the boys were nervous and I knew that my communication and leadership could bring the boys up a bit and make them excited.
“I was looking at the back end of the camp, when camp was finished, and where this team could go to and I knew that they needed a leader to get them through the camp. So, I just kind of took on that role from the start.”
“We have a lot of leaders that were talking through camp just as much as me, and I wasn’t trying to put that pressure just on me, I leaned on them, the other senior boys, just as much as they were leaning on myself.”
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