Hull KR have appointed former Australian international Terry Campese as their new captain, having proved a "natural leader" on their warm-weather camp in Portugal.
Campese was a one-club man until he signed for the Robins at the start of last month, spending his entire career at Canberra Raiders.
But the experience the half-back has gained in the NRL, along with his calm head, has persuaded coach Chris Chester to make him his on-field leader.
"It was an easy decision to make," Chester told the Mail. "He is a natural leader, he has done it for a number of years at Canberra and he has fitted straight in.
"Already, what I've seen of him is that he is a great pro. He takes the time to mingle with the boys and speak to everybody. He's been great on the camp.
"As well as having a lot of NRL experience, it's more the off-field things I have picked up on that he does well.
"He rounds everybody up, he is the first on the bus and it's the little things like that which make a big difference."
Rovers will not appoint a vice captain to work under Campese, with Chester instead preferring to encourage every member of his squad to be more vocal and voice their opinions.
He added: "We need a team of leaders, not just one, because I don't just want to rely solely on Terry Campese.
"We had some very strong candidates for the captain's role in Tyrone McCarthy, Darrell Goulding and Mick Weyman, but when I announced Terry would lead us I told them all that I want them to do the same too.
"I want to encourage the senior players and younger lads to come out and talk and voice their opinions. The more leaders we have, the better."
