The next NSW State of Origin captain won't necessarily be captain of his own NRL club.
That's the edict from Blues coach Laurie Daley as he mulls over who will lead his side next year with Aaron Woods, Boyd Cordner and Josh Jackson the leading candidates.
While Wests Tigers skipper Woods has long been seen as the heir apparent to Paul Gallen, who stepped down following the 2016 series, Daley is considering several other options.
It would seem natural that the criteria for captaining your state would include leading your club, Daley said that wasn't the case.
"They can just be a player in the group - as long as they've got the qualities that we're after," Daley said at the announcement of the side's new training base at Kingscliff on Friday.
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"I'm sure that guy will stand out in the months to come. It's not determined yet.
"And with (advisor Peter Sterling), I'll be looking at how they play and conduct themselves on and off the park over the next five months."
Daley is known to be a big fan of Canterbury forward Jackson and sees him as a future leader regardless of whether he wears the captain's armband.
He has also mentioned Penrith skipper Matt Moylan as an a potential captain.
Daley reserved special praise for Sydney Roosters second-rower Cordner who he said ticks all the boxes of what he's looking for in a leader.
"I'm after someone who has a great rapport with people, can inspire people and someone the boys will follow. I'm sure someone will stand out," Daley said.
"Boyd is certainly one of those standout characters. I think he's got great leadership qualities and is a guy that everyone would support and follow. We've got a number of great candidates."
