Slipper confirmed as Reds captain

Reds Head Coach Nick Stiles has confirmed that seasoned prop James Slipper will remain captain for the 2017 Super Rugby season. This will be Slipper's third consecutive season as captain since the departure of James Horwill from the Queensland side. He will be assisted by a leadership group that consists of Quade Cooper and Stephen Moore, as well as Samu Kerevi and Sam Talakai.

Slipper has represented the Reds a total of 91 times and earned 86 Test match caps for Australia.

Slipper commented saying it was a “huge honour” to continue to lead his state, but that it would be a group effort in 2017.
 
“I’ve always enjoyed leading my state. It’s been a challenging role, but I’m really looking forward to the 2017 season. We’ve grown so much as a group over the last two years and we’re massively motivated to turn our fortunes around,” Slipper said.
 
“To be honest, I’ve been thinking about this season since the last one ended. I want Queensland Rugby to be strong, that’s what motivates me.
 
“Having the support of the leadership group is going to be massive. Not only do they add experience, but they’re strong leaders as well.”

  In naming the five-man team to lead the side in 2017, Stiles said it was important to have a balance of qualities in the group he chose.
 
“James (Slipper) has done an outstanding job as skipper to this point, particularly last year under difficult circumstances,” Stiles said.
 
“When it came to approaching the leadership for this season we were conscious of wanting to provide a strong base of support not just for him, but for the whole squad.

 
“James, Stephen (Moore), Quade (Cooper), Samu (Kerevi) and Sam (Talakai) all bring different leadership strengths to the role.
 
“We’ve chosen this model of leadership group after doing a lot of work on understanding what motivates this team and how we can get the best out of them.

 
“We’ve learnt from previous experience that we weren’t aggressive enough in developing a number of leaders within the group and this model allows us to do that.
 
“It’s also important to note that while we’ve named a group of leaders, we expect everyone in the squad to contribute to leadership in some form. We’re creating an environment where people can be comfortable leading in their area of strength.
 
“Hopefully this sets us up for the progression and development of many leaders within the team.”

The Reds kick their 2017 Super Rugby Campaign off at home against The Sharks on 24 February 2017