Teig Wilton will aim to take a leaf from the book of Cameron McInnes by inspiring with his actions when he fills in as Sharks captain against the Eels at CommBank Stadium on Thursday night.
With usual skipper McInnes and fellow leader Nicho Hynes away in NSW Origin camp, 24-year-old Wilton has been given the privilege of guiding the team.
The second-rower from Narooma is no stranger to the responsbility of captaincy, having helmed the Sharks to their first Jersey Flegg premiership in 2018 as well as skippering a NSW under-20s team featuring a host of future stars in 2019.
"It's definitely an honour to stand in as captain while the boys are away doing their duties at Origin," Wilton told Sharks Media on Tuesday.
"I look forward to putting in a good performance as a team and bouncing back from last week (a 42-0 defeat to the Panthers at home).
"Stepping into Cam's shoes, I think actions are more important than the things you say, so hopefully I can go out there, put in a good performance and lead by example."
Wilton knows he can lean on any number of his teammates for support.
"Our team's full of leaders," he added.
"As we've gotten older, everyone's matured into leaders in their own right. I'm sure in every position across the field you can find a leader. Nothing really changes in our roles; everyone just does their job. I look forward to the game."
Cronulla hooker Blayke Brailey backed his good mate to embrace the role.
"It's massive. He's obviously come through the grades and been captain for the SG Ball and 20s, so he does have past experience," he said of Wilton.
"His leadership's massive on the field, he talks a lot, he's a great communicator, he leads with his actions, he's always working hard at training.
"I feel like this role suits him perfectly and we're all excited for him."
