The St George Illawarra Dragons will look to move on from the Ben Hunt era in 2025, and one of the bigger calls Shane Flanagan will have to make in the short-term is his captaincy replacement.
While it's unlikely the Dragons will officially have a new captain installed until January once the entire squad can get together for a solid block of pre-season training, there are plenty of ideas already floating around given some of the signings the Red V have made.
There is little doubt that the idea behind Flanagan's signings for the 2025 campaign can be boiled down to one word: Experience.
Three signings have been made to date, and while there could be more to come, particularly when you consider no halfback has been signed to replace Ben Hunt yet (and the Dragons have been linked to all of Lachlan Ilias, Adam Doueihi, Daniel Atkinson as well as English Super League duo Bevan French and Brodie Croft as potential options to play either five-eighth or halfback), no players signed after this point are going to be in the running to lead the team in 2025.
That's because the signings they have made are already in the running to take over the mantle from Hunt - and you'd argue the favourites.
Clint Gutherson and Damien Cook are both born leaders. Cook captained the Prime Minister's XIII side this year, and while Cameron Murray led the Rabbitohs through the 2024 campaign at club level, the dummy half was part of their leadership group.
Whether he has the captaincy tag next to his name on team sheets in 2025 at the Red V or not, he is certainly going to be a player leant on by coach Flanagan to bring experience and leadership to his side, which has plenty of young talent, and more so in key positions, the likely result following Hunt's departure.
Unless Gutherson, who is another option to take over the captaincy, shifts to five-eighth, then it's very likely that the halves combination will be rookie Lykhan King-Togia and Kyle Flanagan.
Where Gutherson plays at the Dragons is a major debate as to whether he should take over the captaincy. One of the competition's hardest-working players during his time at the Parramatta Eels, Gutherson may not remain at the back for the Dragons.
Regardless of that, he will be one of the club's key players after gaining a release from the blue and gold to join the red and white following Hunt's departure.
Some will argue a player shouldn't captain a club in their first season, but that theory was blown to smitherenes last year by Stephen Crichton's unbelievable work at the Canterbury Bulldogs in 2024.
Taking the team back to the finals for the first time in eight years, it's a path the Dragons - who haven't played finals in seven seasons now - want to follow in 2025.
Their path to the top has certainly taken a hit with Hunt being released, but in the long-term, it could be the better move for the club as they look to establish a path for their youngsters and surround them with the best experienced players who will fit in at the club.
Both Cook and Gutherson have spoken about their desire to bring results to the Dragons in recent days, but not only that, to do it from the front and with the extra responsibility of skippering the side.
The argument for one of Cook and Gutherson to take over the captaincy is even stronger when you cast your eye over the Dragons' likely best 17 come Round 1 of the 2025 campaign
Options do not exactly leap off the page to lead the famous old club.
In the backline, none of Tyrell Sloan, Mathew Feagai, Christian Tuipulotu or Moses Suli are captaincy material at this stage of their careers. Nor is new recruit Valentine Holmes, who joins from the North Queensland Cowboys, although he is closer than the rest.
Kyle Flanagan won't be lumped with any extra responsibility as he prepares for a likely shift into the number seven, and King-Togia is a rookie.
In the forwards, Blake Lawrie is coming off a season where he went backwards rather than forwards and could well leave the club by the time the 2025 campaign is out, while Francis and Michael Molo aren't captaincy material either.
Jacob Liddle is a potential option but doesn't hold a candle experience-wise against Cook or Gutherson, while Raymond Faitala-Mariner was once club captain at the Bulldogs but is unlikely to repeat the feat in red and white.
Jaydn Su'A - a Queensland State of Origin player and coming off an incredible season - might be the most likely option of the players who were at the club in 2024, with Jack de Belin unlikely to be considered given his past, and the reactions the club receives on social media every time he is mentioned, whether fairly, or incredibly unfairly.
That said, it will likely come down to the new recruits to captain. Flanagan could yet follow other sides and name the duo co-captains for 2025, but Gutherson seems to be the front-runner.
It's unclear at this stage whether Cook will start or come from the bench, and even then, how many minutes he will play on a weekly basis given Liddle's position in the side.
With that being the case, Gutherson, whether at fullback or five-eighth, appears the best option to take over from Hunt.
The Dragons will just be praying he can perform a Stephen Crichton-sized miracle.