Burns and Hodgson to captain Hull KR

Travis Burns and Josh Hodgson have appointed as co-captains of Hull KR for 2014.

The duo replace the departed Michael Dobson, Head Coach Craig Sandercock says that the idea of a co-captaincy is something that has grown on him over time.

He said: “I personally never used to be a fan of co-captains but when I worked in the NRL, the club I was with had them and they won the competition. North Queensland have run with Jonathan Thurston and Matthew Scott and Souths also run with about six captains who are all part of a senior leadership group.

“Having been over here for a couple of years and seen Josh and Travis’ personalities I think this will work well for our club. They are two different personalities who offer different things and I think it’s the best fit for us.  Josh has already skippered the England Knights and everyone knows that Travis is a real competitor who wears his heart on his sleeve. They’re also two great players and we’re very lucky to have a strong group of senior players within the squad this year.

“The captaincy is just as important off the field nowadays and if you’ve got a strong group of senior players there’s probably less responsibility on the captain. For us in the here and now, Josh and Travis will share the duties and I have no doubt that they’ll do a great job. And perhaps more importantly, they have the full respect and backing of the rest of the players.”

Burns joined Rovers from Penrith ahead of the 2013 season, while Hodgson, who has represented England Knights, came through the ranks at Hull FC before crossing the city.