Joe Tapine signed an extension with Canberra Raiders, hopes to become team captain, ready for leadership role.
Joe Tapine has been building to this moment for years.
When he signed a four-year extension with the Canberra Raiders in 2022, the New Zealand enforcer turned down bigger money offers elsewhere to stay with the club he loves.
At the time he said he one day hoped to become captain.
With departing skipper Elliott Whitehead suspended from Canberra's season-ending clash with St George Illawarra on Saturday, Tapine will be handed the captaincy.
The 30-year-old thinks he is now ready to hold on to it on a permanent basis.
"I've been taking the last couple years behind...