Kevin Kingston during the Round 19 NRL Wests Tigers V Penrith Panthers game at Campbelltown Stadium. Photo by Jonathan Ng
IT'S hard for new Penrith skipper Kevin Kingston to look forward without glancing a little back at the past.
At the list of proud Panthers skippers.
At the endless list of club legends that have had the "C" besides their name.
The Alexanders, the Simmonses the Carters, the Lewises.
The elite group that have led the team down the tunnel to the cheers of the Penrith faithful.
Now, one Kevin Kingston — the former bits and pieces player for Cronulla and Parramatta — has joined the list.
"When you look at the proud rich history of Penrith and the captains we have had I'm very proud to be named captain," he said.
"I thought Ivan [Cleary] was going to make the announcement of captain a little bit into the pre-season but he did it early which gave me time to adjust and set some structures in place.
"It was all pretty low key and
that suited me perfectly and allowed me to get on with the pre-season."
You could not blame Kingston if one of his first orders as captain was to issue name tags.
As many as 18 players are recruits, including 10 who will run out in the season opener against Canberra on Sunday.
But, despite the biggest turnover of players in the NRL, one thing hasn't changed: the Panthers' commitment and desire to win footy games.
That starts with winning games at home.
Last year the Panthers won only just four home games. Kingston wants change.
"We have talked a lot about turning our home ground into a fortress for other teams to visit," said Kingston, who has notched up 150 NRL appearances.
"Last year we didn't give our home fans much to cheer about, so hopefully that will change this year."
Kingston signalled out hooker partner James Segeyaro as the recruit to watch in 2013.
"He has had an outstanding pre-season and has been looking good in the trial games," he said.
Penrith Panthers v Canberra Raiders, Sunday 2pm, Centrebet Stadium.