Harry Ngata: Phoenix captain's position not guaranteed

Andrew Durante. Photo / Getty Images

I remember back in my younger years at both intermediate and college when we used the term 'school boy captain'. He was the one player in the team that did everything.

I'm sure you all can picture that particular player in your teams of yesteryear. He was the one that took every throw in, every goal kick, every free kick, every penalty and corner.

His mum even washed the kit and bought the oranges every week and his dad was the mini bus. He was undoubtedly the best player and because of all this the title of team captain was bestowed on him.

He was guaranteed a full game every single week whilst the rest of us were all rotated or even worse, had to make up numbers on the opposing team!

Ricki Herbert chose to leave Phoenix club captain Andrew Durante on the bench against the North Queensland Fury last Monday night.

Durante missed the match the week before against his old side the Newcastle Jets due to suspension. He had to watch as his team mates clinically despatched the Jets 4-0. Prior to this match he had played every minute of the last 50 games for the Phoenix which included the entire 2009/2010 season.

To be honest he must have had a slight feeling that the following game was always going to be difficult to force his way into as both Ben Sigmund and Jade North shone at the heart of defence and Ricki Herbert has traditionally more often than not given the nod to those eleven starters. If the performance wasn't so polished he would have been a shoe-in for the Fury game.

It makes for an interesting argument, however, about whether the captain's place in the starting eleven is a certainty. Melbourne Heart captain Simon Colosimo has spent the odd game or two on the subs bench this season and I can recall similar treatment back in my days at the Football Kingz.

More often than not the captain is the one player that barring injury or suspension will 99 per cent play every game. He is the coach's right hand man, the nucleus of the team, the player that everyone looks to for direction and decision making. The obvious names from other codes spring to mind - Richie McCaw, Dan Vettori and Benji Marshall.

I don't think Durante's form has been an issue and although he probably hasn't been at his best for a few games this season I still think he warrants a starting birth. Especially when you look at the Phoenix season to date when Durante has been the constant denominator in the backline.

There has been a hell of a lot of musical chairs around him for a number of reasons. He leads by example with his attitude, presence and is highly regarded and respected by his peers. I personally was expecting to see him lining up v the Fury and was quite surprised at his omission especially at a critical time of their season.

Put it this way. If it was Paul Ifill in a similar position would we see him warming the bench the following week? Probably not. I'm sure room would have been made to throw him back in straight away. Different positions yes, but both of equal importance to the team unit. One is the stability and calming influence at the back, the other a game breaker up front.

A week on the sidelines watching your team mates romp the visiting team would actually boost your motivation and inspire you to want to get out there and do more. I would imagine Durante would be buzzing at training this week trying to establish his inclusion for the next game.

I can see where the coaching staff are coming from with strategies around team selection and applaud their stance on this tactic. Herbert is a coach who rewards performances by consistent selection. At the end of the day, results are all that matters and if the right results are not achieved then change is inevitable.