Gidley battling to keep Blues captaincy

Kurt Gidley's proposed shift to the Newcastle halves looks set to cost him the NSW
Origin captaincy, with the Test utility facing an uphill battle to secure a run in
the Blues starting line-up in this year's Origin series.
As if the prospect of holding off a red-hot Jarryd Hayne for the NSW No.1 jumper
wasn't bad enough, Gidley will now be forced to do it from five-eighth after Knights
coach Rick Stone revealed his desire to switch the 27-year-old to the halves.
A hamstring injury picked up in last week's All Stars clash on the Gold Coast
threatened to scupper those plans, though a visit to leading surgeon Dr Merv Cross
on Thursday revealed Gidley could be back on the park by round four.
But even if Gidley makes a fist of it at second receiver, he would still have to
beat out the likes of incumbent Trent Barrett and the returning Greg Bird for a
berth in the NSW run-on side, leaving him most likely to resume the role he made
his own as the utility off the bench.
"If you're planning for everyone to be fit, Jarryd Hayne's the fullback without a
doubt, and Kurt adds that utility," said former Penrith star Greg Alexander, who
shuffled between halfback, fullback and the bench in his six appearances with the
Blues between 1989-91.
"Kurt was captain last year but Kurt might not make the run-on side this year so
you've got to pick someone else - whoever that might be."
While loath to discuss NSW selections given Test and City-Country sides still have
to be picked before Origin I on May 26, NSW selector Bob McCarthy said captaincy
potential would not be a factor in naming the Blues starting lineup.
"We just submit the team to the NRL board and the board pick the captain - that's
out of our hands," McCarthy said.
"We don't think about who's going to be captain."
Gidley's unavailability however would leave the NSWRL board with a dearth of
established captaincy candidates, a situation in stark contrast to their Queensland
rivals who would be able to call on any one of Cameron Smith, Petero Civoniceva,
Johnathan Thurston, Steve Price should Darren Lockyer not be in the side.
Alexander claimed Gidley would struggle to hold onto the fullback role even if he
stayed at the back for the Knights, following the sterling run of performances Hayne
put together in the No.1 for Parramatta last season.
"If Jarryd Hayne plays anywhere near what he did towards the back end of last year,
he'll be the fullback," Alexander said.
"I don't think it will really matter where Kurt's playing. Jarryd Hayne's the best
fullback for NSW, I'm sure even Kurt Gidley would agree on that.
"Kurt's versatility make's him a near certainty to be in the squad - he plays great
dummy half, and if he plays in the halves (at Newcastle) he'll have plenty of footy
under his belt playing in the halves."
Dr Cross advised Gidley - who has a ruptured hamstring tendon - to wear a brace for
two weeks with a plan to resume full training in six weeks.