Brisbane coach Kevin Walters admits Anthony Milford has left an impression as he mulls over who should captain the NRL club this season.
The Broncos are midway through a preseason camp on the Sunshine Coast, with new coach Walters keen to observe before making a leadership call next month.
Veteran Alex Glenn took the reins last season but spent most of it on the sidelines injured as the Broncos collected the club's first wooden spoon.
The honour then fell to inexperienced forward Patrick Carrigan who briefly acted in a joint role with Brodie Croft, before the latter was dropped from the squad.
It left a fresh-faced Carrigan to face the music during the club's worst-ever season.
Two-time player of the year Payne Haas is another contender to captain, although his off-season run-in with police may have shunted him down the queue.
Playmaker Milford has struggled to reach the heights of 2015 when he led the Broncos to within one tackle of an NRL title in an epic grand final loss to North Queensland.
But Walters is hopeful of truly unlocking his talent and even hinted the softly-spoken 26-year-old was in line for extra responsibility in the final year of his big-money deal at Red Hill.
"It's an area we're looking at; I want them all to stand up and play the way they can," he said.
"We'll make a decision (on the captain) maybe early March and there's certainly some guys putting their hands up and Anthony is one of them.
"He's a good trainer, a good player, it's now up to him to work into the team and sort out the little problem areas we've faced.
"But he's come back in good shape, which shows he's really determined for a good season. "
The Broncos have gone away from the boot camp pre-season mentality, mixing rounds of golf with video games in between skills sessions.
"I don't find it monotonous at all; I love Red Hill, love training there but coming up here is an important week," Walters said of the decision to get away from their Brisbane base.
Australian Associated Press
