He is being touted as a potential Kangaroos captain and already leads NSW, but Boyd Cordner will step aside as Roosters co-captain Jake Friend takes most of the leadership roles for the NRL grand final.
Cordner, who along with Greg Inglis is vying for to be Cameron Smith's successor as Australian captain, has shared the role as tricolours skipper with Friend throughout the year on alternate weeks.
Sharing roles: Roosters co-captains Jake Friend and Boyd Cordner.
And they will stay true to that principle for the biggest game of the season after Cordner led the Roosters out and held court with the referees on field during the minor premiers' tense preliminary final win over the Rabbitohs last week.
Friend said he would be happy for Cordner to do it again in the NRL's showpiece game, but will instead enjoy perhaps one of his most cherished moments of his career on Sunday night.
"It's his turn so he gets the gig to lead the boys out," Cordner told Fairfax Media. "That's fine. We've been doing it week in week out and it just happens this week is his week. He'll do a really good job.
"I think the referees have been really good knowing we're both co-captains and they have a lot of time for both of us [on the field] which is good. [Friend] will probably do the main job."
It means opposing hookers Smith and Friend, who for so long was the Melbourne captain's understudy for Queensland at State of Origin level, will lead both their teams at ANZ Stadium.
Friend will have the privilege of leading the Roosters onto the field for the match and will be charged with doing most of the communicating with referees Gerard Sutton and Ashley Klein at stoppages throughout the game.
Cordner has developed into one of the code's most respected leaders, having steered the Blues to a drought-breaking Origin success in Brad Fittler's first year in charge of NSW in 2018.
Roosters coach Trent Robinson elevated Cordner to share the captaincy with Friend last year, roles in which they've both flourished as the club charged to its fourth minor premiership in six years.
"He deserves to be captain more than anyone in this club," Cordner said. "If anyone knows what the Roosters is about it's Friendy. If anyone typifies what the values we live by, it's Friendy. He has the upmost respect of all the staff in the club and the playing group as well. I'm very proud to be captain with him."
He deserves to be captain more than anyone in this club
Perhaps Friend's greatest challenge came in 2016 when Mitchell Pearce was stripped of the co-captaincy after his Australia Day antics and the Roosters narrowly avoided the wooden spoon in a disastrous season.
The low point of that year came when the Storm embarrassed the Roosters 46-0 at Allianz Stadium, mid-way through the season as the the three-time reigning JJ Giltinan Shield winners' campaign hurtled out of control.
"He was probably the one guy that was the glue, or the rock in that season that everyone looked towards," Cordner said. "He was always the one leading the way whether it was off-field dramas, injuries … he just kept turning up.
"His demeanour … it didn't change once. He always wanted what was best for the team."
Both Cordner and Friend will likely lift the Provan-Summons Trophy together should the Roosters notch their first title in five years and deny Melbourne ace Billy Slater the perfect farewell.
Asked about the captaincy dynamic between himself and Cordner, Friend said: "He’s a pretty easy bloke to deal with in that sense and very easy to talk to and run ideas off. And he’s a good mate.
"I’m pretty proud to be co-captain of this club, but very proud to do it with Boydy. He’s been a great mate for a long time."
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