Stephen Crichton replaces Reed Mahoney and Matt Burton as Canterbury Bulldogs captain

Matt Burton and Reed Mahoney have been axed as Canterbury’s captains, with star recruit Stephen Crichton announced as their replacement without having played a single game for the club.

Crichton, who joined from Penrith over the off-season on a four-year deal, was announced as the club’s sole skipper on Thursday.

Canterbury expressed their “deepest gratitude” to Burton and Mahoney for their “outstanding leadership”after the 2023 campaign, where both clearly struggled with the spotlight as the Dogs finished 15th.

Mahoney was coy over his hopes of retaining the role when he fronted the media on Wednesday, admitting the responsibility had affected his form.

The demotion of Mahoney and Burton came after former captain Raymond Faitala-Mariner was shown the door to take up a deal with St George Illawarra earlier this month.

Crichton’s ascent to the role, aged just 23 and without playing a competitive game for the Dogs, comes amid uncertainty over where he will play in 2024.

He was tipped to make the switch to fullback at Belmore, but will make his sole trial appearance in the centres against Cronulla on Friday.

Head coach Cameron Ciraldo hopes the decision to make Crichton captain will bring “positive energy to the group”.

“Stephen is a really good reader of energy,” Ciraldo said in a statement.

“He understands when people are a little bit flat, low on energy, and when it’s a bit quiet, and he can change the mood in an instant.

“Sometimes that’s with some annoying music or sounds, or loud noises that he comes up with, but he’s great at bringing people together.”