League: Kaitaia's Elijah Taylor one of five Wests Tigers co-captains

New Wests Tigers co-captain Elijah Taylor in action against his old side the Penrith Panthers. Photo / Getty Images

Kiwis utility Elijah Taylor will join four other Wests Tigers in an unprecedented joint captaincy venture.

The former Kaitaia College pupil has been named alongside new recruits Russell Packer, Benji Marshall and Josh Reynolds as well as Tigers stalwart Chris Lawrence .

Coach Ivan Cleary had indicated in November that a co-captaincy model was on the cards after the departure of last year's leader Aaron Woods, though many assumed it would be shared by Taylor and Lawrence.

Instead the returning Marshall, standoff Reynolds and the controversial Packer will add their qualities to the leadership group.

Packer is an interesting choice given his history. The Kiwi front rower was nearly turned away by the game altogether after being jailed for a year following an alcohol-fuelled assault.

However, he has taken advantage of his second chance, working in the community and earning a university degree. His on-field performance mirrored his off-field development, returning to the Kiwis line-up.

Taylor's rise to captaincy is a tale of perseverance.

The forward was an important part of the Warriors after his debut in 2011, culminating in a grand final appearance in the last season the Warriors were competitive, before signing a four-year deal with the Penrith Panthers for 2014 onwards.

Taylor was considered a potential captain in 2016 for the Panthers but soon found himself relegated to reserve grade as fellow Northlander James Fisher-Harris took his spot.

He then found a lifeline with the Wests Tigers and flourished at the club.

Taylor was vice-captain last year but now has the chance to take on the highest on-field leader role.

Cleary said he believed this was the right way forward for the club.

"When we started this pre-season it was pretty obvious straight away that there was no real pecking order," he said.

"There was no set culture to adhere to. It was all new. That was what I wanted it to be like and that's how it panned out.

"With this particular team at the moment I think it's going to work best to spread that role and allow those blokes to develop in their own way."

The first chance to see the new dynamic in action will be tomorrow night as they take on the North Queensland Cowboys in a trial match.