Thorpe’s got it wrong on captaincy, says Hackett

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GRANT Hackett has bitten back at Ian Thorpe’s criticism of the Australian squad’s policy of appointing a captain, telling his outspoken and high-profile teammate to talk to him directly if he has a problem with it.

Thorpe has said he has no interest in replacing the injured Hackett as the Australian skipper at the Commonwealth Games.

“I don’t think there should be one,” Thorpe said at the FINA World Cup meeting last weekend.

“I think when we go in there, we’re a collective group and we shouldn’t single anyone out. We’re the Australian team and I think that’s the best way for it to stay.”

But Hackett believes having a designated leader - an innovation this year under head coach Alan Thompson after previous coach Don Talbot spurned the idea - is of immense benefit to the team. He hopes Thorpe will embrace the concept when he returns to the team after his lay-off since the 2004 Olympics.

“It’s not even designed for someone like Ian,” Hackett said yesterday. “Ian knows how to handle himself. It’s designed for a 40-member squad.

“It’s designed to be in the best interests of the group as a whole - to have someone there who can talk to the different genders, the younger people, the older people and to bring the whole team together.

“To have someone who can talk to the head coach under a formal structure about issues people might have.

“You talk about singling people out. Well, people are singled out anyway. Ian is singled out by his great performances. Ricky Ponting is singled out as captain in the cricket. George Gregan in the rugby.

“It’s not a negative thing and I think Ian is talking about it as though it’s a negative.

“I don’t think that’s very supportive of it. The nature of sport is that people are singled out all the time - but they’re singled out for positive reasons.”

However, Hackett said Thorpe was entitled to his opinion.

“It’s a job he doesn’t want to do and that’s fair enough, but it doesn’t mean it’s not the right thing for the team,” Hackett said.

“For someone like me, I enjoy that leadership role and trying to help the team and push it forward. If it didn’t work, I’d say great, let’s not do this. I wouldn’t waste my time.

“It’s not like anyone is saying, ‘Here’s a packet of money to do it, here’s this massive incentive.’ It’s not like that.

“It’s like, ‘Grant, would you like to take on this extra work and play this role?’ And I’d love to.

“The sport and the team has given so much to me and being captain, and presenting the sport better, is the least I can do.”