The captain and star of Newcastle's inaugural NRLW team, Romy Teitzel is ready to take a step to the side in the club's second campaign.
Not only will she "definitely" change positions to make way for new recruit Tamika Upton to play fullback, Teitzel is prepared to do whatever is best for the team in terms of captaining the side.
The Knights have recruited a number of big-name players for the 2022 season, notably Upton and prop Millie Boyle from Brisbane Broncos, and Hunter-bred trio Hannah Southwell, Yasmin Clydsdale and Olivia Higgins from Sydney Roosters.
Teitzel, from Townsville, has no doubt there will be multiple potential captains emerge over the coming weeks in pre-season training.
"We have a number of strong leaders in the squad this year and absolutely whoever gets it is going to do the job right," she told the Newcastle Herald.
"There's a number of us leaders that are going to put their hands up and it just comes naturally. Moving forward, I don't think it matters who leads the team - we're all in it together."
Teitzel's approach will be music to the ears of new Knights coach Ron Griffiths, who said at the season launch this week he wanted the new-look squad to approach everything they do with a "team-first" mentality.
In the club's maiden campaign earlier this year, 23-year-old Teitzel was a standout for the Knights.
She led the side from the back but went looking for the ball at times when her team needed a lift, scoring two tries in five games.
Despite hailing from Queensland, which has two NRLW sides in Brisbane and Gold Coast - and will have a third in North Queensland next year - Teitzel said she was "more than likely" always going to return to Newcastle.
"I didn't want to go anywhere else at this point in time," she said. "When some of my good mates were joining the club, that was an even bigger bonus."
Between the NRLW seasons this year, Teitzel played for the North Queensland Gold Stars in the state-based competition. The side, which she captained, claimed a 14-12 win over Central Queensland Capras, who Upton played fullback for, in the final minute of the grand final.
Teitzel said Upton, also Queensland's State of Origin fullback, would "definitely" wear the No.1 jersey for Newcastle this season. She will move into a new position, potentially second-row which she played in most games for the Gold Stars.
"We'll have to wait and see where I'll play, but [I'm] very versatile so I'm willing to do what's best for the team," she said. "I'm going into it with a very open mindset.
"I love learning new things, especially in football. Adapting to a new position from scratch is something I'm really looking forward to. We've got plenty of experience around the club, we've had a lot to do with the NRL coaching staff as well, so I think that will help me."
Teitzel, whose dad Craig was a forward for Western Suburbs, Illawarra and North Queensland between 1988-95, is excited to be closer to the action this season.
"I found playing fullback for a number of years, I outgrew the position," she said.
"I wasn't my best. When I moved into second-row, I loved it - I was closer to the footy and had more control over what I could do."
Teitzel, who was in Queensland's extended Origin squad in June, said it had been "disappointing" to go through the five-game regular season without a win in the Knights' inaugural campaign.
But she thinks the experience might help the side second time round.
"It's obviously not how any team wants to finish," she said.
"But you live and you learn and grow as a team.
"Not winning a game last season has made us even more eager.
"Even the girls that have just joined the club, they're well aware of how us girls from last season are feeling.
"We want nothing but to win for the team and the town."
