Wests Tigers new recruit says he feels "honoured" to feel mentioned as a potential captain for the club in 2021 — even if it's not something that was in his mind when first arriving to the club.
Having skippered a young Penrith side to the Minor Premiership in 2020, the 32-year-old Tamou is seen not only as a big asset to Wests Tigers' forward stocks but also a strong leader to the club and — unsurprisingly — has been mentioned externally as a potential captain for Michael Maguire's men in 2021.
Tamou admitted to always having a soft spot for Wests Tigers throughout his career and said it would "absolutely" be an opportunity he would relish if made captain.
"It'd be an absolute honour to captain Wests Tigers," Tamou enthused in his first interview since joining the club in December last year.
"It's a club with such a rich history so it'd be pretty special.
Tamou open to Wests Tigers captaincy
"But I'm not coming in here to throw my hand up for the captaincy. First and foremost I want to do my job — I wanted to come here and get the boys' respect.
"It's hard to lead a team if they're not following you."
An experienced campaigner who has seen success at both a club, state and international level, Tamou said one of his biggest assets as a leader — captain or not — would be helping take a young group of forwards to the next level.
Full of praise for the likes of fellow big men Zane Musgrove and Joe Ofahengaue, the Kiwi born prop said the talent in the side was certainly pleasing to see.
"A lot of these young guys will go through the ebbs and flows [of a season], but to go to that next level you have to need that extra push," he said.
"But some of them are already stronger than me and they're quicker than me.
"Some of these young forwards in the middle in the next generation are just getting better and better so it's about me letting them know that and feel that confidence. No doubt I'll be watching them to take it to the next level soon enough."
