Demetriou earns captain's stripes

Jason Demetriou will succeed the departed Gareth Ellis as Wakefield captain. The 29-year-old Australian centre joined the Wildcats a year ago from Widnes and played in all 33 league and cup matches in 2004.

Jason Demetriou will succeed the departed Gareth Ellis as Wakefield captain. The 29-year-old Australian centre joined the Wildcats a year ago from Widnes and played in all 33 league and cup matches in 2004.

"JD had an outstanding season last year and is a true professional who always gives 100 per cent when playing and also at training," said the club's coach, Shane McNally. "He is a player who leads by example."

Elsewhere, the Kangaroo Test centre Jamie Lyon, who turned his back on his Australian club Parramatta and went walkabout in the bush, insists he has got the hunger back. St Helens' big close-season signing, who got his first taste of action in the club's 22-16 victory at Widnes on Thursday night, says he wants his Test shirt back and that question marks over his "attitude" are wide of the mark.

"That's all nonsense," said Lyon, who was presented to the media at St Helens yesterday. "I don't know where that came from, about my attitude. I think they got the perception from my leaving Parramatta but it wasn't like I went to another club.

"I was there for six years and I was just a bit stale. After I had my time off, I always wanted to get back into it. I'm over here for a fresh start and I'm raring to go."

The Saints coach, Ian Millward, turned his attention to Lyon after the summer transfer of Great Britain centre Martin Gleeson to Warrington, but his target proved elusive at first.

Millward eventually tracked down his man deep in the New South Wales bush, a seven-hour drive from Sydney, where Lyon was out pig hunting.

"I was just out with my mates, chasing a few pigs," said Lyon. "That's just the normal lifestyle out there.I'm a country boy, living out in the bush all my life. But this is not a real big city and there is a lot of green countryside. It's a good little spot."