Brydens Lawyers NSW Blues' State of Origin series-winning captain Boyd Cordner will lead Australia in upcoming Tests against New Zealand and Tonga; handed the role in the wake of Greg Inglis' Kangaroos demotion on Tuesday.
Cordner – who equalled a 33-year old record in the Roosters' Grand Final success, becoming just the second player in history to lead the Blues to an Origin series win before captaining his club to a premiership win in the same season – now becomes the first NSW skipper to captain the Kangaroos in a Test match since Danny Buderus, in 2007.
UPDATED | Australian Kangaroos Squad
Buderus, a 24-time Australian representative, hailed Cordner's Kangaroos appointment.
"He epitomises everything the Australian crest is all about – the Kangaroo and the Emu – there's no backwards steps from Boyd," Buderus tells NSWRL.com.au.
"There's no doubt he's a natural leader, in all of his performances he takes pride. That's the job of a skipper and a leader. He's got a consistency about him.
"He leads by his actions, not so much his words. He's a player that his teammates want to play for."
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News of Cordner's Kangaroos captaincy caps a remarkable week for the 26-year-old, who also becomes the first Rooster to lead Australia since now-Blues coach, Brad Fittler.
"It'll be a huge occasion (Australia versus Tonga) ... for all fans of our game, the scenes that the match will create will be something to remember for the rest of your life," Buderus says.
"I sit back now retired... and [Australian captaincy] one of those things you can look back on, one of those individual honours you cherish. To sit back and to say that you've captained your country, it's a special feeling."
