GIANTS coach Jon Sharp is hoping to be nearer making a decision on his club captain for Super League X by the end of the week.

Former Great Britain prop Darren Fleary held the position at Huddersfield last season.

But following his move to the newly-promoted Leigh - who entertain the Giants in the Super League opener on February 12 - Sharp has been left without a skipper.

Last season's vice captain, Darren Turner, is also no longer at the club after he was forced to retire through a long-standing knee injury.

That means Sharp is looking for an entirely new captaincy team.

And he is hoping that after this week's training camp in Portugal, a decision will be imminent.

"This week is the ideal time for me to give the captaincy some very careful consideration," said Sharp.

"At this moment I have a very open mind, everyone is in the reckoning.

"The beauty of a training camp is that I'm with the players 24-7 and I have more of an opportunity to watch the way they all interact.

"I'll be able to assess which players are the natural leaders and which players are held in total respect by the players.

"I can also see which are the most responsible and are capable of handling pressure.

"I'm hoping that by the end of this week my mind will be more or less made up."

Sharp has already praised the players for the work they are producing on camp and is keen for it continue.

"So far, the effort has been top-class, and I see no reason why it should change," he added.