By his own admission, he wasn’t playing his best but Sam Thaiday took a long time to come to terms with Brisbane coach Anthony Griffin’s suggestion he relinquish the Broncos’ captaincy.

On Friday, Thaiday announced “with a very heavy heart” he wouldn’t captain the Broncos in the 2014 NRL season, ending his two-season stint as the club’s skipper.

His reluctant decision came after Griffin approached the forward following Australia’s successful World Cup campaign and told him his assessment that the responsibilities of the role were hurting Thaiday’s performances.

Veteran forward Corey Parker is believed to be the man who will take over the position when the club announces Thaiday’s replacement on Friday afternoon.

“The coach’s thoughts were that it would be best for myself, and the team, and I play my best football when I don’t have the added responsibility of being the Broncos’ captain,” he said.

“I’m 100 per cent behind the team and what we’re doing in the 2014 season … this decision, even though it’s probably one of the toughest ones I’ve had to make in my footballing career, has been made to benefit the team and, myself being a team man, I’m always trying to put the team first.

“Me stepping down as Broncos captain is hopefully going to help the team in the future.”

Thaiday had captained the Broncos since 2011 following Darren Lockyer’s retirement, winning 22 of 49 games.

But the Broncos snuck into the finals in eighth spot in his first season at the helm before slumping to 12th place – the worst finish in their 25-year history – last season.

Griffin said he had been forced to make the call for the good of the club and the Queensland State of Origin representative.

“My role is not to always to tell people what they want to hear,” he said.

“By not addressing what I see as a coach, I’m not helping the player. Sam’s going to be a more consistent and relaxed player without those responsibilities.”

Friday’s decision is one of several made recently by Griffin in a bid to rebuild the Broncos as a premiership contender.

In September, he dumped conditioning chief Tony Guilfoyle and football manager James Hinchey before headhunting Melbourne’s high-performance guru Alex Corvo.

Thaiday said he would remain committed to the Broncos despite losing the captaincy.

“This is my 11th season at the club,” he said.

“I’m contracted here until 2015 and I have every intention to re-negotiate with the club and stay here.

“It’s a decision that I’ve made and I’m looking forward to getting back to playing the best football I can.”