Reports surfaced over the past 48 hours that Panthers captain Matt Moylan is considering giving up the title to focus on his own game.
If the reports are true, and Moylan is in any doubt whatsoever, the decision should be taken out of his hands and he should be stripped of the honour immediately.
Absolutely nothing against Moylan as a player or person. If he believes passing the captaincy onto someone another player will help his game and the team's fortunes, then the decision is of benefit for all involved.
That said, can you imagine Paul Gallen or Johnathan Thurston considering, even for a second, about giving up their post following a slight dip in form?
Any doubt at all indicates doubt, and a club's captain should have nothing but belief in both himself and his team.
It is not as though the Panthers are short of captaincy options and that Moylan was the only choice. Trent Merrin is an obvious choice. He was once touted as a future Origin captain and would have been the long-term captain of his former side the Dragons, should he have re-signed with the club.
James Tamou has experience at all levels of the game and could very easily take over the role. He leads by example and has matured to a great degree following a few regrettable decisions earlier in his career.
Even young halfback Nathan Cleary is a viable option, although personally, I wouldn't risk his development by adding captaincy duties to his being the team's chief playmaker as well as the kicker. He is a future captain one day and has shown both composure and maturity well beyond his experience and years.
Who the replacement should be is one for debate, but what is not up for debate is Moylan's carrying on in the role if he has ANY doubt at all. Step down. Focus on his game. He can always return to the role in a few seasons time. He's a leader and a wonderful player, but the club deserves a captain that is 100% committed and bleeds for his men.
If Moylan can't be that man right now, he should step down straight away. That said, the decision should be taken out of his hands by Anthony Griffin if the coach himself senses any doubt in his skipper.
Chambers sledge plain silly
What in the world was Will Chambers thinking with his actions late in the Grand Final rematch this past Sunday against the Sharks?
With his side trailing and all but out of the game, he delivered a cheap shot, in the form of a forearm and elbow to the face, to Sharks skipper Paul Gallen. This coming after an off-the-ball shoulder charge that, at the time, somehow went unpunished.
The combined acts landed him a week-long ban and made him look foolish in the process.
Paul Gallen, who to his credit laughed off the confrontation, could have pointed to either the scoreboard or the fact his side beat Chambers Storm in October last year to lift their first title.
I'm all for a good sledge but Chambers referring to Gallen as a "drug cheat" was ill-advised, especially considering the salary cap problems that have plagued the Storm. All it did was fire up the Sharks skipper.
Gallen was said to have returned serve, leading to Chambers reacting in the way he did.
Judging by my empty Sportsbet account, I'm not exactly one to talk, but I'm willing to bet that this won't be the last time Chambers will be targeted by the NRL's vocal players. After starting the war or words, he reacted to retaliation with a moment of madness that has cost his side their star centre for a week and ended any slight chance they had of "avenging" their Grand Final loss.
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