Gutsy, brave and courageous.
These are the words I will use to describe Penrith coach Ivan Cleary's contentious decision to sack Luke Lewis as his skipper.
It was a massive call from Cleary and sure to raise plenty of eyebrows out Penrith way.
Dumping any captain will always be controversial but to do it to a club legend is unthinkable.
But Cleary did it and I admire him for that, just as I admired the way he dropped Michael Jennings to Windsor in the NSW Cup.
Cleary was signed by Penrith to make some tough calls and he is showing that he isn't afraid to ruffle a few feathers.
The Panthers needed a new culture and Cleary is delivering.
After he dropped Jennings, Penrith came out and beat St George Illawarra.
After his decision on Lewis, Penrith rolled premiers Manly 22-4 on Sunday.
Cleary is clearly starting to understand the dynamics of the team and club after 12 rounds.
I am not suggesting Lewis couldn't handle the captaincy during State of Origin.
He is a superb player and has been for a number of years at the Panthers.
Some blokes though don't need the burden of captaincy and obviously Cleary thought Lewis could do without the added pressure during this year's Origin series.
It shows to me that Cleary has an abundance of courage. Whether Lewis accepts the role back after Origin remains to be seen.
Cleary did the same thing when at the Warriors. He dropped Steve Price as skipper and appointed Simon Mannering.
He was heavily criticised but that decision also proved a masterstroke.
I like Cleary's style. Penrith may not play finals football this year but they are certainly building toward something special.
Either way, Lewis will be there for NSW in game II with his state one-nil down in the series.
The fall-out from the series opener has been amazing and perhaps the referees have copped more criticism than is warranted.
I think, overall, the post-match drama has been a little over-the-top.
There are still two games left in this series and game II should be every bit as aggressive and torrid as the opener in Melbourne.
No doubt NSW will be steeled by this controversy. They feel robbed although Queensland obviously have another theory.
Either way, it ensures another top-shelf match in Sydney. Only Origin evokes such passion and emotion.
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