THE Wellington Cowboys have been dealt some upheaval on the eve of the Group 11 season with captain-coach Joe Williams stepping down from the role less than three months after being appointed.
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Former NRL player and Group 11 premiership winner Williams said work commitments had prevented him from "being around" all the time.
Despite that, he confirmed he will still play as many games as he can during the season despite a heavy workload which consists of a huge amount of community and mental health work.
With Williams in the position no longer, the Cowboys have turned to a younger generation and appointed Lewis Stanley as captain-coach for 2016.
The talented youngster, more comfortable in the halves, was excited, as expected, following the announcement.
"I was playing first grade and I thought that was good but now I've got the big job," he said.
"It's every boy's dream to captain-coach their home club."
The coaching bombshell comes just days before the Cowboys' first proper hit-out of the season, an official Group 11 trial match against Dubbo Westside on Saturday.
Young gun Stanley follows Williams and Justin Toomey-White as skipper and says his fellow players are backing him.
"I get along well with all the players and they respect me so we are all pretty excited a local boy is taking on the big job,'' he said.
The 19-year-old is not overwhelmed about the prospect he led Wellington in the under-18s and follows generations of his family in leadership positions at the club.
Stanley is also coming off a busy off-season where he spent plenty of time with the Western Rams under-20s squad, which he also captained.
Playing under that kind of pressure, up against the likes of the St George Illawarra Dragons under-20s squad, will be invaluable for Stanley once the season proper begins on April 17.
There is no doubting the size of the job, with the Wellington faithful becoming accustomed to success under the tutelage of Toomey-White, now playing his trade with the Wyong Roos in the NSW Cup.
The Cowboys have been heavily involved in finals for a number of seasons now but each time have fallen short of a spot in the grand final.
"It's great to be handed the coaching spot and Joey will help with mentoring us as well," Stanley added.
"There are plenty of experienced players in the side so together we are revved up for a big season."
Cowboys rugby league secretary Ray Fabar says the move is a generational one.
"We thought it was time to give our youth a chance to lead and we have total faith in Lewis," he said.
"We are excited like him because he is a good reader of the game.''
