Well, what about leadership, a subject that would appear particularly pertinent to our footballing flagships, the Newcastle Knights and Jets?

The Knights need to find a new captain, after the unfortunate text-message saga that claimed the scalp of Mitchell Pearce.

The Jets pretty much need to find a new everything after the demise of Chinese businessman Martin Lee as the club's owner, but appointing a permanent head coach would appear as good a place to start as any.

Coach and captain - invariably the cornerstones of any successful sporting organisation. For every Craig Bellamy-Cameron Smith combination, there are 1000 others that end up on the scrapheap.

Put the right people in those key positions, and a successful culture will develop and thrive, or so the theory goes.

Get it wrong and the powers-that-be will likely have to revisit the process of firing and hiring sooner rather than later, which becomes a costly exercise when termination payouts are factored into the equation.

In the case of the Knights, my read of the general consensus is that those sympathising with Pearce are significantly outnumbered by those who believe he has nobody to blame but himself.

But one long-retired legend, who shed more blood in a blue-and-red jersey than most, presented this columnist with a compelling case when he argued the former NSW Origin halfback had been scapegoated by management.

He pointed out no crime had been committed, the NRL integrity unit saw no reason to intervene, and if Knights officials had bunkered down with Pearce, the whole issue would eventually have blown over.

After all, the club's initial response was that it was "a private matter that stays between the two individuals".

As a comparison, Sam Burgess was accused of a very similar incident in 2018, denied it vehemently, and proceeded to captain South Sydney the following season.

Mind you, the alleged unravelling of Burgess since he retired at the end of 2019 raises the question of whether a little bit of discipline earlier in the piece might have gone a long way.

With regards to Pearce, I can see both sides of the story.

Not for the first time in his career, I am reminded of the saying: "He who is without sin cast the first stone".

In saying that, I feel the club was in a no-win situation, because had they retained Pearce as captain, the media heat would have ramped up exponentially.

It may also have sent the wrong message to Newcastle's impressionable young players.

Whatever the case, the decision has been made, and it serves no purpose for Pearce or his teammates to dwell on it.

The history of the Knights should offer reassurance for coach Adam O'Brien as he ponders his next move.

In 1990, Allan McMahon dropped inaugural skipper Sam Stewart to the bench and handed the reins to Michael Hagan, prompting a form reversal that culminated in Newcastle reaching a play-off for fifth position.

Five years later, Mal Reilly replaced Mark Sargent as captain with Paul Harragon, who would ultimately lead the Knights to their first-ever premiership.

O'Brien will know better than anyone who is his best option, and the early indications are that veteran Blake Green - one of the smartest halves in the competition - will get the nod.

Having a playmaker as captain is pretty well the ideal scenario, but Knights fans will always remember Harragon's body-and-soul leadership style.

Could David Klemmer emulate the "Chief"? I have no doubt his teammates would willingly follow this fearless warrior into battle.

Captaincy, funnily enough, would appear the least of the Jets' worries.

Nigel Boogaard has skippered Newcastle in more A-League games than any other player and has two very capable lieutenants in Nikolai Topor-Stanley and Roy O'Donovan.

The coaching role, however, has been continually problematic. The Jets have churned through 11 managers in 15 years, the vast majority of whom lasted one season or less.

Even before this week's takeover by fellow A-League club investors, a host of applicants had expressed interest in the position, but I would query why the Jets need to look any further than their own backyard.

Craig Deans, currently in his third stint as caretaker coach, has previously been reluctant to put his hand up for the role on a long-term basis.

Nobody knows better than Deansy what a poisoned chalice it has been, but for the first time this week, he declared: "If the opportunity arises then, yeah, I'd love to do it."

In my opinion, the Jets will have to interview myriad candidates before they find one who deserves that opportunity more than Deans.

It's time for them to make him an offer that he simply can't refuse.

If for whatever reason they decide he's not their man, they could do a lot worse than hire former championship-winning mentor Gary van Egmond for his third stint in the hot seat.

Whoever gets the job, there is unlikely to be any quick fix.

It's going to take time and patience for the Jets to reach their ultimate destination.