Simon Mannering says - take it as it comes

BY AARON LAWTON

The Warriors captain is facing his first big test.

As he prepares to don the armband for the first time, new Warriors skipper Simon Mannering has told his team-mates to expect to see "the same old Simon" out in the middle with them against the Sharks tomorrow night.

The 100-match second-rower, who missed last Sunday's season-opening loss to the Gold Coast Titans due to a hamstring complaint, was unveiled as the club's new skipper last November.

The decision to replace league veteran Steve Price as captain was a surprise to many, Mannering included.

On and off the field, Price was a captain always ready to speak his mind and his replacement says he'll be happy to do the same at Mt Smart Stadium in Auckland this weekend.

"I don't have anything set in mind about what sort of captain I'm going to be," Mannering said.

"I don't think you can really plan how you are going to act as captain on the field.

"A lot things are going to change along the way and you just have to change with them.

"Look, if things need to be said, I'm going to say them but I won't be throwing words out there just for the sake of it.

"Everyone in this side is comfortable putting forth their opinions if something needs to be said.

"That's a good thing because you don't want one person talking all the time.

"If you have that, it becomes a bit of a drag and the boys might stop taking notice of me after a while."

Mannering admits captaining the Warriors wasn't a job he thought would be his. But, at the same time, he was never going to turn down the role when it came his way.

"I can't say it was a specific goal of mine to captain the Warriors," he said.

"But I'm sure if you ask a lot of players, they'll tell you that in the backs of their minds it's something they would love to do.

"It's a huge honour and privilege to have the job and it's something I'll treasure for the rest of my career."

Mannering says he was as surprised when coach Ivan Cleary approached him late last year. "Just before we were all scheduled to come back for the preseason, I had a chat to Ivan.

"We weren't really talking too much about the captaincy but then he pretty much just threw it on me about being captain. But I was never going to say no."

Given Mannering has been sidelined since mid-January with a hamstring injury, he is "a little underdone" but says he can "only start somewhere and that will be this weekend".

- © Fairfax NZ News