No Little General but Brett hopes to be major player

BY DUNCAN JOHNSTONE

BRETT Seymour warns he's no Stacey Jones – and he doesn't want to be.

But he promises to bring his own style of play to the Warriors that could prove equally influential.

With the Jones era at the Auckland-based club over once and for all, Seymour finds himself entrusted with the playmaker duties and the confident Aussie is up for the challenge.

"No one is going to be the next Stacey Jones," Seymour said, quick to acknowledge the legacy left by the Little General. "That's an expectation you are never going to meet if you are trying to do that.

"You are going to have to make your own mark."

Seymour appears to have the on-field ingredients to do just that. Asked to sum up what he offers the team, he said: "As a player I'm a good leader. I'm very vocal and I like to lead with my actions. I have a good kicking game which is what you need from a seven or a six and I'm someone who can take the line on when the opportunity is on. I build my game around that.

"Defensively, I don't mind bringing the big boys down because they seem to target you a bit to meet that challenge."

"Seymour hasn't lacked for mentors since bursting into the NRL as a teenage talent – learning the game off Alfie Langer at the Broncos.

He says he's happy to play halfback or standoff but knows he has to be the team's navigator.

"I'll do what the coaching staff need," Seymour said. "I played probably half my time in both positions. I've played under Ricky Stuart, I've been with players such as Brett Kimmorley, Darren Lockyer and Trent Barrett – you learn a bit from each of them.

"The positions are pretty similar although I think the Warriors are looking for a really good halfback and someone who is going to direct them and produce a good kicking game."

He remembers unpleasant visits to Mt Smart Stadium from his time with the Broncos and Sharks. Ironically, those memories helped sway his decision to make Auckland his home.

"When I sat down and thought about coming over here I thought, this is one of the places I hate coming to the most," he said. "So I thought why not join the club where other teams don't like playing?

"It's certainly an advantage if we use it the right way. The only thing I remember at those games was the drums. That ringing sound was in my head for a week afterwards.

"It's definitely a fortress and we have to get it back to that. The competition is so tight that you have to use every advantage you can get and this is certainly one of them."

Seymour knows he's going to have to win over some Warriors supporters.

"I'm not going into this season thinking I will have them all on my side," he said. "But I will let my footy do the talking. I don't want to be in the papers for the wrong reasons and that's not going to happen.

"I will be putting in everything I can for my team-mates and that means I will be repaying the fans."

Sounds like a theory Stacey Jones would approve of.

- © Fairfax NZ News