Little General is not to blame

OPINION: THE retirement of Stacey Jones at the end of the season is a smart move on the Little General's part. He's in a no-win situation.

He's been bagged by the media, most of whom don't know what they're talking about and he hasn't had the players around him this year to make the impact he did when building his magnificent and deserved reputation.

I've said on numerous occasions that Stacey has not been the problem in 2009. And I'll say it again.

The problem has been a lack of go-forward in the pack with, as usual, the exception of Steve Price and sometimes Sam Rapira, and having three back-rowers who essentially play the same game.

Micheal Luck and Jacob Lillyman are the same player.

They offer nothing on attack but are ferocious defenders while Simon Mannering, who has been spending time in both the centres and the back row, has only occasionally managed to notch up good yardage.

Unfortunately, none of the back row has been able to offer Stacey support off the ruck.

Throughout his career, Stacey played with block-busting second-rowers who made a difference on the field in attack. I'm talking about the likes of Ali Lauiti'iti, Logan Swann and Awen Guttenbeil, right through to Dennis Betts and Wairangi Koopu.

If the Warriors are looking to fill holes in next year's roster that's a position that needs addressing. They are desperately in need of one or two second-rowers who can offload, give pass options to the halves or take it hard off the shoulder when gaps are created.

Stacey has not had such a luxury this year and I believe it's been the construction of the team that has let the Little General down. Not the other way around.

It's a shame it has turned out this way because not only has Stacey been a fantastic player and servant of the game, he's also a fantastic personality. He deserved a better send-off this year from his team-mates.

Looking to next year, the Warriors appear to be severely thin in the halves without Jones. The much-vaunted Joel Moon hasn't produced and the only possible shining light is Brett Seymour, who is a massive gamble at best. He's got to overcome alcohol problems and prove he is a champion on the field. It's also not particularly good news for the club when a recent Rugby Week Poll revealed the Warriors and Souths are the clubs that players would least like to go to.

For the sake of the club and the game, I hope like hell that the management of John Hart and Wayne Scurrah and the coaching staff of Ivan Cleary, John Ackland, Tony Iro and Dean Bell can turn things around inside the next six to 12 months.

If they can't, the harsh reality of rugby league and it pains me to say this because I think they've been very good for the club and are very good at what they do means they might be looking for jobs.

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