Life after professional footy is treating retired New Zealand league stalwart Stacey Jones pretty well.
The 33-year-old "Little General's" exit after 13 seasons with NRL club the Warriors led him back to the grassroots - to coach the senior side at his old club Point Chevalier, alongside former Warriors and Kiwis
teammate Awen Guttenbeil.
The Northern Advocate caught up with Jones at Jubilee Park on Saturday, where he and Guttenbeil were preparing the Point Chev Pirates senior side for two preseason matches against the Portland Panthers.
"We've only just started with the Pirates but I'm enjoying it," said Jones. "We had one other trial game against Richmond, where we went all right. We were happy with how they went and the boys looked strong."
But division one Fox Memorial side Richmond were too good for Pt Chev, who with the help of the two former stars are looking for a big improvement from their last spot in the third division of Auckland Rugby League's competition, the Phelen Shield.
Despite Pt Chev's struggling financial situation and lack of player interest, Jones is eager to help the club where he spent his junior football-playing years back on track.
"Our main goal this year is to create an environment where players want to come along and play for their club, and enjoy themselves," he said.
Giving back to the club was a way to encourage a winning culture on and off the paddock.
"It's the small things that count the most - for us, like most clubs, we don't have a lot of money, so it's getting the guys to want to go back to the clubrooms and have a drink, and give back to the club. It's good for team bonding, and the desire to do that comes with a winning culture on the field, which transfers to off the field as well."
The trip to Whangarei to play the preseason games against Portland, Guttenbeil's first club, was another team-bonding experiment ahead of round one of the Phelen Shield on March 13.
Although coaching takes up a lot of his time, Jones also runs a Subway franchise in Avondale.
