Mannering: I don't want to play on for too long

Simon Mannering has led the Warriors out as captain a club record 124 times. Photo / Getty Images

One day, not that long into the future, the Warriors will start a season without Simon Mannering.

The Warriors skipper is in line to break all kinds of club records but has no ambition to become Auckland's version of Steve Menzies.

Mannering is the Warriors 'Perpetual Motion' man. Glance around the Warriors gym and you'll see his photo dominating the wall. He was Player of the Year in 2008, 2011, 2013 and 2014, and probably went close other seasons as well.

At times, it feels like he could go on forever, such is his consistency, but there will be an end point.

Menzies played into his 36th year, racking up 349 games, and Ruben Wiki was 35 when he made his last appearance for the Warriors. Willie Mason turned 35 last month and David Fa'alogo will be 35 in September.

"I couldn't see myself doing something like that," said Mannering. "You are fortunate to play this game for a living but I wouldn't want to try to milk it. I will play as long as I am playing well and doing a job for the team."

The 28-year-old is contracted to the end of the 2018 season, and that will likely be the curtain call.

"I've got three more years and, if I last those, I will be pretty happy," said Mannering. "I always thought I would rather finish up a year too early than a year too late. You leave a lasting impression in your last season and, if you're playing poorly, that's what people remember."

There's little chance of that. Many times during his career - and especially after the retirements of Wiki and Steve Price - Mannering has often carried the team. He's averaged more than 23 matches a season for the past eight years, putting his body on the line every week when not everybody was.

It wasn't always easy and his last two contract renewals weren't totally straight forward, as other clubs circled and instability hit Mt Smart.

"I've taken more time the last two times I've signed," said Mannering. "I needed to weigh up all my options - to make sure I could commit."

Mannering should become the first Warriors player to reach 300 games, and might also reach 200 as captain. Those numbers might never be matched, especially by a forward, but he continues to turn in 80-minute performances in the hardest area of the field.

His team-mates remain in awe.

"When you play league, you come across some players you love putting the boots on with and he is one of them," says Nathan Friend.

"He's the ultimate team man. His level hardly ever drops and you could never tell that he might be injured. He won't let anyone know and you hardly see him in the physio. That's what quality players do, they push through that barrier."

Mannering has coped well with the physical and mental toll. The Warriors remain fragile, a team still prone to extended lapses.

"In my role, you are out there for so long it is all about keeping on top of your game the whole time," he says. "That is the hardest bit, especially when fatigue sets in. As a middle your role doesn't seem super important but you can have a big effect on the outcome if you don't turn up in the right positions."

Mannering has never been a glamorous player. He was quick as a youngster but, even as a centre, was more solid than spectacular. He is more about one percenters than highlight reels. Perhaps that's why he hasn't always been appreciated and even had his suitability as captain questioned. Not so much now.

"It's hard to measure how important Simon is to this club," says Warriors coach Andrew McFadden. "We know Simon gets tired in a game but we also know he can keep going. He has very few dips in form. He has an off-game occasionally but his off ones are still 7/10 — that's why he is so valuable."

Simon Mannering

Debut: Round 16, 2005
NRL games: 224 (Second at the Warriors behind Stacey Jones' 261)
Games as captain: 124 (First, ahead of Steve Price's 91)
Tries: 52 (Seventh overall, second among active players)

2015 statistics
Average tackles: 45.5 (1st in NRL)
Offloads: 17 (13th in NRL)
One-on-one tackles: 44 (6th in NRL)