KEY POINTS:
No one should regard Stacey Jones as the saviour of the Warriors, as the great hope who will lead them to an NRL title.
He doesn't himself.
Jones is totally realistic about the one-year deal announced with his old club yesterday, one that came into being over time as he enjoyed working with the kickers at the club, then got fit for and played in the All Golds game at New Plymouth that served as a World Cup hit-out for former test teammates.
"Playing in that game, I realised how much I had missed being out there," he said.
He will be the oldest halfback in the Aussie premiership, having four months on Brett Kimmorley who is shifting from the Sharks for a last year at the Bulldogs and two years older than next in line, Matt Orford from Manly.
No one gets faster at age 32. So do not expect Jones to produce the magical bursts of acceleration that cut opposition teams open around the ruck and scrum between 1995 and 2005.
He doesn't have to.
In those years, he played with many sub-standard teams. There were years when the salary cap wasn't spent because there wasn't the money. Often, he was the sole star, the one everyone on the team, in the coaching staff and the stands looked to for a win.
This time it will be different. Jones can play in a dinner suit. All he need do is pass or kick. Outside him he has test centres in Brent Tate and Jerome Ropati, an international wing in Manu Vatuvei and a fullback the equal of any in Wade McKinnon. Brisbane buy-in Joel Moon is highly rated by the coaching staff and shapes as the likely five-eighth, a player who likes to run.
Jones' value to the team will be in delivering the accurate pass to his outsides, sending the pinpoint kick to Vatuvei, picking up McKinnon on bursts from the back.
Coach Ivan Cleary said the NRL team and the club as a whole stood to benefit enormously from Jones' signing but he warned against unreasonable expectations.
"It's been well recognised that we have been looking to improve our halfback depth," he said. "Whether Stacey plays many games or not, his experience will be invaluable not only to the young halves but the NRL squad as a whole."
Jones has continued training after the All Golds outing and is expected to take full part in pre-season work from November 17.
Jones last played for the Warriors against Manly on August 27, 2005, scoring a try with his last touch in the game to give his side a 22-20 win. He still holds records for the most games (238), most points (654), most tries (75) and most field goals (12).
While the club has boosted its stocks and depth in positions from prop to centre and fullback since Jones' departure the one area of concern has always been the halves, with numerous changes and no one looking like cementing six or seven.
Maybe he will settle the halfback debate, maybe not.
But he is probably the best option the club had readily available and as stop-gap he gives others the chance to take over. He's ready to step aside when that happens, or before if he knows himself that he's not playing well.
Stacey Jones:
* Born May 7, 1976, Auckland
* Height: 1.71m.
* Weight: 84kg.
* Junior Clubs: Ponsonby-Maritime, Pt Chevalier.
* NRL debut: Warriors v Parramatta, Parramatta Stadium, April 23, 1995 (Round 7).
* NRL career: 238 appearances 1995-2005. 654 points (75 tries,171 goals, 12 field goals).
* English Super League debut: Les Catalans v Wigan, Stade Aime Giral, Perpignan, February 11, 2006 (Round 1). 45 appearances 2006-2007, 133 points (11 tries,43 goals, 3 field goals).
* Test Debut: v Tonga, Warrington, October 8, 1995 (World Cup), 46 tests, 1995-2006, 160 points (16 tries, 47 goals, 2 field goals).
