Steve Deane: Understanding the new value of Price

Does anyone still doubt the decision to axe Steve Price as Warriors captain was the right move?

Price's nagging heel complaint is a blow for a Warriors side that could sorely have used their best-performed prop in the crucial opening stages of the season.

But at least they are missing only a player, not a hugely influential captain drifting in and out of the side as his body permits.

It's tough on Price that an injury that should have cleared up long ago has ruled him out of the entire pre-season - and now it seems until at least round five.

It's possible this is down to nothing more than bad luck. But that doesn't change the fact that Price's career is now following precisely the path expected for ageing players in an incredibly physically demanding sport.

His injuries have become more frequent, they are taking longer to heal.

Price may be a physical freak but even physical freaks succumb to the ravages of time eventually.

Price was already the oldest player in the game last year, already pushing the envelope further than any of his peers.

Forget all the popularity hoopla, that was a red herring.

The biggest issue with Price being captain was the boom and bust cycle it created.

There is no disputing the Warriors were a vastly superior side with Price in their ranks last year. But the flipside of that was that they were vastly poorer when he was absent.

The resultant instability was precisely why the club opted for a steady presence like Simon Mannering as his replacement.

Whether Mannering is the right man for the job is irrelevant. The Price era had to end.

Price will recover from this heel injury. When he returns he will almost certainly produce some huge performances. He is, after all, one of the true greats. But it will be a case of a senior player returning to boost a side, not take it over.

But who knows when the next injury will strike? And then there is State of Origin to factor in. If Price is playing at all well he will be picked. The effect of that on the club will be dramatically reduced now he is no longer captain.

Price's disappointment at his demotion was only natural, but it has also freed him up to pursue his own goals in what is almost certainly the final year of a great career.

He wants to play Origin. Fine. He wants to play well for the Warriors. Fine. They are mutually inclusive.

But the bottom line for the Warriors is that their future will be determined not by how well they play with Steve Price in the side, but how well they cope without him.

That was always going to be the case, regardless of his current injury situation.