KEY POINTS:
Six weeks ago, many were urging Ruben Wiki to call time on his remarkable career before he damaged his reputation.
The 35-year-old prop even admitted he had considered retirement as he found himself playing for the Auckland Vulcans in the NSW Cup.
Last night, he would have been glad he didn't.
Wiki has received a fair few honours in his time - Winfield Cup (1994) and Tri Nations (2005) winners medals, three Player of the Year awards (2002 and 2003 with Canberra and 2005 with the Warriors), a place in the all-time New Zealand XIII, the world record for tests (55) and recognition for his services to rugby league by becoming an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit among them.
Last night he was honoured on home territory for becoming just the 10th player, and first New Zealander, in 100 years of rugby league to amass 300 first-grade games.
For Wiki, two points for a win over the Cowboys was the most important thing. But there would have been a part of him that was pretty chuffed to have made the magical mark and take his place among some of the game's greats. Six weeks ago, it wasn't a given.
He had 301 tickets to give away to the game (he gave them to junior league players in Otara, where he started his playing days all those moons ago) and last night led the team out through a guard of honour and onto the park in front of his mother, wife and children.
At the final whistle, Dean Bell and Stacey Jones strode out onto a soggy Mt Smart Stadium to present Wiki with the specially-embroidered Warriors jersey he wore against the Wests Tigers a fortnight ago when he played his 300th game. It was a jersey former Canberra team-mate Laurie Daley had initially presented to Wiki at a team dinner on the eve of the match against the Tigers.
Wiki had wondered where it had got to. He still had it on when the team arrived back at their hotel in Sydney after their 28-26 win over the Tigers but football manager Don Mann convinced him to hand it over so he could get it laundered for him.
Mann did, but he also got it mounted beside five images from his days with the Raiders, including one of him lifting the Winfield Cup in 1994, as well as five from his Warriors career.
Initially, the Warriors thought about flying Mal Meninga over for the job of presenting the jersey. After all, he's Wiki's idol and former Canberra team-mate.
They then considered Terry Lamb, who holds the record for the number of first-grade games with 249.
In the end, however, the club realised the answer was staring them in the face in the shape of two employees.
Bell, of course, was the first Warrior. He captained the side in their inaugural year in 1995, while Jones holds the record for the most number of games for the club with 238.
Wiki is one of the true greats, and gentlemen, of rugby league. He is a selfless individual who loves nothing more than playing rugby league, no matter whether it's at NRL or park level.
Last night fans and team-mates got to show Wiki how much they appreciate him. And that was the least he deserved.
