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Stacey Jones proved he still has it and is well on the NRL pace as he directed the Warriors around in two 10-minute spells against the Melbourne Storm, promoting a comfortable headache for coach Ivan Cleary who, for once, has choice in the halves.
Jones engineered the first
try for Wade McKinnon through a pressure pass after just four minutes in the trial match in Hamilton, produced a smart kicking game, was solid in defence and inventive on attack.
"He controlled things well out there, he put on the right plays at the right times and he looked very comfortable," was Cleary's assessment.
"That was good for him, I'm sure it was a relief for him to get out there, and it was good for us to see too," Cleary said of the coaching staff.
Jones played the first 20 minutes in the 24-12 win with Broncos buy-in Joel Moon at five-eighths then Auckland-bred and former Storm player Liam Foran and Warriors 2008 under-20s players Daniel O'Regan and Isaac John got a chance in six and seven, John setting up a try for O'Regan.
"I thought they all did a good job," Cleary said, especially on a night when rain pelted down throughout to produce a slippery surface.
The second of three pre-season trials is against the North Queensland Cowboys at North Harbour next weekend and Cleary said he would again tamper with the halves, hopefully bringing Nathan Fien into the mix if he is over niggling injury and perhaps playing Fien at five-eighths.
The Warriors and World Cup winner must have the edge over Jones at half after his 2008 performances in the NRL finals and the win over Australia. Jones will put bums on seats at Mt Smart but winning will too.
Moon has played mainly at centre for Brisbane but his preferred position is five-eighths and the Warriors coaches rate him highly there so output in the next game and the last trial against the Gold Coast at Lismore the following week is likely to determine the make-up of the 17 for the first competition match against Parramatta.
Jones said he did not feel he'd been three years out of the NRL. "I didn't think I was behind the pace at all and I think I can improve on that," he said.
"We just focused on the basics. We had good set plays to get good position for kicks. We controlled things pretty well."
The veteran halfback was pleased with the forward pack and the depth emerging there and in the backs. "The young boys really stepped up," he said, praising the preparation they had received through the new under-20s competition.
That added depth means there are few guaranteed starts, something Jones believes will lift the performance this season, even if that includes him having to fight for the halfback spot.
"It's very competitive, we're all putting pressure on each other but everyone is helping everyone else out too, it's very healthy."
Jones said he had no doubt under-20s graduate Elijah Taylor would play top grade this season. Aaron Heremaia, Herman Retzlaff, Leeson Ah Mau, Mataupu Poching, John and O'Regan also got game time and coach Cleary was impressed by all. Last year's debutants Russell Pack and Ben Matulino proved they were going to kick on and the rest did not look out of place at NRL pace, Cleary said.
That depth had him feeling more comfortable about the team's chances than in each of his three previous seasons.
"In defence we were a fair way ahead of where we have been in previous seasons. It was a good night to test the defence and the whole process was very solid, it's a good base to start from. We haven't won many trials over the years."
There were no injuries.
Cleary said he would experiment with combinations again next weekend and the Auckland Vulcans playing the under-20s in the curtainraiser gave him the chance to bring back players including captain Steve Price, Brent Tate, Evarn Tuimavave and Fien and give everyone in the 33-man squad a run.
"There are definitely a few spots up for grabs which should make for an exciting couple of games coming up."
Denan Kemp proved his worth with the boot too, landing three from three and two of those from wide out.
The use of two referees was praised both by the coach and Jones. It sped the game up, they felt, while ensuring good control of the play-the-ball.
The team wore black armbands to mark the drowning of comrade Sonny Fai and will do so again next weekend, with more formal recognition of his contribution to the club to be made in the lead-up to their first home Sunday game against South Sydney in April.
The crowd of 10,800 gave more than $10,000 to the Australian bushfire fund.
