NRL: Mannering earns fourth player of the year award

Simon Mannering collected the Warriors NRL Player of the Year Award for a record fourth time. Photo / Getty Images.

In a year in which he reached three major milestones, captain Simon Mannering collected the Warriors NRL Player of the Year Award for a record fourth time at the 20th annual club awards dinner last night.

It's the second straight year and the third time in the last four seasons that the 28-year-old back-rower has won the award.

This time he was able to accept the accolade in front of more than 800 guests after missing last year's awards dinner when his partner Anna was about to have the couple's son Zeke.

Despite Warriors disappointing end to the season, in which they failed to make the NRL finals for a third straight year, Mannering's contribution was consistently outstanding as he appeared in all 24 games and equalled his career-best try tally of nine in a season (first achieved in in 2006).

"The main reason I play the game is to work alongside my team-mates and do all I can to help the team be the best it can be," Mannering said.

"For me it's always so humbling being recognised like this. I really appreciate it and thank all the players and coaches who have made this possible. I'd also like to thank our members and fans who are always there supporting us. We're all disappointed with the way our season finished but we'll all be working a lot harder to improve next year."

Mannering was also the recipient of the club's Legacy Award, to mark his milestone 10th NRL season for the Warriors, making him the sixth 10-season player in the club's history after Stacey Jones, Awen Guttenbeil, Lance Hohaia, Jerome Ropati and Manu Vatuvei.

Mannering's two other major personal achievements came in the first game back home at Mt Smart Stadium in June, against the Newcastle Knights, when he achieved the double of 200 NRL appearances and 100 games as Warriors captain. He had previously overtaken Steve Price's captaincy record of 91 games while he is only the second player after Stacey Jones to represent the club in 200 matches.

Vatuvei took out the NRL Players' Player of the Year as voted on by his peers each game of the season. Earlier in the evening the 28-year-old winger was also named the Club Person of the Year for his exceptional all-round contribution on and off the field, especially in the community. He has already won the NRL's Favourite Son Award this year and is a finalist for Ken Stephen Medal to be awarded later this month.

There were two double winners for the club's NYC and NSW Cup teams as well.

Co-captain and prop Sam Lisone won both the NYC Players' Player of the Year and the NYC Player of the Year while Agnatius Paasi did the double with the NSW Cup Players' Player of the Year and the NSW Cup Player of the Year.

In another feature of the night departing Warriors chief executive Wayne Scurrah and general manager commercial Don Mann were officially farewelled. Scurrah is leaving after coming into the role in late 2005 while Mann has been involved with the club since Eric Watson took over ownership in late 2000.

Warriors captain Simon Mannering finished the season with 212 games and 112 as captain.

* Ranked fifth for most metres (2221, an average of 93 a game) and second best among the forwards with only prop Jacob Lillyman ahead of him.
* He was fourth for most runs (247) and defensively he was clearly the second busiest player with 712 tackles, an average of just under 30 a game.
* He played the full 80 minutes in 22 games, missing 26 minutes in one game and being taken off with a minute to go in another to average close to 79 minutes a game.

Manu Vatuvei was the Warriors' top metre gainer with 3435 metres, an average of 149 a game.

* 'The Beast' had an outstanding year scoring 17 tries in 23 appearances to lift his career tally to 135 in 194 matches. That moved him inside the NRL's all-time top 20 try scorers as he maintained his sequence of being the club's top or top-equal try-scorer in each of the last eight seasons while he is only the second play in the competition's history to score 10 or more tries in nine consecutive seasons (only the great Ken Irvine stands above him).
*He made 15 line breaks and 53 tackle breaks in a campaign when he equalled his record for most appearances in a season.