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Stacey Jones knows there will be a huge void in his life after playing his last game of rugby league this morning but there's every chance he will try to fill it with fish and meat.
The Little General's brilliant career came to an end this morning when
he played for the All Golds against Northern Unions in a match to mark 100 years of international rugby league.
And while he's retired before, only to make comebacks - most notably to answer calls to play for the Kiwis - this time there will be no more happy returns. His playing days are over.
A 16ft aluminium runabout beckons and the 31-year-old will take to the waters off Doubtless Bay in the Far North in search of snapper. That's what he will do for pleasure but meat is what he might do for business.
Jones and the Mad Butcher, Peter Leitch, have always been good mates, right back to when Jones first appeared on the scene as a classy and exciting halfback in the mid-1990s.
"I haven't really thought too much about what I might do when I get home," Jones says on the eve of the All Golds match.
"I know the Butcher is keen for me to be involved with the shop, so if there's an option to own a franchise... Between now and Christmas though I will just get home and see what my options are."
Jones knew, though, that home was where he wanted to be. Wife Rachelle was keen to extend their stay beyond the two years they have spent in Perpignan, where Jones played for Les Catalans in the UK Super League, but he knew midway through the season that it would be his last.
"The desire wasn't there to go through another arduous pre-season, to turn up to training every day and to endure another season of constant travel and aches and pains."
That's not to say it will be an easy transition to a civilian life and there have been plenty of people to alert him to this fact.
It's going to leave a huge void, he says. "A lot of people have talked to me about it and even Wayne Bennett had some advice this week.
"He's said it's going to be really tough and not to jump into anything if you haven't got your mind set on it. Just take your time."
Jones might afford himself a few moments of reflection this morning when the final whistle blows but he's not one to dwell.
He's already experienced a couple of eulogies and he approached this morning's match emphasising the occasion rather than the fact it was his final game of rugby league.
"I think, for me, the emotion side of things is behind me," he says.
"When I left the Warriors it was pretty emotional and then leaving the Catalans, it was a great send-off. They treated me well.
"[Playing in France] has been a great way to finish my career. It was a beautiful place, the people were fantastic and going to Wembley [to play in this year's Challenge Cup final] was a great experience and something I will remember for a very long time. It was a highlight of my career.
"The All Golds match is more about being proud that I had the opportunity to do what those players did years ago. I wouldn't have had the opportunity to play rugby league, let alone make a living out of it, if it wasn't for them. That's what this game is all about."
That sums Stacey Jones up. He's a player who has created headlines throughout his career but he's not one who enjoyed the spotlight.
It's the quiet life he looks forward to, supping beer and telling stories about the one that got away. But just how quiet it will be hanging around the Mad Butcher remains to be seen.
