Ruben Wiki: Quiet man Jones walked the walk

We've known for a long time that Stacey Jones will be leaving at the end of the season but it hasn't really sunk in that he won't be pulling on a Warriors jersey next year.

In fact, he's been such a major piece of the furniture at the club that it might not sink in until he's actually gone and I realise he's not sitting next to me lacing up the boots at pre-season training.

There have been few people in rugby league who have given what Stacey has to the Warriors and his country and he is right up there with Andrew Johns as one of the best halfbacks in the world.

I remember meeting him for the first time in 1994 when I was in the Kiwis. He was in and around the scene and, apart from being a little guy, the thing that struck me was his confidence. Although he was pretty quiet - he still is - he was telling everyone he was going to be the next Kiwis halfback but the difference between him and a lot of others was that he actually backed up his words and achieved it.

He made the Kiwis the next year for the 1995 World Cup and owned the No 7 jersey until he retired from international league last year.

You need a special personality to handle changing clubs almost as often as you do underpants but it takes an even more special person to stick it out with one club for as long as Stacey has, through both good times and bad.

When I joined Canberra in 1993 I never thought I would be there for more than 10 years because all I wanted to do was play with and learn from my hero, Mal Meninga. He was a long-time servant of the Raiders, as were the likes of Laurie Daley, Ricky Stuart and Bradley Clyde, and I learned quickly the value of loyalty.

It was pretty easy for me to stay with the club when we were winning but even during some of the tougher times I couldn't have asked my family to up sticks and move around from club to club. It was only last year that I felt I needed a change, for me and my family.

Stacey went through that this season. It was bizarre watching a good friend of mine go through the agony of making his decision to leave the Warriors - you could tell the weight of the world was on his shoulders and he went into his shell.

As soon as he announced his decision, though, he had that trademark spring in his step again and immediately became the Stacey of old on the field.

As a player, all Stacey needs is for his forwards to go forward and he will do the rest. He's a natural. He knows where the gaps are and when to run and pass.

One thing he hasn't coped well with, though, is living in the public eye but he needed to learn to live with this because of who he is. He's one of the best in the business and everyone wants a piece of him. Stacey, Steve Price and I do a lot of hospital and school visits but it's always Stacey that people want to talk to.

He will leave a huge gap which is why I urge people to get down to Ericsson Stadium for our final two games, not only see the Little General in action one last time but also give him the send-off and the respect he deserves.

- HERALD ON SUNDAY