League: Testimonial tribute to the new general

When Awen Guttenbeil reported for pre-season training in January, he noticed something different.

Aside from the obvious - new coach, new management in the backroom and a handful of new players - the one major change was the absence of a certain guy who had been a dominant feature of the club in its 10-year history. Stacey Jones.

There were no cheeky comments flying his way that had been a constant for more than 10 years (certainly not from Jones, anyway) and there were no competitive jousts, ranging from fishing to cooking, lawn bowls to tiddlywinks.

"Stacey's been a big part of my life," Guttenbeil admitted. "It was a bit sad when we first started training, not only without Stacey but some of the other guys, too, but you have to move on."

It's what the Warriors and Guttenbeil have had to do. In a curious twist, however, the 29-year-old second-rower finds himself something of the senior statesman at the club - not because he's the oldest (something 33-year-old Ruben Wiki has claims to) but because he's now the longest-serving Warrior.

Guttenbeil made his Warriors debut against Norths in April 1996 as a promising 20-year-old and, 10 years and 147 NRL games later, he's been awarded a testimonial season.

More often than not, though, a testimonial year is often a player's last at a club. But the 10-test veteran is coy about his future, despite constant speculation linking him with a move to the UK Super League at the end of the season.

"It's too early to say," Guttenbeil said diplomatically. "If the club wants me to stay, then I'd contemplate it. It certainly isn't my last year of football but I just can't say where I will be playing after this season.

"It doesn't feel like it's been 10 years. Although 1996 seems like a long time ago, I've always enjoyed my time here and I'm still as motivated as the young guys. It's fun times."

Fun times, indeed. The second-rower is largely prosaic when talking about the salary cap debacle, something borne out by the fact Guttenbeil has experienced the extreme highs and lows of the club in its short history. There have been grand finals and takeover bids, sackings and stoushes.

"After the struggles I faced coming back from injury, nothing really phases me," he said in reference to the fact he played only 40 games in the first five years of his Warriors career. "The only thing I can control is what happens on the field but when that's taken away through injury, that's frustrating.

"Probably the biggest low was when the club went into receivership and we all lost a couple of months' pay. That certainly hurt individuals - we had to sell a house so that was a bit of a low."

There's nothing like a bit of perspective.

Staring Guttenbeil and his team-mates in the face, however, is the prospect of a long, hard season. The reality is they need to win today against the Storm, a team also going through something of a transition after the loss of key players, and they also need to take advantage of the fact that six of their first eight games will be played in New Zealand.

If they haven't gathered momentum by the end of round eight, their season could be over before it's even started. And that's not something Guttenbeil wants to consider - certainly not without his mate the Little General running the show.

- HERALD ON SUNDAY