NRL: Warriors' captain pays the price

Simon Mannering's appointment ends five years with Steve Price at the helm. Photo / Dean Purcell

When Simon Mannering was told to attend a private meeting with Warriors coach Ivan Cleary last week, he thought he must have been in trouble.

It's probably a touch facetious but, having been handed the job of succeeding the towering figure of Steve Price as Warriors captain with the club at a low ebb, he still might be.

The five-year Price era officially ended yesterday with the announcement of the 23-year-old Mannering as his replacement.

Cleary and chief executive Wayne Scurrah - in his first major move since taking over the running of a restructured football department from John Hart - were united in presenting it as an important step forward for the club.

Price had not been sacked, Mannering had been promoted. That was the guts of it.

The club was conscious that Price, who will be 35 at the start of next season, could not go on forever. And, in what could well be his final season, he could still perform the valuable service of helping to groom Mannering.

Quite why he couldn't do that as captain with Mannering as his deputy was never explained. But Price's demotion had nothing to do with his declining fitness or insistence that he would continue to play representative football if picked, Scurrah said.

"That didn't come into it at all. It was more about future-proofing the club," Scurrah said.

"We saw it as ideal to introduce a new captain while Steve's leadership was still here to support the entire leadership needs of the team."

There may be merit in that line of thought but it is a touch disingenuous to suggest Price's declining playing time this season was not a factor in his removal. He played in just 14 games, with a succession of injuries and State of Origin commitments taking a heavy toll. It wasn't a case of the Warriors fixing something that wasn't broken.

Perhaps the only surprise was that it was Mannering, and not regular deputy Micheal Luck, who replaced him. Luck had proved a more-than-capable stand-in, providing an unswerving determination on the field and an articulate presence off it.

Cleary pointed to Mannering's likely longevity as the key to the decision but it is unlikely Luck's cause was helped by the fact that his agent is Jim Banaghan.

Luck is Banaghan's last client left at the Warriors after the departures of Nathan Fien, Evarn Tuimavave and Leeson Ah Mau and it is likely the club would have baulked at handing him the captaincy having worked to reduce the agent's once significant influence.

Mannering also represents a fresh start as the club looks to move on from a disappointing year.

He spoke to Price soon after being given the captaincy and said Price had been supportive.

"It was the weirdest thing about it, being captain of a side that's still got a player like Steve Price in it, but when he said 'I'm fully behind you', it did make me feel a bit more comfortable about it," Mannering said.

"I can't say I was expecting it," the 100-game, 19-test veteran said.

"I knew I was meeting up with Ive for a chat and I was a bit nervous about that. It turned out all right I guess."

Given Price's role as the marketing figurehead and primary spokesman for the club, it was interesting that he sidestepped proceedings yesterday.

Others were left to do the talking for him.

"Steve loved the job, I think we all know that," Cleary said.

"He was passionate about it and did a fantastic job for five years. He was a little bit disappointed. That is natural and normal. But he understands the bigger picture."