Warriors doctor John Mayhew has paid homage to stalwart Simon Mannering, who is retiring at the end of the NRL season.
In front of his teammates, media and Warriors staff, Mannering announced on Wednesday he would hang up the boots at season's end after 14 years with the with the Penrose-based club.
The Nelson native made his debut for the Auckland-based franchise in 2005 as an 18-year-old, and has been one of its most loyal servants. He is on track to become the second New Zealander and first Warrior to play 300 NRL games, in the final game of the season against the Raiders.
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Mayhew has been at the club since 2006 and has watched Mannering progress from a teenager to the club legend he is today.
Speaking to RadioLIVE's First at Five, Mayhew said Mannering is the ultimate role model for anybody wanting to be successful in any sport.
"Everyone will be disappointed, but they will understand why he made that decision - he is hugely respected by his teammates and by his opposition," he said.
"If you look back on his career, there are very few blemishes. Even when the Warriors have been up and down, he's been the shining light all the time, and he has won player of the year four times.
"The role model term gets abused at times, but I think Simon is certainly a role model for younger players on and off the field.
"Medically he could have gone another year or two, but he is thinking about life after football."
The goal now is to send Mannering out the best way possible by making a deep finals run - if they qualify. Right now, the Warriors are on track to do so for the first time since 2011 as they sit seventh on the NRL ladder.
Coach Stephen Kearney says the veteran second-rower deserves the best possible exit.
"Obviously there's a sadness there knowing that there's a guy who, particularly over the last period of this footy club, has held it up really.
"But I know for himself, he's got to enjoy the next part of his career, his life.
"He's made plenty of tackles for a lot of minutes over a long, long time and I'm sure the body's going to enjoy it once he's finished."
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