Little General bows out

Contrasting emotions washed over Stacey Jones as he reflected on another Warriors farewell that failed to produce a fitting ending.

When originally leaving the Warriors in 2005, Jones was denied a parting victory as he had three tries disallowed in a 4-18 home loss to Newcastle.

His comeback in 2009 allowed for one last Mt Smart Stadium tribute but try as he might, his down-and-out team-mates couldn't produce one last stand for the Little General and Melbourne romped away with a 30-0 result.

That brought the curtain down on Jones' stellar 261-match NRL career and a third comeback is the last thing on the 33-year-old's mind.

He was obviously disappointed to bow out with such a comprehensive defeat but the sadness was tinged with a 'relief' that the gruelling training, the bumps and bruises and the week-in, week-out pressure are now in the past.

"Getting beaten 30-nil is not good," Jones said at his final post-match press conference.

"You always remember your first game and you remember your last. I'm going to try and wipe this last game out.

"There's a bit of relief there but there's also a bit of sadness as well.

"I really enjoyed coming back and being with these players. The results didn't go our way but I had the opportunity to play for a club I love.

"It was tough at times but I have no regrets about coming back. I just enjoyed the occasion of getting to run out on (Mt Smart) Stadium."

Still basking in the warmth of a convincing win across the Tasman, which in turn booked fourth spot and a home final next weekend, Storm coach Craig Bellamy and Cameron Smith both paid tribute to Jones' contribution over 12 NRL seasons.

"Without a doubt, to my way of thinking, he's been the Warriors' best player in their history," Bellamy said.

"He's been a wonderful player and the other great thing about Stacey Jones is what he's done off the field. He's just such a gentleman and a wonderful guy off the field.

"He's been a wonderful ambassador of our game. He's been tremendous and we will all miss him. He will miss playing as well."

Smith added: "Stacey has been a wonderful player for our game, not only for New Zealand rugby league but for the whole package, for the international game.

"It's always been a privilege to play against Stacey. He's done a lot more than he needed to contribute to the game."

Bellamy said he was 'really happy' with the performance on Saturday night, especially with his side's defence which never looked like yielding.

The victory booked a mouth-watering week one play-off clash with the Sea Eagles – a repeat of last year's grand final which saw Manly romp home in a 40-0 boilover.

But this time around, Melbourne has home advantage and confidence building from two consecutive thumpings in a row – albeit over the lowly Roosters and Warriors.

"I wouldn't say it's all about momentum but momentum is a big thing at this time of the year," Bellamy said.

"Obviously having most of your players fit is another big thing but certainly the momentum we've got from the last couple of weeks will put us in pretty good touch heading into the semis."