Simon’s actions speak louder than words

Warriors captain Simon Mannering has always been a ‘deeds not words’ type of guy. Until now, that is. Fairfax league writer Aaron Lawton takes a look at how the 25-year-old has evolved as a leader.

SIMON Mannering will always be more comfortable ripping in and making 40 tackles in a game than he is when it comes to fronting at a post-match press conference.

He is, after all, a man of few words.

But anyone who has watched him in recent years will have noticed of late his evolution from quiet achiever to respected leader.

Watch closely the next time the Warriors are dudded on a 50-50 call and Mannering is easy to spot – he’s the one making a beeline for the match officials.

It might be a small point to note but it’s also something that wasn’t exactly commonplace back in 2010 when the shy and retiring backrower first replaced Steve Price as Warriors captain.

Coach Brian McClennan is enamoured with his skipper, just as his Kiwis counterpart Stephen Kearney is when Mannering plays in the black jersey.

But while Mannering once led primarily through his actions, he now appears to have added another string to his bow – his voice.

‘‘That’s just a natural progression for Simon,’’ McClennan says of his captain’s on-field chatter.

‘‘I’ve never said to him, ‘hey, this is what you should be doing’. I’ve talked to him about it, but never gone ‘this is what you need to do’.

‘‘He’s got a lot of experience. Gee, he’s been in a world cupwinning team, a Four Nationswinning team and he’s played in an NRL grand final. That just evolves and he’s still a pretty young man too.

‘‘I like the way he’s doing it [talking to referees] too. He’s not barking in your face, swearing and carrying on like some of these other blokes. He’s doing it in a polite manner.’’

That might have something to do with the fact that when he was first handed the armband, Mannering signed up for a level one referee’s course before spending time with the country’s top whistleblower Leon Williamson.

All this before he undertook any additional media training to help him juggle the increased scrutiny that would come with the new job.

What’s that they say about priorities?