New Zealand Warriors captain Simon Mannering has made the shock decision to stand down from his post, with fellow back-row player Ryan Hoffman taking over following a trial match this coming weekend in his home town of Nelson.
Mannering has been captain of the club since 2010, leading the Warriors for a club record 136 matches and is the current New Zealand national team captain, but will hand over the reins to Hoffman to focus on his own form.
“That wasn’t easy because the players and the club mean so much to me but I’ve been thinking about this throughout the off-season,” he told the club’s website.
“While it has been a massive honour being captain, I wasn’t enjoying my football and felt the responsibilities of the captaincy were a big factor in that.”
Mannering has also said he wants to move away from the captaincy because he believes it will be best for the team, if he can focus on his own responsibilities as a player.
Mannering has played 236 games for the New Zealand Warriors.
Coach Andrew McFadden said that Hoffman was the obvious choice to take over the captaincy.
“He is an obvious replacement for Simon, a natural leader who brings all the qualities we want, one who plays for 80 minutes, is durable and has a fiercely competitive attitude,” he said.
“He has the respect and support of the players.”
Hoffman told the media he was humbled to be offered and accept the roll as captain of the New Zealand Warriors moving forward into the 2016 season.
With AAP
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