Auckland, New Zealand, August 01, 2009 - New Zealand rugby league great Stacey Jones has told the Vodafone Warriors he has decided not to take up their offer to have a 13th season with his only NRL club. The Vodafone Warriors had indicated several weeks ago that they were keen for the 33-year-old to play on in 2010 after signing him on a one-year deal for this season. But Jones, who made his 256th NRL appearance in last night's clash against Penrith, told the club late this week that he would not take up the offer. "It was a big decision to come back for this season and I'm really glad I did it," he said. "From the start I just wanted to do whatever I could to help and to do the best I could. "While it has been a disappointing season for us in terms of results, I've really enjoyed having another chance to play in the NRL. "I love this club and it's a great place to be around but I've decided it's the right time for me to move on and let other players come through. "There's no doubt we've got some exciting prospects in the halves and I certainly think the future is bright. "I want to thank everyone at the club, especially Ivan and the boys in the team, for the chance I've had to play at home again." Vodafone Warriors coach Ivan Cleary said Jones had provided everything expected of him during the season. "I can't say enough about what he has done this year," he said. "We would have loved him to continue because he has so much to offer both as a player and a mentor for the young players around him, not just the halves but everyone in our squad. "Stacey has given us exactly what we wanted from him this year and I have no doubt he could have gone on another season if he wanted to and help our side grow. "Some of the criticism he has endured has been really disappointing. He hasn't deserved it at all. He's certainly not to blame for the way we've performed this year. "As a club we're just grateful that he had another shot. I can understand his decision not to continue playing but we definitely want to keep him involved here in whatever way we can." Jones, the only one of the club's 1995 foundation players still performing at top level, has missed just one match so far this year - the season-opener against Parramatta - and has built on the club records he already owned. While his number of appearances grew from 238 to 256 after last night's game against Penrith, he had scored two tries to take his club record tally to 77, well clear of second-ranked Francis Meli's 60 tries. He has also kicked two field goals to lift that mark to 14 (from a total of only 23 in the club's history) and his overall points haul now sits at 670, with Cleary's 439 second best.

In his first 17 matches he produced 11 try assists, more than several of the game's other noted playmaking halves including Ben Hornby (St George Illawarra), Cooper Cronk (Melbourne), Darren Lockyer (Brisbane), Trent Barrett (Cronulla), Chris Sandow (South Sydney), Brett Kimmorley (Bulldogs) and Mitchell Pearce (Sydney Roosters).