Simon Alexander Mannering (born 28 August 1986) is a New Zealand former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 2000s and 2010s. He played for the

New Zealand Warriors The Warriors are a professional rugby league football club based in Auckland, New Zealand that competes in the National Rugby League (NRL) premiership and is the League's only team from outside Australia. They were formed in 1995 as the Aucklan ...

in the

NRL The National Rugby League (also known as the NRL Telstra Premiership for sponsorship reasons) is a professional rugby league competition in Oceania which contains clubs from New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria (state), Victoria, the Austral ...

. A New Zealand international second row forward, who could also play as a centre. He was appointed the New Zealand national team's captain in 2013 and was replaced by Jesse Bromwich in 2016 and was part of the 2008 World Cup-winning Kiwis team. Mannering was a one-club player who played his whole NRL career with the Warriors. With 301 appearances for the Warriors, Mannering is the club's most capped player.

Early years

Mannering moved to

Motueka Motueka is a town in the South Island of New Zealand, close to the mouth of the Motueka River on the western shore of Tasman Bay. It is the second largest in the Tasman Region, with a population of as of The surrounding district has a numb ...

at an early age and was educated at Motueka High School and then at

Nelson College Nelson College is the oldest state secondary school in New Zealand, a feat achieved in part thanks to its original inception as a private school. It is an all-boys school in the City of Nelson that teaches from years 9 to 13. In addition, it r ...

from 2000 to 2004,''Nelson College Old Boys' Register, 1856–2006'', 6th edition where he played

rugby union Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-English-speaking world, Anglophone Europe, or often just rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that orig ...

. After being spotted by rugby league development officer Paul Bergman, Mannering switched codes and was an instant success, making the national secondary schools team after just three games of rugby league. In 2004 Mannering moved to Wellington to play for the

Wellington Wellington is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the third-largest city in New Zealand (second largest in the North Island ...

under-18 side, joining the

Wellington Rugby League Wellington Rugby League is the local sporting body responsible for the administration of Rugby league in the Wellington Region, Greater Wellington region. It is responsible for the local competition of the same name, as well as its representative ...

Academy at WelTec. He then was selected for the Paul Bergman-coached Wellington Orcas in the Bartercard Cup. In 2004, Mannering made the Junior Kiwi's and the New Zealand A side. Mannering received interest from the Bulldogs and

Parramatta Parramatta (; ) is a suburb (Australia), suburb and major commercial centre in Greater Western Sydney. Parramatta is located approximately west of the Sydney central business district, Sydney CBD, on the banks of the Parramatta River. It is co ...

before deciding to move to Auckland and join the

Professional playing career

2005

Mannering made his NRL debut for the Warriors against the

Brisbane Broncos The Brisbane Broncos are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Red Hill, a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland. Founded in April 1987, the Broncos compete in the National Rugby League (NRL) and play their home games at ...

in 2005. The match was special as it marked the Warriors' 10th-anniversary match and they upset the then competition leaders for the second time that year.

2006

In 2006, Mannering was selected in the

New Zealand national rugby league team The New Zealand national rugby league team () has represented New Zealand in rugby league since 1907. Administered by the New Zealand Rugby League, they are commonly known as the Kiwis, after the Kiwi (bird), native bird of that name. The team' ...

squad for the 2006 Tri Nations tournament. He played in every game of the series for the Kiwis and was named Rookie of the Year for the Kiwis.

2007

Mannering was selected to play for the New Zealand national team at centre in the 2007 ANZAC Test loss against

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

. Mannering was also one of the nominees for 2007 New Zealand Rugby League Player of the Year.

2008

Mannering played all 26 games for the Warriors in 2008 and was named the club's player of the year. In August 2008, Mannering was named in the New Zealand training squad for the

2008 Rugby League World Cup The 2008 Rugby League World Cup was the thirteenth World Cup for men’s rugby league national teams. It was held between 26 October and 22 November and was won by New Zealand, who defeated Australia 34–20 in the final in one of the greatest ...

, and in October 2008 he was named in the final 24-man

Kiwi Kiwi most commonly refers to: * Kiwi (bird), a flightless bird native to New Zealand * Kiwi (nickname), an informal name for New Zealanders * Kiwifruit, an edible hairy fruit with many seeds * Kiwi dollar or New Zealand dollar, a unit of curren ...

squad. In the Kiwis' second match of the tournament, against Papua New Guinea, he scored two tries. He also played in the side that won the final.

2009

In 2009 Mannering signed a new contract with the club that expires after the 2012 season. He played centre for 20 games in the season for the Warriors to forget.

2010

Mannering was appointed the Warriors club captain for the 2010 season.Steve Price dropped as Warriors captain
''3News'', 4 November 2009 Mannering missed the Kiwis' ANZAC Test match clash with Australia due to injury. Following the 2010 NRL Season, he was selected in the Kiwis' Squad for the 2010 Four Nations tournament and played off the bench in the Four Nations warm-up Test game against

Samoa Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa and known until 1997 as Western Samoa, is an island country in Polynesia, part of Oceania, in the South Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main islands (Savai'i and Upolu), two smaller, inhabited ...

at Auckland's

Mount Smart Stadium Mount Smart Stadium, currently known as Go Media Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is a multi-purpose stadium in the suburb of Penrose, Auckland, New Zealand. It is the main home ground of the New Zealand Warriors of the National Rugby League a ...

, which the Kiwis won 50–6. During the Four Nations, Mannering featured in all of the Kiwis' regular tournament games at Second Row. Following New Zealand's lost to Australia at

Eden Park Eden Park is a sports venue in Auckland, New Zealand. It is located three kilometres southwest of the Auckland CBD, on the boundary between the suburbs of Mount Eden and Kingsland. The main stadium has a nominal capacity of 50,000, and is s ...

(Round 3 of the tournament), coach Stephen Kearney selected him in the centres for the

Grand final Primarily in Australian sports, a grand final is a game that decides a sports league's premiership (or championship) winning team, i.e. the conclusive game of a finals (or play-off) series. Synonymous with a championship game in North Ameri ...

against Australia at Brisbane's

Suncorp Stadium Brisbane Stadium (Lang Park), currently known as Suncorp Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is a multi-purpose stadium in the suburb of Milton, Queensland, Milton, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. Nicknamed The Cauldron, it is a three-tiered rect ...

. New Zealand won the game 16-12 and the 2010 Four Nations tournament. Simon Mannering 2013

2011

2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...

, Mannering lead the Warriors to their second Grand Final appearance and he captained the side in the

2011 NRL Grand Final The 2011 NRL Grand Final was the conclusive and premiership-deciding game of the National Rugby League, NRL's 2011 Telstra Premiership season. It was played between the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles and the New Zealand Warriors on the afternoon of ...

, playing at Second Row against Manly at

ANZ Stadium Stadium Australia, currently known as Accor Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is a multi-purpose stadium located in the suburb of Sydney Olympic Park, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The stadium, which is sometimes referred to as Sydney Ol ...

. The Warriors lost the game 24–10. Following the NRL Grand Final, he was selected in the New Zealand Kiwis' Squad for the Newcastle Trans-Tasman Test game against Australia and for the 2011 Four Nations Tournament.

2012

In February 2012, Mannering extended his contract once more to see him linked to the club for another three years, with his new contract expiring in 2015. This new contract will see Mannering become one of the New Zealand Warriors' longest serving players, only beaten by

Stacey Jones Stacey William Jones (born 7 May 1976) is a New Zealand former professional rugby league footballer, who has been named amongst the greatest New Zealand has ever produced. He is currently the head coach of New Zealand national rugby league te ...

. In April 2012, Mannering was selected to play centre for New Zealand in the 2012 ANZAC Test at Eden Park in Auckland. However, Australia won the game 20–12. In October 2012, Mannering was selected to play lock for the Kiwis in the post-season Trans-Tasman Test game against the Australian Kangaroos at Dairy Farmers Stadium in

Townsville The City of Townsville is a city on the north-eastern coast of Queensland, Australia. With a population of 201,313 as of 2024, it is the largest settlement in North Queensland and Northern Australia (specifically, the parts of Australia north of ...

, Queensland. However, Australia won the game 18–10.

2013

In February 2013, Mannering replaced

Benji Marshall Benjamin Quentin Marshall (born 25 February 1985) is a New Zealand professional rugby league coach and former player who is the head coach of the Wests Tigers in the NRL. He played at or for the Wests Tigers in two separate spells, St. G ...

as New Zealand Kiwis captain. In April 2013, Mannering was originally selected to play New Zealand in the 2013 Anzac Test against Australia at

Canberra Stadium Canberra Stadium, commercially known as GIO Stadium Canberra, is a facility primarily used for rugby league and rugby union games, located adjacent to the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra, the capital of Australia. It is the largest sp ...

and to captain New Zealand for the first time. However, only hours before the test game he was ruled out with a calf injury and Kieran Foran took over the captaincy. Following the 2013 NRL Season, he was named in the Kiwis'

2013 Rugby League World Cup The 2013 Rugby League World Cup was the fourteenth World Cup for men’s national rugby league teams. It took place between the 26 October and 30 November and was hosted by England and Wales (although some games were played in France and Ire ...

Squad. Mannering played in the Kiwis' World Cup warm-up game against the

Cook Islands The Cook Islands is an island country in Polynesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It consists of 15 islands whose total land area is approximately . The Cook Islands' Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) covers of ocean. Avarua is its ...

captaining the Kiwis for the first time, playing at second row. The Kiwis went on to win the game 50–0. He played in the Kiwis' first 2013 Rugby League World Cup game against

, playing at lock, and scoring 2 tries in the Kiwis' 42–24 win. The following week, he played in the Kiwis' 48–0 win over

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, playing at lock. Coach Stephen Kearney rested him for the Kiwis' clash against

Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea, officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is an island country in Oceania that comprises the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and offshore islands in Melanesia, a region of the southwestern Pacific Ocean n ...

References

External links

New Zealand Warriors profileNRL profile2017 RLWC profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mannering, Simon 1986 births Living people Junior Kiwis players New Zealand national rugby league team captains New Zealand national rugby league team players New Zealand rugby league players New Zealand Warriors captains New Zealand Warriors players People educated at Motueka High School People educated at Nelson College Rugby league centres Rugby league players from Napier, New Zealand Rugby league second-rows Wellington rugby league team players