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 played as a , but he has also briefly played at during his distinguished career, which includes 46 Tests for New Zealand (1995–2006). Stacey Jones is the first and only life member of the New Zealand Warriors club whose records for most appearances, tries and points he held at the time of his retirement. Jones' vision and ability to control the game when his team was on attack earned him the sobriquet "the little general", a reference also to his small stature in comparison to that of most rugby league players. Jones was often able to find players with a high bombing kick at either sides of the field or place a sneaky through ball for oncoming players to pounce on. Early years Of Māori descent, Stacey Jones was born in Auckland, New Zealand on 7 May 1976, a grandchild to New Zealand rugby league great Maunga Emery. He played junior grades for the Ponsonby Ponies and Mt Albert Lions before moving to the City-Pt Chev Pirates when he was 9. Jones attended St. Paul's College, Auckland. In 1994 he played for the Auckland City Vulcans side in the Lion Red Cup. In July 1994 he captained the Junior Kiwis as they toured Australia. Here he played against Darren Lockyer, who was playing for the Junior Kangaroos at the time. Playing career Auckland Warriors Jones was spotted by the new Auckland Warriors franchise and made his first grade debut in 1995 against the Parramatta Eels in their inaugural year in what is now the National Rugby League (NRL). On 23 April 1995 Jones made his first-grade début in Sydney, coming off bench to score a try in the Warriors' 40–4 win over the Parramatta Eels. The Warriors' halfback Greg Alexander missed Rounds 10 and 11 through injury which resulted in Jones taking over at halfback. Jones played well enough to retain the position and force Alexander to move to fullback upon his return. He also quickly established his place in the international scene, replacing Gary Freeman as the New Zealand national rugby league team halfback during the 1995 World Cup. Over the next several years Jones cemented his spot in both the Warriors and Kiwis, sticking with the Warriors despite the