Flight king Mannering to reach 300 in NRL

No NRL player has spent more time in an aeroplane seat than Simon Mannering, something his Warriors coach says can't be underestimated.

Simon Mannering

Simon Mannering is scheduled to play his 300th NRL game for the Warriors on home soil. (AAP)

The tributes are flowing this week for departing Warriors great Simon Mannering, including an accolade out of left field from coach Stephen Kearney.

No NRL player has clocked up more air miles than the 31-year-old.

Retiring veteran Mannering will become the club's first triple centurion when they host Canberra in their final regular season match on Friday.

His 300th match may also be his last in Auckland, depending on the make-up of the finals.

A flight across the Tasman Sea for the finals would be nothing new for a player who has crossed that body of water more than any in NRL history.

Kearney says it's a statistic which can't be downplayed when Mannering's legacy is measured.

The only sportsman he could compare him to for plane seat longevity is retired AFL legend Matthew Pavlich.

The Fremantle Dockers centre half-forward notched 353 games, becoming well accustomed to the lengthy flights to and from Australia's east coast - which are of similar travel time to Auckland.

"It can't be undersold ... the fact that every other week Simon's got to travel across to Australia and back," Kearney said on Monday.

"He's had to deal with all of that and still knock out all of the tackles that he knocks out and the minutes that he plays.

"Simon is probably our most professional fella.

"Three hundred games, you're not going to get there if you don't look after yourself the way that he does."

Mannering's 44 Tests, mostly offshore, make him one of the most-travelled New Zealand sportsperson in any team code.

For club duty, he's eclipsed by NZ Breakers veteran Mika Vukona, who tallied 354 NBL games.

Phoenix skipper Andrew Durante (248) leads the A-League count while retired Crusaders prop Wyatt Crockett notched 202 Super Rugby matches, featuring regular internal flights alongside annual trips to Australia and South Africa.


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Source: AAP


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