Warriors great Stacey Jones is returning to his only NRL club, this time in a fulltime coaching and development role.

The 36-year-old, who scored 674 points in 261 games for the Warriors, is re-joining the Auckland-based club in the newly created role of junior recruitment and pathways coach.

Warriors general manager football operations Dean Bell said Jones was the perfect fit for a position that would extend to him working as a coach for the club’s halves, including those in the first-grade squad.

Jones has had an association with the Warriors in 13 of their first 18 seasons of existence. He played a club record 12 seasons and was a part-time kicking coach in 2008.

He missed the 2006 and 2007 campaigns when he played for Les Catalans Dragons in the English Super League and the 2010, 2011 and 2012 seasons when he coached his old Point Chevalier club in the Auckland competition. More recently he has been the Auckland Rugby League’s football development officer.

“I’ve learned so much working with the Auckland Rugby League recently and also coaching at grass-roots level with the Pirates,” 46-Test veteran Jones said.

“There are so many good things going on with the club at the moment. I can’t wait to be involved again with the new football staff and the new direction.”

Jones assumes the development coach role from Willie Swann, who becomes Junior Warriors assistant coach alongside John Ackland.