Club icon has returned to the New Zealand Warriors as the National Rugby League side's kicking coach.
Jones (31) returned to New Zealand last November after two seasons with French club Les Catalans Dragons in the English Super League.
The former halfback yesterday said his new role with the Warriors, for whom he played a club record 238 matches over 11 seasons before heading to France, was an opportunity to give something back to the game.
‘‘I never dreamt I would go away for two years and come back and have a role like this,'' he said.
‘‘It's only a small role, but it's something that keeps me involved. The Warriors were a massive part of my playing career and now I can come back and give something back.''
Jones' brief is to help out with the halves' general play and with the kicking game at both first grade and National Youth Cup (under-20) levels, doing two sessions a week.
‘‘It's not a lot of time, but it's something I take pretty seriously,'' he said. He had already started working with the club before finalising his position yesterday.
Coach Ivan Cleary said it made sense to get Jones involved in the Warriors again once Jones had indicated he was returning to New Zealand after hanging up his boots.
Cleary said Jones, a former team-mate, was one of the best tactical kickers the game had seen.
‘‘Our kickers will gain a lot from what he has to offer and especially our halves,'' he said.
‘‘Apart from his kicking game, Stacey can help us in all sorts of other ways through his experience at all levels of the game.''
