Judge Hagan Leaves Trial Verdict to Skipper -  1 February, 2005
Andrew Johns’s comeback plans are in his own hands, and he has the blessing of Knights coach Michael Hagan.  The Newcastle and former NSW and Australian halfback and captain will be used sparingly in the Knights’ pre-season campaign as he plots a cautious return from the reconstructive knee surgery he underwent almost 12 months ago.  Hagan said Johns was under no obligation to play a trial and would have no problem with the champion playmaker returning in Newcastle’s NRL season opener against Melbourne at Olympic Park on March 13.  “I haven’t really spoken to him about it at length, but I’ll probably leave it up to him whether he plays some of the Cronulla game, or not at all,” Hagan said. Johns plans to play no more than half of Newcastle’s trial against Cronulla at Gosford on February 26 and will not play against Penrith at Bathurst on February 19. The three-time Dally M medallist has not played since rupturing the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee against Parramatta last March. Johns has made a full recovery and shown no ill effects during Newcastle’s rigorous off-season strength and conditioning program. But he is reluctant to go full bore in a meaningless trial and risk suffering another injury. He was at Central Coast Stadium yesterday with his former Knights understudy Brett Kimmorley, the Cronulla captain, to promote next month’s trial. “I’ll see how I am, but I’d like to play 20 minutes, maybe half a game,” Johns said. “I couldn’t be happier with the way things are going at the moment. I’m doing everything at training with no pain”.

Fit 'Joey' awaits results - 8 February, 2005 
ANDREW Johns will find out tomorrow if the crippling knee injury which ended his 2004 season has the potential to further impact on his status as the game's premier player. The Newcastle Knights captain has "trained the house down" since making a full recovery from a knee reconstruction and is planning to make a cameo appearance in the club's final pre-season trial against Cronulla in less than three weeks. Johns, who took part in a celebrity charity surfing event at Manly beach on Sunday alongside the likes of former Penrith centre Ryan Girdler and tennis star Pat Rafter, says he could not be happier with his knee since his return to full training. Knights strength and fitness co-ordinator Lee Clark is just as enthused.  "He is back to the high levels [of fitness] he always sets himself - he has trained the house down," Clark said. "He has been doing everything and we keep asking him how it is - I think he is sick of answering." 
But Clark said tests tomorrow would determine if the injury has cost the mercurial halfback any of his speed off the mark or agility. "All the players are undergoing speed, agility and strength testing on Wednesday so we will know more about where Andrew is at once we get the results back," Clark said. "He has always been quick off the mark so we'll just have to wait and see whether the injury has affected him at all." 
Johns says he doesn't feel like he has lost any significant speed. "I've never been that quick anyway but I am looking forward to having the tests just to see where I am at," Johns said. "I did a bit of testing before Christmas and the results were pretty encouraging so I am not too worried about it. "If I am down a little, I don't think it will be much and hopefully, it won't really affect the way I play."  The Knights will undergo a gruelling physical and mental test under the supervision of a former British army officer during a three-day camp at Port Stephens later this week. The players leave on Thursday for the 55km trip to Nelson Bay on pushbikes. 

Joey submits plans to live the hight life.
Newcastle Knights captian Andrew Johns is planning to knock down his beachside Merewether house and replace it with three storeys of luxury. The rugby league legend, who is expected to return to the game this season after battling a knee injury in a round three match-up with Parramatta last year, has lodged a development application with NCC for the $750,000 project. His ageing house was surrounded by safety fencing yesterday, presumably in anticipation of winning approval for the work. The house overlooks Dixon Park Beach in one of the city's most prestigious precincts. John's plan, which has been complied by Killen and Doran Architects, includes a three-storey house taking up most of the width of the narrow block, a pool, a pergol out the back and a detached gym along the rear boundary. The ground floor includes a spacious rumpus room and bar, a garage, storeroom, bedroom and bathroom. First floor space is hared between family, dining and lounge rooms, a study and central kitchen and sheltered entertaiing decks at frond and back.The upper level features two large bedrooms with balconies.
It is not known whether the Berner Street development application will be considered by council officers or handed to councillors for final approval. 

Joey back for Knights - 22 February, 2005 
NEWCASTLE has named talisman Andrew Johns in the side to play Cronulla in a trial in Gosford on Saturday. Coach Michael Hagan indicated Johns would play limited minutes in his first game since undergoing a knee reconstruction in April last year. But his mere presence will be enough to take some of the spotlight off the Bathurst scandal that has rocked the club. "He probably doesn't need the additional distraction that this has caused," Hagan said. "He's got his own share of nerves to deal with. Typical of how he goes about his football he will look forward to the game and play a part of the game to get himself back and get some confidence. 
I guess from our point of view, if he does play part of the game it allows him to go into the first game knowing he's got some football under his belt. It's going to take a little while for him to get back to where he was. But he looks in good shape to me and I think he's really looking forward to it." 

Johns backs alcohol ban on trips - 23 February, 2005 
ANDREW Johns has led a player push for Newcastle Knights to ban alcohol on trips following the club's infamous visit to Bathurst last weekend. Coach Michael Hagan and chief executive Ken Conway confirmed the ban was one of a number of options the Knights would consider as they try to limit the damage of what has become the most damaging episode in their 18-year history. Johns, who is due to make a comeback to playing on Saturday night after almost a year out of the game with a knee injury, has taken a proactive stand after 12 Knights players broke a curfew on Sunday morning in Bathurst.  Conway said the players had "tossed up the idea" of an alcohol ban at a crisis meeting yesterday. "Anything we do will be done in conjunction with the players," Conway said. "There have been several suggestions regarding a ban. Andrew Johns will take a particularly active role in bringing this issue forward as team leader and captain and we would like to discuss and resolve it relatively quickly. Obviously this (alcohol ban) has to be looked at over a period of time and taken into account. We told them we will discuss all issues." 

Johns calm before comeback - 24 February, 2005 
NEWCASTLE talisman Andrew Johns certainly isn't feeling nerves any ahead of his return to rugby league in a trial match against Cronulla at Gosford Stadium on Saturday night.  "(I had) a little (nerves) the start of the week but I'm quite relaxed actually," said Johns, whose 2004 season ended in round three when he suffered a serious knee injury. "It's been 11 months since the injury. I know I'm fine. I'm not too nervous at all. I'm just looking forward to getting out there and making a few tackles." 
Just how many tackles Johns makes will hinge on how long he plays. The plan was for the former NSW and Australian halfback to spend only 20 minutes on the field, just enough time to dust off the cobwebs and test the knee. That could be thrown out the window, however, if Johns is feeling comfortable and enjoying himself. "We planned on about 20 minutes but I reckon once I get out there I'll stay there a while," Johns said. "Maybe 30 or 40 minutes. "I was going to go in cold and not play a trial but I spoke to a few people – I spoke to my brother (Matthew Johns) about it and the coach (Michael Hagan) – and he just thought it best to get it out of my mind and have a little hit-out before I go in. I have done all the tackling at training and all the contact work. I have been in this situation before, coming back from big injuries, so once I'm out there I'll be fine." 
Newcastle fans and officials are counting on it. Without Johns last season, the Knights limped home in 10th spot, missing the finals for the first time since 1996. 
"I think I have been quoted in the past as saying I think I owe the club a little bit," the classy No.7 said. "I didn't play much football last year. The two seasons before that I played quite a bit but got injured before the semis. I'd definitely like to get out there and show some leadership to the players." 
There's also the small matter of representative rugby league. Johns is hankering for one more shot at State of Origin and Test football. "I'd like to play one more year," he said. "If I had played Origin football last year that would have been it. But there's still a desire there to play, I'd like to play under Ricky Stuart, but it all comes back on me. My form has to be good enough to be picked. I can't be picked on past performances. I have to be in top form because there's so many great halfbacks there." 
One of them is his opponent on Saturday night – Cronulla's Brett Kimmorley, the incumbent Test No.7. The pair have gone tit-for-tat for nearly a decade. "Myself and Brett Kimmorley always bring out the best in one another and they've apparently named a full-strength line-up," Johns said. "It's the last hit-out before the competition so I expect a tough one. From a football point of view I know we're going to have a big year. I know the results are there. Our home performances over the last couple of years have slipped. We used to have an aura about us up here (in Newcastle). "We were very hard to beat. It's slipped in the last couple of years but we'll be looking to make EnergyAustralia Stadium a hard place to come and get points."

Don't look back -  26 February 26, 2005 
A NERVOUS Andrew Johns has spoken of his fear and excitement on the eve of the most anticipated comeback in years. He has also given a candid behind-the-scenes assessment of how the Newcastle Knights have handled the sex and alcohol bombshell that rocked the rugby league club this week. Writing exclusively for The Daily Telegraph today, Johns said the controversy would spur him to perform well tonight against the Sharks in Gosford. "The day of reckoning has finallyarrived," he said. "It's hard to know exactly what I feel. I guess it's a mixture of excitement and trepidation with even a touch of fear thrown in. I've had three serious injuries in the past three seasons," Johns said. "I know there are no second chances this time around. Another one now would just about break me." 
Johns said he was aware of the importance of his role as captain in the aftermath of the Bathurst affair and the affect it has had on the players and the club. During the week, 12 of his teammates were fined and one of those, young prop Dane Tilse was sacked for several incidents after a trial match in Bathurst last week. 
"It has really blown up and even though I know they have done the wrong thing, I feel for the boys involved," he says. "The mood of everyone is as you would expect – really subdued. Hages [coach Michael Hagan] is particularly stoney-faced. I can sense he feels really let down by what the boys have done." 
He tells of his plea on behalf of the players to Knights management not to completely turn their backs on sacked teammate Dane Tilse. "On behalf of all the players who are all united in this, I ask Ken [CEO Conway] and Hages to make sure the club does not abandon Dane completely and that he is offered the support he needs to get past this," he says. Johns says he has boiled down the upcoming season to three simple goals. "The club, my teammates and our fans are my priority," he says. "Through no real fault of our own, success hasn't been our friend over the past few seasons. We are desperate to change that in 2005 and I want to lead the charge." 
But he's honest about the challenge ahead. His body has broken down in each of the last three seasons and he's in no hurry for it to happen again. "First the broken back, then the dramas with my neck and finally the ruptured knee," he recalls. "Another one now would just about break me. I'm on the wrong side of 30 and it becomes a mental battle as much as it is anything physical. If something was to happen, I can't see myself going through it all again. In saying that, I am really positive about getting back out there."

A man of few words -  26/02/2005, Newcastle Herald
ANDREW Johns was polite. He was apologetic. But there was no mistaking the back-pedalling as he headed for the dressing rooms at EnergyAustralia Stadium after training on Wednesday. Another journalist wanted his thoughts, his feelings, his time, but it had been a big few days, with some bigger ones ahead, and he wasn't playing. "Sorry for the inconvenience," he said. "We're talking to the media on Thursday. Don't know what time." 
And he was gone, the man all Newcastle is hoping and praying will wipe away the pain of early this week with some Joey magic on the field against Cronulla tonight. If there was pressure on Johns earlier with a comeback after a year off and knee surgery, and after the would he/wouldn't he jump to union saga it was racked up a notch or six when 12 Knights players went on an alcohol-fuelled rampage on Sunday after an away trial game at Bathurst. Newcastle wanted Johns, who did not go to Bathurst, to do well before this week's drama, but after the shock of the stupidity of the Knights' "dirty dozen" exploits, Newcastle needs a feelgood story about the golden boy to put the focus back on the field. Before training on Thursday he told the media, "I'm not nervous at all". 
"I've been in this situation before you know, coming back in after injury. "I know what the nerves and the apprehension are like." 
He agreed to speak on condition the questions were about the game. Events at Bathurst, the way they have been handled, any questions about his own sometimes headline-making off-field incidents as a younger player were all, very definitely, off limits. "He won't do it if he gets embarrassed," warned Knights media spokesman Steve Crowe. "It needs to be about the football." 
Johns rejected Herald requests for a one-on-one interview, despite the view from some within the Knights camp that a profile on the captain would shift interest away from the Bathurst incident. Johns's manager John Fordham advised that: "Andrew doesn't want to do an interview along those lines at this stage. His main objective is to come back and play the game first of all before he does stories. "The fishbowl and what it's like to live in Newcastle has been done to death and he's not interested in going down that road again." 
Johns was polite during Thursday's 20-minute media briefing, but when questions inevitably shifted to the Bathurst incident, Steve Crowe moved in and Johns gave several "no comments". Asked whether he had spoken with sacked prop Dane Tilse, Johns initially gave a "no comment" answer, but when pressed he said, "Yeah". But that was it. He was "definitely worried" about sponsorship implications and the Knights' image within and outside Newcastle. "I think it's affected everyone in the club, but now we have to move on," he said. "It's important we get our heads around the football in front of us and make sure it [incidents such as the one at Bathurst] never happens again." 
He hoped to play 30 or 40 minutes of football at Central Coast Stadium tonight, taking to the field after 20 minutes of play. "I was going to go in cold [to the season opener] and not go in before that but I spoke to my brother and I spoke to the coach and we thought this was the best option."  Asked whether he felt the pressure of being the figurehead, he answered: "I hadn't really thought about that that much but I suppose you're right."  The EnergyAustralia Stadium upgrade would help the Knights regain some of the gloss of earlier years. "We used to have an aura about us and it's slipped a bit in the past two years," he said. "We have to get that back."  Knights coach Michael Hagan said he was happy with Johns's preparation and that his senior player had done "everything he could do". The events of early this week "probably has put a bit more pressure on the team to play well and a bloke like Andrew Johns has his own reasons for feeling nerves and the pressure anyway". "Like everyone, he has to get out there and run with the football, make a tackle and settle down to the game. "He's coming back from the most serious injury a player can have so we're trying to do everything we can to manage the process, but the risks associated with the game are there." 
Rugby League Professionals Association chief executive Tony Butterfield said Johns "won't be concerned about providing a good news story for everyone". 
"Whether it's fair or not, that's the expectation attached to just about everything he does but he's got his own demons to deal with in terms of injuries." 
Having said that though, Butterfield did not believe Johns was under any more pressure than usual. "I spoke to him yesterday and he's a little bit nervous. "There's a lot of doubts because she's a rough game but Joey's fine. "You probably have to go back to the days of Bradman to think of a sportsman who has had so much focus and so much attention on him because he's captured the imagination of people." 
Johns's mother Gayle said her son appeared to be fine. But she is quite happy to admit she is eating nerves at the moment. "It doesn't change, even when they're adults," she said. "You still worry about them and they'd prefer that you didn't, but you can't help it." 
Gayle and Gary Johns will be at the game tonight. "I'm looking forward to him being back playing because I really missed him not playing last year," she said. 
Although football has been discussed by the family, Johns's new home had taken up more of the talk between mother and son in the past few weeks. "He wants to do well but in the back of your mind there's the thought, I hope this knee's going to hold up."  Johns was strong-willed as a child and remained strong, she said. 
"He really handles it quite well. I know he gets a bit prickly at times with the media but he says that people must get sick of reading about him and he means that." 
The conversation turned to children's sport and the social networks which built up in the Cessnock area around junior league. "We used to have a lot of barbecues and we were all very close. "In those days the families of the players did everything together which was one of the nice things about it." 
But given the time again, Gayle Johns believes she could have reduced her stress levels if she had steered her sons into another sport. "If Andrew and Matthew were starting out again, maybe I'd put a golf club in their hands. Fewer injuries." 
Parramatta great Mick Cronin, who returned to first grade after a serious eye injury two decades ago, said while Johns may have some doubts before playing, "I think they'll be gone in half an hour". "He's always under plenty of pressure but you just hope for his sake that he gets back all right. He's a great player and a tough competitor." National Rugby League media spokesman John Brady said Johns "knows what it's like to carry the hearts and minds of the community, and people sometimes underestimate what that might be like for him". "You'd love to see him have a good game because he's such a great player, over and above everything else that's happened this week." 
One man who has helped Johns through knee problems before, former Cessnock junior coach Col Bradley, has faith. "Andrew's a good kid. He would be hoping to play well and probably end up turning attention from what's happened at the beginning of the week," Bradley said. "That would be a good thing for him and for everyone. "The stuff this week? They could do without it, couldn't they?" 
It was Bradley's good words for the then 14-year-old Johns that gained him a place in the Knights under-15 Harold Matthews side despite a fairly ordinary trial. 
"I said to the other selectors that we should persist with him," he said. "He just had trouble running on the day because of a growth thing to do with his knees. It was just a temporary thing. He went on to captain the side and obviously did extremely well. It was worth putting in a good word at the time and it helped, but I knew Andrew. I knew what he could do."

Johns makes successful return -  26 February, 2005
ANDREW JOHNS made a successful return from a knee injury at Gosford Stadium tonight, giving rugby league fans and officials – in particular those from Newcastle – something to smile about following the week from hell. Johns took the field in the 22nd minute of the Knights' trial against Cronulla at Gosford Stadium – 336 days after tearing knee ligaments at Parramatta Stadium, an injury which prematurely ended his 2004. It wasn't a vintage performance as the Sharks won 32-28. But the good news was the Newcastle talisman played 57 minutes and survived without re-injuring his knee – just what the club needed after a week dominated by negative headlines surrounding weekend events in Bathurst – and he got better as the game went on. Johns, the former NSW and Australian skipper, entered the fray in the 23nd minute with his side leading 6-4. He looked tentative and proppy early on, happy to shuffle the ball on to teammates and take care of the kicking responsibilities. 

Johns makes successful return -  26 February, 2005
Andrew Johns made a successful return from a knee injury at Gosford Stadium tonight, giving rugby league fans and officials – in particular those from Newcastle – something to smile about following the week from hell. Johns took the field in the 22nd minute of the Knights' trial against Cronulla at Gosford Stadium – 336 days after tearing knee ligaments at Parramatta Stadium, an injury which prematurely ended his 2004. It wasn't a vintage performance as the Sharks won 32-28. But the good news was the Newcastle talisman played 57 minutes and survived without re-injuring his knee – just what the club needed after a week dominated by negative headlines surrounding weekend events in Bathurst – and he got better as the game went on. 
 

All hail Joey - SMH: It took Andrew Johns just 20 minutes at Central Coast Stadium on Saturday night to remind everyone how good he is. Proving that he will be anything but a spent force during a successful comeback from the knee injury that sidelined him for almost all of last year, Joey orchestrated a late Newcastle fightback after entering the fray midway through the first half. The Knights captain was tentative early but warmed to the task as the match went on and did enough in the final 20 minutes to win rave reviews from his rival players. "He was brilliant," Cronulla back-rower Phil Bailey said. "What did he put on us - 20 points in the last 20 minutes or so? He was upbeat, he was marshalling troops ... Joey was the difference. He was dominant, like he always is. If you knew nothing about rugby league you'd say, 'Who was that No.7? He's better than anyone else out there'. He was sensational."

My knee passed test: Johns By Newcastle captain Andrew Johns,  27 February, 2005
BIG Sharks prop Hutch Maiava hit me with a routine tackle last night. But it's a tackle I'm not likely to forget. If there was a moment in my comeback against the Sharks which made me feel at ease, it was that tackle.  Maiava didn't miss me, but it was at that point that I knew my knee was going to hold up. I don't know how long I was out there before I decided to take on the defence, but I thought if I was going to test the knee out, I might as well run at their biggest bloke. Now that the game is over, I guess there is a major sense of relief that I have some game time under my belt. If I was to give an honest assessment of my performance, I would probably say it was well below par. I was rusty and my timing just wasn't there but after 11 months on the sideline I probably shouldn't be that surprised. 
It's been a tough day. I've been fairly relaxed during the week but the nerves started hitting me on Friday. My son Samuel had me up early and we went for a swim before I had lunch with Danny Buderus and Mark Hughes. Talking footy with them only made it worse and there were quite a few toilet breaks during the afternoon. I tried to relax by watching the races but it didn't help much even though I only had one bet and backed a winner. I was okay during the warm up but was fairly jittery sitting on the bench waiting to go out. I had the option all week of starting the game but I was glad to be able to sit there and watch the game and let the heat go out of it a bit. I'm not sure why, but I felt a bit lost for quite a while. I seemed to be chasing the ball a bit and my timing both with tackling and passing was pretty ordinary. Then I missed a bad tackle on Bails (Phil Bailey) when he scored and Noddy (Brett Kimmorley) got past me for another try not long after halftime. To be honest, I wasn't doing a whole lot right but as the game wore on I started to feel a bit more comfortable and those three late tries we scored were a good way for the team to finish it off. It's just great from my point of view to get the game out of the way. Just like last season when I came back from the neck injury there is always that nagging doubt there that something might go wrong again. But I put in all the work and the knee feels fine so that's where the relief comes in. After that first tackle by Maiava I tested it a few more times by stepping off it and trying to get involved as much as I could. I still think it will take some time to get my full confidence back but tonight was a good start. From the team's point of view it is pretty obvious we still have plenty of work to do. I'm sure coach Hagan will view our defence as one of those areas where we will need to be better if we are to test the Storm down in Melbourne in the first round in a couple of weeks. The other disappointing aspect of the night was that we picked up a few injuries. While I was happy in the end to play almost 60 minutes, the reason I was out there so long was because we lost Kurt Gidley before halftime. Three or four other guys also had early marks because of injuries so that's a worry for us as well. 
For me personally it was a good start and something that I can build on. Hopefully I've used up all my bad luck.

Johns' best 'by round six' - 3 March, 2005
NEWCASTLE fans should not expect to see Knights captain Andrew Johns back to his brilliant best until round six of the NRL. That's the tip from the former NSW and Test captain's brother Matthew Johns, who also said Andrew could continue playing at a top level for another four years. Johns looked tentative in his comeback match from a knee reconstruction in a trial against Cronulla at Gosford on Saturday night but showed glimpses of genius towards the end of his 57-minute stint. Former Test team-mate Gorden Tallis, who made a successful comeback from a career-threatening neck injury, said today "Andrew Johns 95 per cent fit will still dominate rugby league". 
Matthew Johns believes it will take about four games (the Knights have a round three bye) before the former Test captain's confidence returns. "That's to get back to how he was performing before he was injured (in round three last year)," said Matthew, adding that Andrew also had to overcome the "mental scarring" of returning from a major injury. "For him to get back to those levels, it's going to be a step-by-step process. First of all getting his focus and pushing the side around the park, secondly taking the line on consistently and thirdly being able to use the full range of his footwork. To get all those things operating, it'll take him about six weeks to really get back to those levels." 
The Knights will be hoping Johns rediscovers his touch a bit earlier because they play their opening four games away due to the redevelopment of their stadium. 
Johns has gone on record to say 2005 will be his final year of rep football but Matthew reckons the No.7's vision and football brain will off-set any physical decline and allow him to play at a top level into his mid 30s. "He's clever. He's a player who although he might lose a yard here or there, he picks it up mentally," said Matthew. "He thinks about the game so much and he's one of the best organisers in the game. I can't see any reason why Andrew couldn't play until the age of 34." 
Matthew says his brother isn't even thinking about the Test captaincy which has been held by Broncos five-eighth Darren Lockyer while Johns has been sidelined. 
The international season kicks off on April 22 in Brisbane where Australia will clash with New Zealand. "I can honestly say on behalf of Andrew it's the last thing on his mind," said Matthew. "He'd love to play rep football again this year but as far as the captaincy's concerned, if he was told today he was going to make the Test team and Darren Lockyer would be captain, he'd be happy as Larry."

Joey needs time - 6 March, 2005,  The Sun-Herald
Forget about the Australian captaincy. Matthew Johns has cast doubt on his mercurial brother's chances of even making the national team for the Anzac Test against New Zealand on April 22. Big brother is by no means questioning little brother's ability to return to the form that made him the world's greatest player in either code, but he fears just five NRL games before the Australian squad is named on April 17 won't be enough time for him to rediscover the old magic and earn a Test recall."I've got no doubt Andrew will get back to where he was, but if he does it in those first five weeks I'll be very surprised. Stunned will probably be more the word," Matthew Johns told The Sun-Herald. "Realistically, to get back to 100 per cent and be the best player in the game again, it's going to take him up to eight weeks. Maybe six at a stretch, but that would be incredible. It's going to be a tight squeeze but, to be fair to him, I don't think the Test is even at the forefront of his mind right now.His responsibilities are, number one, making sure his knee is 100 per cent and, number two, getting Newcastle going. Anything else on top of that, especially early in the year, will be pretty much a bonus. I know he's got goals but he's not itching to make that first Australian side. Origin is more in his thinking at this stage, but he's so naturally competitive so you couldn't write him off completely. There's probably no bigger challenge than coming back from a knee reconstruction and he's one bloke who loves a challenge. I know he can do it but it's not going to be easy - he's not 25 any more [he'll be 31 in May].
"A normal bloke who has had a knee reconstruction normally takes eight or nine games to get his confidence back, but then again Joey isn't your normal bloke."
Matthew was an anxious onlooker when Andrew returned to the NRL in the pre-season trial against Cronulla at Gosford last weekend. He started horribly but ended up full of running in his first game for almost a year. He ended up finding his focus," Matthew said. "You could see it and feel it. Early on he was as scratchy as I've ever seen him.When he went to the line he did it only for the purpose of reassuring himself that the knee was going to be OK. "He was making last-minute decisions to pass when he shouldn't have. He was dropping the ball because he was sort of half-wincing. When the moment came in his head that he realised he was going to be OK, he was outstanding at the end. I was amazed how quickly everything fell into place. Before that first game he was like, 'Mate, the knee feels OK, it should be right, it'll be right, I'm gonna be OK, it really should be OK, you know, I hope it's OK ... is it gonna be OK?' Now he's like, 'Mate, we should have a good year if we avoid injuries', so the focus is already off himself and off his knee and onto the team."
With the injury-struck Knights starting their season with four away matches, a bye and a home clash against the Warriors without their best pack of forwards, the brilliant No.7 will have his work cut out trying to prove to selectors he deserves a run his old Test jumper.

Given half a chance -  10 March, 2005
THE feeling here is that Andrew Johns will be back to his best quicker than most people believe he is able to. Everybody talks about Johns's "natural talent" for rugby league because they see how easy he does it, almost casually accepting that when the pressure is on Johns slips his brain into gear as if on automatic pilot. 
Natural talent has nothing to do with it, unless that talent is for hard work. Johns handles the heat better than anybody because he has trained for it, longer and harder than most, preparing his talent for when such moments come. A few years back Johns was returning from injury and all the talk, at least publicly, was about a safe comeback and getting back to full fitness and hardly a thought given to another Origin campaign coming up.  He was playing Brett Kimmorley that weekend but that was of little concern also, or so we were led to believe. Those close to Johns conceded he was waiting for the contest, just short of drooling. Halfbacks, more than most, are the most competitive men in rugby league. It is their nature, having always been the little dog in the fight, and it is why it is unfortunate so much of this weekend's attention will be on opening round celebrations when two of the season's best battles will be fought. Johns will play Melbourne's Matt Orford on Sunday while the night before Kimmorley will face Craig Gower, the two competing halfbacks on last year's Tri-Nations tour. Somewhat modestly, Kimmorley has said this week that he tends to get a call into representative football when there is an injury, yet he has played five State of Origin matches and 13 Tests.  He will tell you that this weekend is about getting Cronulla off to a good start and that as personal rivalries go the process will take care of the result, that he doesn't really think about personal battles too much.  But you think that somewhere deep down, in some place he isn't revealing, he realises that Gower will be his opponent and a win there, no matter the scoreline, will bring its proper reward. At least, you really hope so.

Legends back Joey to regain high status - Herald. Mar 12, 2005. 
THREE of the game's recently retired champions have no doubt Andrew Johns will again take his place among the NRL elite. Speaking at the VB Front Row Club function in Sydney last week, Gorden Tallis, Laurie Daley and Matthew Johns said Andrew could take a few weeks to find his feet but would have opposition defences guessing again before too long. "I think all Newcastle fans would want him to dominate because it's going to be a lean year for them if he doesn't," Daley said. "He means so much to that football club. I've said in the past you never write off champions, and if there's any player who can come back and steer them to a comp, it would be Andrew. I think for the first few weeks he will play within himself, but if he has made a full recovery I can't see any reason why he won't come back and be at his best."  Tallis said it was "all about confidence. I've got no doubt that Andrew will come back. He's a champion," 
Older brother Matthew was a nervous spectator at Gosford when Andrew made a tentative return in Newcastle's trial against Cronulla. "Once he came to the conclusion that he was going to be OK, he was fantastic," Matthew said. "The last 15 or 20 minutes he got his focus back, and I'm confident that within six rounds he will be back to where he was."

Not your average Joey – 14 March, 2005 
The opening round of the NRL season served up contrasting fortunes for arguably the game's two biggest names and their teams, writes Greg Prichard, and the only way is up for one of them. The game's oldest superstar was never a chance of matching the season blast-off enjoyed by his equivalent at the other end of the age spectrum. Even the great Andrew Johns could not be expected to get Newcastle off the ground, let alone carry them to any significant heights against Melbourne yesterday. Not when he was coming back at 30 years of age from a knee reconstruction and with only 57 minutes of a trial game behind him, and certainly not when the Knights team was looking as patchy as it was through injury going into the game. The game's youngest superstar - 19-year-old Sonny Bill Williams - had already done his weekend's work. It consisted of a 32-minute cameo for the Bulldogs during their first-half destruction of St George Illawarra on Friday night. All that he had to worry about after that was how he pulled up from the knee injury that forced him off, but it was only minor. Joey was nowhere to be seen by the time the media made it to the Newcastle dressing-room after speaking with the coaches at the post-match conference. He was already on the bus waiting for the drive back to the airport and the flight home.  What's the point of hanging around to talk about an awful day? The old pros are too smart to get caught up in that if they can possibly avoid it. Newcastle coach Michael Hagan spoke for his halfback and captain when he said: "He was playing off the back foot a bit today and we always knew it was going to take a little while for him to find his feet again. But I don't think he would have been pleased with the way the team played and the way he played." 

Johns regroups Knights - 15 March, 2005
NEWCASTLE captain Andrew Johns last night called on the club to "stay tight and hang in there" as the Knights battle to come to grips with Sunday's demoralising loss to Melbourne. With as many as eight top grade players out injured or suspended, not even the return of Johns was enough to inspire the Knights against a red-hot Storm side. To compound the 48-10 drubbing, the injury crisis deepened yesterday with fullback Mark Hughes out for at least a fortnight with a torn rib cartilage and prop Adam Woolnough's immediate playing future under a cloud because of the recurrence of a neck injury. The Knights were last night sweating on an answer from former St George Illawarra prop Craig Smith, who has been in negotiations with the club for the past week, about making a comeback to the NRL.
Smith, who has also held talks with Parramatta, spent last weekend in Newcastle and returned home to Wollongong yesterday morning to make a decision on his future. With Josh Perry sidelined for 10 weeks after wrist surgery and Woolnough's future unclear, the signing of Smith is seen as crucial by the club.  Knights coach Michael Hagan yesterday refused to paper over the cracks in his side's performance against the Storm, describing it as "very ordinary".
"We went to Melbourne expecting at the very least a competitive showing with the players we had there," he said. "By my assessment, there were very few positives. We knew what we were shooting with but we expected a lot more than what we gave."
Johns did not want to dwell on the performance, preferring instead to look ahead. "We just have to try and hang in there and stay tight," he said. "Ride it out until we can get some troops back. I'm not going to make any excuses because we were totally out-played. We were hoping for a lot better but it didn't happen. Now we just have to move on and work hard to improve."
On his own return, Johns said: "I've pulled up great, which is something I guess."

Joey can't get kid genius out of his head By Roy Masters,  March 17, 2005
When the world's best player in his sport says he couldn't sleep because vision of his heir apparent kept cascading through his brain, you'd think they were poised to clash the forthcoming day. But the Knights-Bulldogs NRL match isn't until round seven, when the Australia-New Zealand Test kicks off the Anzac Day long weekend, meaning Andrew Johns won't be squaring off against Sonny Bill Williams until Friday, April 22, at the earliest. So why was Williams on the backs of Joey's eyelids on Friday night? "I couldn't sleep after watching him play St George Illawarra, I was so excited," the Newcastle captain said, conveying 100 per cent, undiluted enthusiasm. "I was pumped. We are so lucky to have him in our game."
You could feel the creative tension in the air as Johns spoke. "He will change the way we play football," was one idea that darted through his brain at whiplash speed."He will bring new athletes to the game, blokes who want to test themselves with the type of athleticism and awareness he shows on the rugby league field. Imagine how much pressure he was under [last Friday] as a 19-year-old, yet the way he played was brilliant. "You could be someone who knows nothing about the game and drop into Telstra Stadium and still know he was head and shoulders above everyone else on the field. He has speed, size, power and amazing footwork. His awareness is phenomenal. He almost always puts himself in the right position. I pray he doesn't get a serious injury."
Considering Johns, 30, is returning from his third serious injury, his observations were as sobering as they were generous. Nor did Johns share the view of those who argue the media has taken a leap with Sonny Bill, hyping him from a talented kid to Godzilla in cornrows. "Last year, I was the one pumping him up the most in the papers and TV," Johns said, claiming he derived joy from being one of the first to push the Williams bandwagon. 

Moody Blue -  19 March, 2005
The highlights in Andrew Johns's career have been many. But he has had the odd dark day, too. The NSW and Newcastle captain spoke to Roy Masters.
He can play football like Ernest Hemingway could write, Vincent Van Gogh could paint, Peter Sellers could act, Johnny O'Keefe could sing and Winston Churchill
lead.  The world's greatest rugby league player, Newcastle captain Andrew Johns, also shares with this group a capacity to brood, to endure dark days, to experience what Churchill called "the black dog". At nearly 31 years of age and returning from almost a year's absence after a knee injury, the three-times Dally M winner acknowledges he must climb off the emotional roller-coaster if he and the Knights are to be a force. "I ride the emotions on the field," he says, conceding he flips from bright, expansive highs to dark, despondent lows. "The worst thing is I show them."
But, off the field, the lows send him into a cocoon, provoking a silence so leaden and sullen all the world's clocks appear to have stopped. Even in public, head down, eyes refusing to make contact, he can wear the uncomfortable look of a man fighting an infection that won't go away. The Knights' humiliating loss to Melbourne in round one sent him scurrying showerless to the sanctuary of the team bus; reports of brawls in Newcastle hotels sent him into isolation; the break-up of his marriage and the consequent loss of daily contact with son, Sam, cause gut wrenches only parents in these situations understand; long-term injuries produce despair; the vacillation over whether he would sign with rugby union went on and on. The mood swings endure. "I don't know why they last," he says. "They just drag on. I don't know why its."
On the field, he's not likely to repeat the "get him off" injunction to the Newcastle bench when the Knights' English hooker, Lee Jackson, was bumbling in
dummy-half a few years ago, but he's still combustible. Asked why he sometimes reacts sulkily to incompetence from his teammates, injustice by referees or even inability to measure up to his own high standards, he says: "On the field, it shows. I can definitely see how people watching the game perceive it. 'Joey's spat the dummy', 'he's got the shits'.  "It's something I've tried to work on. I've definitely tried to understand how it influences younger players."
In 2004, the dark days lasted weeks following his knee collapse at Parramatta Stadium on March 27. "When you're injured, you don't feel part of the club, especially me getting paid a fair chunk of the salary cap," he says. "The guys were struggling, there was a lot of injuries and there was me in the grandstand, eating a meat pie, watching."
Yet he concedes the Knights, caught in a run of away games at distant venues and desperately trying to regroup, ignored him. "They definitely left me on my own,
but I also stayed away," he says. "I didn't feel part of it."
Nor could he surf, a proven tonic. "Your whole freedom is taken away," he says. "My parents moved in for three weeks but if you're 30 and your parents suddenly
come back home, you have no freedom. "The injury was to my right leg, so I couldn't drive. I was relying on people to drive me. Just sitting on the lounge. Can't have a shower. I felt awful."
Former NSW coach Phil Gould pulled Johns from one bout of lethargy in an infamous finger-pointing incident outside a Coogee restaurant. "Gus gave me some
home truths," he admits. "I was going through a black period. We were struggling at Newcastle and there were a few things happening. When you're in my position,
a lot of people don't tell you the truth about how you're playing."
When describing Joey, the words of Charles Dickens come to mind. "A wonderful fact to reflect upon, that every human creature is constituted to be that
profound secret and mystery to every other," Dickens wrote in 1859. Joey is such a mystery, he is a secret even unto himself. But as Dickens implied, the world is a more wonderful place for our individual differences and rugby league should be delighted it has Johns. After all, there is something irrepressible and irresistible about him that makes you want him to be happy, serenading silverchair with Freak again, as he did after the 1997 grand final. The total Joey package comes with a warning: he's made a career out of shining brightest when most eyes are on him. In an excellent column in The Australian, Newcastle coach Michael Hagan, a former journalist, pinpoints two examples: Johns's return from a back injury after a 10-week absence in 2001 to defeat the Broncos 44-0 and round 22 in 2003 when he played with a crook neck against the Cowboys to keep the Knights in the finals race.  Johns has shone both while enduring injury and returning from it. He will be forever remembered for his play in the final seconds of the 1997 grand final, regarded as the best ever. Manly pressured him with a "He Could Die" headline on the eve of the match, declaring him a medical risk for leaving hospital to play with a broken rib. Ask him why he ran the blindside when all the world expected him to pass to his brother Matthew for a field goal attempt, he gives an answer equal parts devilish and self-deprecating. "All Hoppa's [Manly marker John Hopoate] focus was on Matty, but I didn't want my brother to kick a field goal and win a grand final," he says. "I was fresh in '97 because I had been out for most of the season with an ankle reconstruction. The previous year I played every game and was burnt out."
Does this mean he will demonstrate the same dominance in 2005? "I'm bubbling to go and like to think I've always got that same freshness after a long injury,"
he said. "But it's not as extreme as other times of my career."
In an age where players offer sterile, politically correct answers, it is refreshing to have some homespun honesty from the code's best. "Sometimes, when I am sitting at home, I couldn't be bothered playing," he admits. "It might be pissing down rain or you are carrying an injury."
So the game can become a chore? "To some people it does. but never for me," he says. Was it a factor in his flirtation with rugby union? "I scoff at reports I used
it as a bargaining tool," he says. "I was dead-set going to sign. If they'd had a contract ready at the start of the week, I would have signed. I needed a
change. I had been at the same club since I was 14 and didn't want to play for another club. It was the perfect opportunity. But the more I thought about it,
the more I realised all my life I've got from rugby league."
It's not as if Johns hasn't already put back. Australian Institute of Sport coaches still rave about the day he spent with young rugby league players, emptying himself of every piece of technical information he had. In August last year, a young boy from Werris Creek was inconsolable at the death of his father, also named Andrew, in a car accident. Joey responded to a request from comedian Brian Doyle to make a comforting call. "I'll put it this way," he finally says to persistent questions about the capacity of the game to bleach out all the joy. "Playing the game is never a chore. Putting up with all the bullshit is a chore."
He says his partner, Cathrine, whom he describes as "a lovely girl who makes me happy", is Welsh and went to university in Manchester, where she was exposed to the hype surrounding the likes of football star David Beckham. Yet even she is continually gobsmacked by the off-field theatre of rugby league in Australia. "
She can't believe how big a soap opera the game is," Johns says. But in an era in which footballers are paid like rock stars, don't they expect the same attention. Isn't Joey partly responsible for what he calls "the bullshit".
Didn't Newcastle, as one official said, "find him something to do up the coast", rather than send him to Bathurst the weekend his teammates misbehaved. Wasn't
there an incident on the Gold Coast recently in which a St George Illawarra assistant coach wanted to pin him against a wall.  Surely any behaviour inconsistent with his responsibility as a role model draws attention. "You know all that," he says but then, with a cockiness that is almost lovable, he adds: "It's just that sometimes you forget."

Give Joey a break: Hagan -  20 March, 2005
Raiders 39 Knights 14
NEWCASTLE coach Michael Hagan last night said not to expect immediate miracles from Andrew Johns after the champion playmaker tasted another heavy defeat in Canberra last night. Just six days after being pulverized 48-10 by Melbourne, the Knights battled bravely but capitulated in the final 15 minutes against Canberra to remain anchored at the bottom of the ladder. And there was no more dejected figure than former Test skipper Johns. He refused to speak to the media and was clearly less than satisfied with his contribution, due in no small part to the hip injury that saw him reduced to a hobble for a large portion of the contest.But Hagan defended the decision to play his inspirational skipper - and insisted Johns accept he is a work in progress as he makes his way back from his third serious injury in three seasons. "This is going to be asked and spoken about, but I think we're expecting a fair bit from him [Johns] in week two and Andrew probably compounded that a bit given the importance of the game and the fact we have 10 other blokes not there at the moment," Hagan said. "The good players can play with a bit of pain and discomfort. Andrew's in a key role for us and doing it a bit tough, but you admire him putting his hand up for you.
"It's just something we have to manage. Because of the way Joey plays, he just has to be a bit more patient within himself and where he's going to be in three,
four or five weeks. I'm not expecting too much of him yet. He's expecting a lot from himself to be honest and the media and everyone else expects a lot from him as well. But maybe the return of [Danny] Buderus and [Kurt] Gidley will help us."

Joey will be fit for Cowboys - 21 March, 2005 
NEWCASTLE hope Andrew Johns will play in Newcastle Knights' next game, against North Queensland Cowboys in a fortnight, after a hip flexor injury flared up in Saturday's 39-14 loss to Canberra. "There is no indication yet whether he will even miss a game," Newcastle spokesman Steve Crowe said. "There are suggestions it may be related to his lower back, but it's only supposition at this stage." 
Crowe said Johns was set to have a scan today to determine the cause and extent of the problem. "We have the bye this week so there's a bit of time to get to the bottom of it," he said.  Crowe said the champion halfback has had a problem with that part of his body on and off for a number of seasons.  "On this occasion it is only new. He just battled through the week and played," Crowe said. "We were behind for the whole game so it's not like he comes off the field when things are going tough. He will stick it out more times than not." Crowe said Johns was a bit down because he was sore and Newcastle have lost two games.

Johns played in pain -  22 March, 2005
NEWCASTLE captain Andrew Johns has admitted he probably shouldn't have played against Canberra last weekend after scans yesterday revealed he took a torn muscle in his buttocks into the game. Johns was troubled by the injury last week but insisted he play against the Raiders because of the club's injury crisis. 
He hobbled through the game in obvious discomfort, requiring treatment on several occasions with club officials concerned the problem may have been caused by an inflamed disc in his lower back. But an MRI scan revealed the grade two glute muscle tear. With the Knights having the bye this weekend, Johns is hopeful he may not miss a game despite the injury. "Apparently it's a two-week injury so I'm hoping to be right for our next game against the Cowboys," he said. "I probably shouldn't have played (against the Raiders) but it doesn't feel much worse now so I'm not sure I did any further damage." The bye has come at the right time with at least four players, including stars Danny Buderus and Kurt Gidley, eyeing a return against the Cowboys.

Johns Deserves Better Than That -  Big League Rd 2
Andrew Johns was extremely diplomatic after his disastrous return to football in Melbourne last Sunday but I wonder what he was really feeling. Because I have rarely winessed such a great player struggling in a game and seemingly having no power to stem the opposition avalanche. Johns' biggest struggle this season is going to be whether his forwards will be mean enough, aggressive enough and committed enough to allow him to win them games. I know the Knights are without Danny Buderus, Josh Perry and a string of far lesser established forwards, but the lack of protection and aggression he received last Sunday was appalling. In this era in which gaining good meters and quick play-the-balls plus controlling possession are bylaws of rugby league success, any halfback needs 'go-forward' or he can be ineffectual. But the Newcastle Knights forwards owe him much more than he owes them over the past few seasons. After such a long time out 'Joey' was below his best anyway, he'll admit that, and he became frustrated like we have rarely seen. And we should not undervalue the precision of the very, very well coached Melbourne Storm side that showed that in Ryan Hoffman, Alex Chan, Cameron Smith, and the ageless Robbie kearns, they will not be inconvenienced at all by the experience they have lost. But it was depressing to see someone as great as Johns struggle so much. He went to the line at times with no one reading the space he created. His mates rarely bent the Storm defence to give him an opportunity and he made the wrong options himself. Defensively the Knights limp, and let in that many soft tries, he had little momentum or field position to do anything about turning their fortunes around. I have never seen Johns look so helpless, frustrated and bewildered as he was last Sunday... in any company.

It's snakes and ladder as Locky tops Joey -  30 March, 2005
Time for a reality check - and we might as well start at the top: Andrew Johns will never again be regarded as the world's best player. Darren Lockyer was already just about level-pegging with Johns before the Newcastle halfback was hurt, and Lockyer has only improved since then. Anyone who saw his display for Brisbane against Sydney Roosters last Friday would know he is in sublime form. Lockyer, at 27, is entitled to be in the prime of his career and he is playing for one of the competition's in-form sides. Johns is coming back from a knee reconstruction, he is almost 31 and his Newcastle side is struggling. Even if he did get back to feeling like a million dollars within himself, he may not get the chance to show it playing for the Knights.

Sea Eagle sets new rivalry aside to support Johns - 30 March, 2005
Former Knight Ben Kennedy may have gone south but he doesn't want Andrew Johns's career to do the same, writes Jessica Halloran. As Sea Eagle Ben Kennedy's career soars, he has watched the pressure intensify around his talented mate Andrew Johns. Kennedy yesterday said the expectations placed on his former Newcastle Knights colleague were too high.  The Knights halfback is gradually regaining form after a serious knee injury sidelined him for the majority of last season. "Joey's a good mate and hopefully he can get back to where he was," Kennedy said. "I just think the expectations on him are so high. He's come back from a big injury. He'll be back playing great football, but I think people expect too much of him these days. Just give him some time and it will happen. I don't know how he deals with it. He's got that much pressure on him, you know, I guess he puts it onto himself because he's so bloody good. He's arguably the best player this game has ever seen. The way he handles it is a credit to him."

Johns a certain starter -  31 March, 2005
AN up-beat Andrew Johns last night declared himself 100 per cent fit to take on the North Queensland Cowboys on Saturday night in Townsville after making a remarkable recovery from a torn muscle in his buttocks.  "I'm feeling unbelievable and raring to go," Johns said. "I can't believe how quick it has healed." 
Johns, who went through his paces yesterday under the watchful eye of five-year-old son Samuel, was expected to struggle for clearance to play after hobbling through the Knights' last game against Canberra. Despite the weekend off, he was still complaining of soreness around the injury on Tuesday. But scans yesterday showed the tear in his glute muscle had healed and he got through a fitness test late yesterday afternoon without a problem. "It's probably mind over matter," he said. "After the scan, I was feeling great and I really ripped straight in at the fitness test and did some contact stuff. I went as hard as I could and it's 100 per cent, which is great because it is such an important game for us up there." 

Joey needs to find some form: Stuart
New South Wales State of Origin coach Ricky Stuart says Andrew Johns needs to regain form in the coming weeks if he is going to reclaim his place in the Blues' team. The Newcastle Knights half-back missed most of last season with a knee injury and he has struggled with form and a hip problem this season. Stuart has not ruled out the chance of his return to Origin, and believes it is sometimes worth risking an out of form player. "He's a very experienced player and he's experienced this level and I know he'd be very keen to get some form on the board before selection," Stuart said. Stuart said half-back would be the hardest position to select in the Blues' team this year. We don't know what Andrew Johns can regain. We don't know the battle between [Craig] Gower and [Brett] Kimmorley, what'll bring of that, [Matt] Orford's putting pressure on those two," he said. Stuart also said Blues players selected in the Australian team for next month's Anzac Test against New Zealand are not assured of a place in his Origin squad. He said he will start assessing form three weeks before the opening match on May 25. "It's a different game of football to the Test match, a different coach is picking his team and not necessarily a player at Test level is going to be guaranteed a spot in the New South Wales scene," he said.

Joey on outer -  8 April, 2005
TEST selectors will scrutinise the halfback duel between Penrith's Craig Gower and Melbourne's Matt Orford tonight amid revelations Andrew Johns will be left out of the Australian side to play New Zealand. A 22-man squad will be chosen on Monday with Gower, Orford and Brett Kimmorley locked in a three-way battle for the Test No. 7 jumper. Returning this season after a knee injury and now battling a strained buttock, Johns is struggling to re-find the form that has made him one of the great players of the modern era. The Daily Telegraph understands coach Wayne Bennett and selectors feel Johns is not ready and does not have the form to play in the Anzac Test two weeks from today. Johns is privately aware he is at long odds to be the Test halfback. He may make the 22-man squad but it is unlikely. However, he won't play in the Test.  Former champion NSW halfback Steve Mortimer last night said of Johns's predicament: "Andrew is the best halfback but he is carrying injuries. "Brett Kimmorley is the incumbent. It should be harder to get out of the Test team than get in," Mortimer added. Johns's expected omission from the Test squad solves the contentious captaincy debate with incumbent Darren Lockyer to retain the leadership for the Test in Brisbane. Orford has been in magic form for the Storm this season and Gower is a fierce competitor who enjoys the increase in class that representative football brings. "I'm not worried about it at the moment," Gower said. "If we win the game [tonight] hopefully I will have played well. "I can't control what he [Orford] is doing – I can only control what I'm doing. I'm sure the selectors will be looking and hopefully I can come out the victor." 
Orford is playing down the battle with Gower. "It seems every time we play a team with a good halfback, the media want to dress it up as a battle for the Test jumper," Orford said. "To be honest, it would be selfish and disrespectful to my teammates if I approached the game that way. "It doesn't matter if I'm playing against Andrew Johns, Craig Gower or someone else, I prepare the same way." 
The 22-man squad named on Monday will be culled to 17 the following Sunday night. Selectors will watch St George Illawarra play Bennett's Broncos on Sunday week at WIN Stadium before announcing the squad. The ARL board will be notified via a telephone hook-up and a captain will then be nominated. 
The four Test selectors are Bob Fulton, Bob McCarthy, Les Geeves and Arthur Beetson. The Gower-Orford match-up is not the only juicy individual battle tonight. The fullback confrontation between Penrith's Rhys Wesser and Melbourne's Billy Slater should be thrilling.  Slater is the NRL's leading tryscorer with seven; Wesser is equal second with four. In their four games this year, Slater has made seven line breaks and run 531 metres with Wesser having made five line breaks and gained 843 metres.

It's a matter of time for Johns -  10 April 2005
Everyone knows it is a matter of time before Knights halfback Andrew Johns - the man considered the greatest player on the planet - returns to his form of old. 
So why are the Newcastle Knights rooted to the bottom of the NRL ladder without a win after five rounds following today's 37-12 belting by Souths at Gosford? 
It sure beat the heck out of everyone from his coach Michael Hagan to his rival skipper Bryan Fletcher today after the Knights dropped their fourth straight match in their worst season start despite having a fully fit Johns on board. Johns tried hard in his last-ditch effort to make the Australian Test squad - to be announced tomorrow - for the clash with New Zealand at Brisbane on April 22. But once again Johns left the field a loser without talking, much to the surprise of Souths captain Fletcher. The Souths skipper admitted he thought "today was the day" Johns would break out into his old form and run amok against the Rabbitohs. 
"Yeah I did. But I thought he went alright today. He made four or five line breaks, he's getting better slowly," he said. But Fletcher admitted Johns would improve further with the return of Test hooker Danny Buderus from injury in about two weeks. "Him and Bedsy work really well together. When Bedsy comes back it will help Joey enormously - he will come good," Fletcher said. Knights coach Michael Hagan wondered aloud how Johns could return to the "Joey" of the past after overcoming a knee reconstruction and buttock injury this season alone. "I had someone talk to me after the game about what shape he is in," Hagan said. "He's always been a step in front of everyone else (and) while he is struggling at the moment he is on an even keel with the rest of the team - it's frustrating and something we've got to sort out." 
Knights fullback Dustin Cooper tried to explain Newcastle's slump. "It's all about completions. We're not completing our sets and they keep scoring on us, we make an error and they score off it - simple as that," he said. Johns showed his intentions from the outset, producing a clever inside pass and grubber kick in the first two minutes before making a bust on his own in the third.  He showed plenty of his old sparkle including deft touches, a sideline conversion and a booming 40-20 in the second half.  But the match also showed signs of Johns' rust as kicks went wrong, touch finders went awry and passes failed to find their mark. 
To add to his troubles, Johns copped a head knock while trying to tackle a try-bound David Fa'alogo in the second half but walked off the ground untroubled.

Johns plays Lone Ranger as Knights act out meek tragedy By Phil Gould -  April 11, 2005
Newcastle are the only team in the 2005 premiership not to have won a game and, judging by yesterday's performance against South Sydney, their fans may be in for a long wait before they finish on the right side of the scoreboard. In their four games so far, the Knights have conceded 176 points and scored only 54.
You don't need to be Einstein to work out how they got in this predicament - that's another column - but it is goingg to take more than a bit of genius to get them out of it. The genius they have been banking on is, of course, their champion halfback Andrew Johns. In re-signing Joey to an extended contract, I guess the Knights figured they were safe, because with him in the team they would always be competitive. That's the way it has always been for Newcastle. If Johns plays well, the Knights play well. Well, let me tell you, Andrew Johns is playing well. But he must feel like the Lone Ranger at the moment and he is getting little or no support from his teammates. Recovering from a total knee reconstruction was always going to be difficult for Johns but he has improved with every touch of the ball this season. It really takes 12 months to fully rehabilitate from such a serious injury and this time next year Joey will be going even better. But despite the extended lay-off, I reckon Johns has come back to rugby league in remarkable touch.  He has lost a little pace but that hasn't stopped him forcing his way into half breaks on the edges of the ruck or sprinting into position to receive the ball on the fifth tackle. He is competing in all the effort areas of the game. He is defending determinedly; he jumps to his feet to be a good marker defender; he chases kicks; he covers for others in defence; he will dive for the loose ball on the ground; he will race back into his defensive position on turnovers; and he is talking all game, offering direction and encouragement. At one time yesterday he made a great chase in cover defence on Souths flyer Roy Bell, even though he was struggling to get air into his lungs. His amazing skills are still very evident. His kicking in general play is becoming more precise, his long passes to outside supports spiral through the air with the same fizz and accuracy, and his short passing game is starting to find the mark.
In fact, I would say that by the time State of Origin comes around, this bloke could again be the first picked for NSW.  But it's not enough to get the Knights a win at present. Newcastle lack physical presence on the field. For a start, they are not fit enough and their players lack the strength of rival teams. Granted several of these players are new to first grade but some of them have been around long enough to have shown more physical development. Fatigue leads to laziness, poor decision making and a lack of concentration. They don't deal with setbacks well and when they drop a ball or give away a penalty, you just know they are going to concede points. Also, the Knights' defensive structure is a rabble. They make poor decisions on the edges and around the play-the-ball area they constantly give up easy metres and half breaks. Their marker defenders make poor decisions at crucial times and their goal-line defence shows little urgency.
At times their attack is capable of getting them a try to get back into the game but their defence immediately allows the opposition a soft touchdown and the pressure valve is released.  Souths played the waiting game with them yesterday. In steamy conditions, they turned them around with long kicks into the corners, then sweated on the Knights coming up with an error. And they soon obliged. Through the creativity of halfback Joe Williams and hooker Shane Walker (a much improved player), Souths manufactured space with slick ball movement for powerful ball runners such as Mark Minichiello, Bryan Fletcher, David Fa'alogo and Manase Manuokafoa to take advantage. Souths were too professional, too controlled, too fit, too skilful and too hungry for the Knights. Well, not all the Knights. Andrew Johns wasn't beaten yesterday. He was just short on helpers. 

Privatise Knights: Johns -  12 April, 2005
NEWCASTLE halfback Andrew Johns has called for the Knights to be privatised, saying the embattled NRL club should not be run on a "shoestring".  The Knights are struggling on and off the field, and are the only club yet to register a win this year or to secure a major sponsor.  Johns recently expressed his frustration over the club dismissing interest from businessman Con Constantine – owner of the Newcastle United Jets A-League football – in buying into Knights. And new Knights chairman Michael Tyler had previously said that the club was "not for sale". 
Johns said the Newcastle players were "suffering" from the club's narrow mindedness. "We are losing players every year," Johns said. "It's no secret that we are running on a shoestring – the players suffer for it. I'm more in favour of getting some more money for the club, getting better facilities. I wouldn't have a problem with (privatisation) if the right model was there. It's something that (CEO) Ken (Conway) and the board have to look at." 
Asked whether the club should consider privatisation, coach Michael Hagan admitted that the club's precarious financial situation was a concern. "There is no question that our support and infrastructure could be improved upon and we need dollars to do that," Hagan said. "That's probably stating the obvious. "Anything that can help or fund the football team, that's where I fit into the scheme of things. Anything along those lines would be appreciated." 
Conway said: "It has been a hot political topic here at this club for 18 years. "It's an issue for our board to discuss and I think our chairman has flagged that issue and it will be canvassed at board level. I have a personal opinion and that will be expressed to the board."

Johns Calls For Fans to Support Their Team -  12 April, 2005 - Newcastle Knights
Knights captain Andrew Johns has today urged Knights fans to support their team in the club’s first home game of the year this Sunday. 
The Knights have named a largely unchanged line-up for their clash with the New Zealand Warriors as they attempt to record their first win of the season in front of the newly redeveloped EnergyAustralia Stadium.  Speaking today, the Knights captain said he and the team were looking forward to playing in front of a parochial home crowd for the first time in 2005. “I’ve been playing in front of big Newcastle crowds all my adult life and I know how much of a lift it can give the team when the chips are down. This Sunday is one of those times.” 
“There’s no doubt we are doing it tough just at the moment, but that is part and parcel of playing football. Some of the young blokes in the team have probably been exposed to first grade before their time and they’ve had to learn the hard way about the importance of discipline and mistake-free footy.” 
“We need to learn from those mistakes before we run out on Sunday. I don’t think our fans are expecting us to win every weekend, but they do deserve a tough and committed effort and that is what we will give them this Sunday. We have been working our backsides off over the last few weeks and we’ll continue to work hard until we see the results we need.”

Joey 'would have quit league' -  13 April, 2005
RUGBY league's best player would have defected to rugby if ceiling payments for Super 12 stars had been discarded last year.  In a secret deal revealed yesterday by The Daily Telegraph, rugby union bosses have thrown out the $110,000 salary limit for leading provincial players. The threat to the 13-man game beams out of the Waratahs bid last season for Andrew Johns.  New South Wales wanted him to fill their five-eighth trouble spot. But the Australian Rugby Union offered no top-up funds, forcing the Waratahs to look for outside assistance to beef up their contract offer. According to Johns' agent John Fordham, the Kangaroos ace would have signed with the Waratahs if their add-on sponsorship and endorsement packages had been ready. "If it had all been in place early in the week when they were still trying to confirm arrangements, he would have signed on the dotted line," said Fordham. "It would have been done and dusted. He would have been lost to rugby league. Andrew has confirmed that himself. And if the rule we read about was in place then, the Waratahs would have been able to act alone. 
"They could have said here's the figure we're prepared to pay, plus match payments. Under the system that prevailed at the time, that wasn't an option for them." 
And NSW Rugby Union chief executive Fraser Neill has not ruled out speaking again to Bulldogs five-eighth Braith Anasta - who they chased after failing to land Johns - or other league stars.

Natural killer instinct -  14/04/2005,  Newcastle Herald
ANDREW Johns has always been a terrible loser. On the top-selling DVD he released a couple of years ago, his older brother Matthew recalled a story which illustrated just how much winning meant to the boy who would become known as the world's best rugby league player. Whether it was footy, cricket, or weird and wonderful ball games they invented, the Johns boys usually fought to the death in the backyard of their Cessnock home. Matthew said he often used to let Andrew win "just to keep peace in the family".   "You can't fabricate a real killer instinct, and he always had that. He was always a real bad sport," Matthew explained. I remember one year I got a cricket bat for Christmas, which was great, so we went down the backyard and had a big 18-gallon drum as the wicket. I got him out first ball, as usual, and as usual he didn't like to take it. So on Christmas Day with my new bat, he took to it on this 18-gallon drum." 
Their father, Gary, enjoying a Christmas drink with friends and neighbours across the road, watched Andrew transform what was once a finely crafted slab of selected willow into matchsticks and splinters before stepping in and "whacking him across the arse with it".  "He's belted hell out of this cricket bat and completely wrecked it. That was the competitive [nature] coming out in him," Gary said. Nothing has changed in the twenty-something years which have elapsed. Andrew Johns still hates losing. And when the team he leads has lost four in a row, by an average score of 44-13, and the eyes of the league world scrutinise his every move, he cannot hide his frustration and anger. "This is probably the toughest time in my footy career, and I'd say it's the same for Hages [coach Michael Hagan] and everyone involved at the club," Johns said. "But I don't think we're too far off it. We're in these games but our lack of experience and our lack of confidence is costing us, so hopefully it's just around the corner. We're all working hard. None of us have dropped the ball at training, and there's no little factions going off talking about each other. We're all united and we want to turn this thing around." 
Johns has played his entire career at a level above most of his teammates. He has never tolerated mistakes his or theirs with anything resembling good grace. 
Despite the club's injury toll, despite being written off by most pundits, despite becoming the new wooden-spoon favourites, Johns's expectations of himself and the Knights have not changed. And he has not yet conquered all of the physical and psychological demons which accompanied his 12-month recovery from a complete knee reconstruction. And despite acknowledging publicly that he would have been "embarrassed" to have been included in Australia's Anzac Test squad, it still hurt when his name was not among the 23 read out by national selectors earlier this week. "A lot of things build up," he explained. "You work hard for six months to play this game, and hopefully to win, then when you're not winning everyone wants to tell you what you're doing wrong. "You've got that pressure on top of the pressure of building yourself up to play and not getting the result. You feel like you're letting your teammates down, you're letting the club down and you're letting the town down. It all starts to get pretty heavy on your shoulders, which is why it's so tough. I think every club goes through it it doesn't matter if it's a one-team town or where they are." 
Johns is banking on the legendary support from the Blue-and-Red Army to help the Knights end their four-game losing streak against the Warriors at EnergyAustralia Stadium on Sunday. It will be Newcastle's first home game this season, and the first in a stretch of seven of their next eight. The Knights won just five of 12 on home turf last year and Johns said the players were determined to turn EAS back into the fortress it once was. "I think playing at home again will be a definite advantage. In the past, we've always been hard to beat up here," he said. "We went away from that a bit last year and we've spoken about trying to turn that around again, and getting back to a time when teams coming up here to EnergyAustralia Stadium will find it hard to win. I'm confident we can turn it around. We're all working hard and training the house down, and I'm sure things will turn around soon. It's not going to stay like this for the rest of the year. I'm confident that once we get some class players back and the polish is there, our luck will turn around." 
And maybe then we will see Joey start smiling again. "You feel like you're letting your teammates down, you're letting the club down and you're letting the town down." Andrew Johns

Johns promises better Knights -  16 April 2005
Andrew Johns has stopped short of promising Newcastle's long-suffering fans an overdue NRL victory - but he has done the next best thing.  The Knights captain guaranteed that his side will put in the best performance of the year after "training the house down" in search of the club's first win of the season against the Warriors at EnergyAustralia Stadium on Sunday. "I'm not going to sit up here and put pressure on the side and guarantee a victory, but I guarantee we will be in the game and you'll see an improved effort," Johns said. "We're all working hard - none of us has dropped the ball in training. There's no little factions going on talking about each other and all of that. We're all united and we want to turn this thing around. We're all training the house down. I'm sure it's going to turn. It won't stay like this for the rest of the year." 

Johns vows to lift struggling Knights -  17 April, 2005 
THE first words Andrew Johns said to girlfriend Catherine Mahoney last Monday morning convinced her that the fortunes of the struggling Newcastle Knights are about to change. "He said to me: 'Cath, I'm still really enjoying playing'," Mahoney said.  It was the words all of Newcastle would love to have heard, considering the state Johns was in after his side lost to wooden spooners South Sydney last Sunday afternoon. The champion halfback was on the verge of tears as he poured his heart out on national television. The interview followed the 37-12 thrashing, which kept the Knights winless and anchored to the bottom of the NRL table. 
But Mahoney said her partner was back to his upbeat self not long after the Souths debacle and is primed for today's match against the New Zealand Warriors at the reopening of EnergyAustralia Stadium. "Considering the pressure Andrew has been under, his spirits are amazingly high and he's remained very positive," Mahoney said. Johns and Mahoney, a Sony BMG publicity manager, have been dating for more than two and a half years. 
The pair prefer to keep their relationship out of the limelight and rarely do photographs or interviews together. "We just really enjoy hanging out together and making each other laugh," Mahoney said. "Away from football, we like to go out for dinner and catch up with friends, just like any other couple. I'm sure there will be a big crowd to see them play the Warriors and the whole town will really get out and support them." 
Johns is hoping a bumper crowd will help the Knights rediscover their winning form. "I don't know what the ticket sales are like for the game and the reopening of EnergyAustralia Stadium, but it would be a massive lift for the side if we run out and see a packed new eastern grandstand," he said.