1991 -  I played the schoolboy NSW sides with and against guys like Josh Stuart, Mick Buettner, Shane Webcke and Brad Thorn. I missed out on the Australian Schoolboys but I didn’t really care because at the time the blokes were a lot more physical and bigger than I was and I didn’t deserve it. In a way that sort of spurred me on to go and show them that I could play. I played Matthews Shield right through SG Ball and Jersey Flegg. I didn’t really stand out until I got into Flegg. I was a lot smaller than everyone else and didn’t really start to mature until I was about 16-17. Between that age I shot up and got a lot stronger. I started to improve and gain confidence. When I was younger I was a bit timid.

1992 -  The Flegg was only about a nine or 10 game comp so after that I went up and played 21’s.We got knocked out at the semis so I ended up playing a couple of games in reserve grade off the bench which was a good experience.

1993 -  I played all the year in reserve grade and played a couple of games off the bench for first grade. We got beat in the reserve grade grand final but we had a pretty good team. Robert Finch, now the football manager for the Raiders, was coach.

1994  -  I had a chat with the club in the off season and they said I had a big chance to play first grade. I had Matty Rodwell in front of me so I figured that if anything happens I have to be ready to play. I hit the weights pretty hard and got a bit stronger. The last trial Matty Rodwell did his knee and was out for the year so I was put straight in. Then Matty and I started the year at half and five-eighth and we stayed together until this year. 
My first run on game for Newcastle was against Souths and we flogged them by about 50 at the Footy Stadium. At the time Souths had just beat Brisbane in the Challenge Cup so they were on a high and I was a bit nervous going out to play. Looking back now we had players like Chief, Sarge and all those monsters. In the end we just missed out on the semi's. We lost our last five games and I think that’s what did it too us.

20 Mar 1994,  The Sun Herald
Marc Glanville likes to tell about the games of grab at Knights training that eventually turn into tackle and that, whenever a good shot gets put on one of the two, they just seem to pop right back up. Glanville likes that. David Waite tells how Matthew severely hurt his elbow in this year's Sevens and, even though he chose to use Matthew sparingly from then on, he could play through the pain. Some players, Waite tells, can't play through pain. The Johns boys carry pain well. Its a good feeling, Paul Harragon will say, knowing that while you're up front going your hardest, your half and five-eighth are behind ready to rev up.
 

Matthew Johns says, ``Andrew's a freak ... a one in a million. Not many come along like Joey (Andrew) too often. His development has helped me become a better player because I'm trying to keep pace as well."   Andrew Johns did not wear his Silver NIKE books in the (7pm start) 2001 Grand Final.  They are only worn during day games. Johns recently stated he likes to wear boots with studs at night because of the dew.

1995  -  I was really paranoid about the second year syndrome so I really trained hard that off season. I copped a bit of the press saying how it was going to be harder for me so I wanted to prove them wrong. Looking back I think that was the best year I had in footy.  We ended up getting beat in the prelim final by Manly, who beat us 12-4. They went into the grand final against Canterbury. This was my first year of rep footy. The ARL-Super League war split the game and I played two State of Origins. I wasn’t ready for it but it was a good experience and I enjoyed the atmosphere in camp. I think it help my footy for the rest of the year. My first State of Origin I went to Melbourne. It proved to be a good experience for later in the year, when we played the semi finals.

Johns stars for Knights - 08 Apr 1995,  Sun Herald
Newcastle achieved two things when the passes began to stick yesterday. They started to score tries and they kept their opposition out of the game. For so long, option B has been the way the Knights have gone about their game. Combined with option A, it looks so much more attractive. Who knows why - maybe it is new coach Malcolm Reilly, maybe it is the growing maturity of men like Andrew Johns - but the Knights are increasingly becoming a danger with the ball in their hands. For the third time this year, Johns scored 18 points in a match, helping the Knights to a 26-20 win over Penrith with two tries and five goals. And Johns said he could see room for plenty of improvement. "To tell you the truth I'm pretty disappointed with my own performance," he said. "Matthew wasn't out there and I didn't think I directed the team to the best of my ability, but I've still got next week to improve my game."   It was a common theme from the Knights' dressing room, with coach Mal Reilly also disappointed. "We simply tried to create too much when nothing was on," he said.  "I didn't think they had much but we never consolidated enough to finish the game."

Johns may be brothers in arms for Origin  - 05 May 1995,  Sydney Morning Herald
Newcastle's Johns brothers could lead NSW's attack in this year's Origin series if Matthew makes a successful comeback from injury tomorrow. Despite North Sydney's Jason Taylor finishing in front of Andrew Johns in Sydney Origin's 16-8 win over Country at Steelers Stadium last night, NSW coach Phil Gould said he preferred "an experienced combination" for the series opener at Sydney Football Stadium on Monday week. 
In torrential rain last night, Andrew Johns battered the Sydney line with a formidable arsenal of kicks throughout the first half but his teammates failed to take advantage of them. Matthew Johns, upset at having missed Country selection, has been out for a month because of a knee problem but will be reunited with his brother at Marathon Stadium when the Knights take on Auckland tomorrow. Asked about the halfback conundrum last night by reporters, Gould said: "State of Origin is not the time to experiment. We have to look for the most experienced combination we can get." 
Andrew Johns said: "I was pretty happy with my game but Jason Taylor went very well as well. I haven't even thought about it (Origin selection), it's not my decision. I've just got to play well on Sunday. "I thought it might be hard to gee myself up to play again so soon but I haven't played with my brother in five weeks. I've been talking to him on the phone every day and I'm really looking forward to it."   SYDNEY ORIGIN 16 bt COUNTRY 8.
 

Coach Phil Gould said the Johns were "born to play this sort of football"

Shoes too big to fill: Johns bros -  09 May 1995,  Sydney Morning Herald 
Newcastle's Johns brothers yesterday admitted they were incapable of filling the void left by Laurie Daley and Ricky Stuart in this year's Origin series.  Matthew and Andrew became the first brothers in a NSW squad since Chris and Steve Mortimer when they joined the Blues in camp for Origin I at the Sydney Football Stadium on Monday.  While officials continued to emphasise the interest in the post-super league "new blood" for this year's series, the Knights playmakers made it clear they were not laying claim to be in the same class as their Canberra rivals. "We are not taking Ricky Stuart and Laurie Daley's place," said five-eighth Matthew. "We would never claim to be doing that.  "They're the sorts of players guys like us strive to be like and if we can be half as good as them one day, we'll be happy.  "This is something we look at as a thing that would have come later. Because of circumstances, it's happened earlier." 
But coach Phil Gould said the Johnses were "born to play this sort of football" and predicted a memorable series from them.  "Newcastle's undefeated in the competition and they are a major reason for that and obviously the combination factor is important," Gould said.  "You look at Langer and Walters, Stuart and Daley and Sterling and Kenny - it's flowed down through the years and they are a great combination and a combination for the future." 
Either of the Johns boys could play hooker."  The Blues trained just once yesterday, after visits to the Domain and a radio station promotion.  The Blues halves admitted having little experience against their opponents on Monday, Dale Shearer and Adrian Lam.  Matthew Johns has opposed Shearer just once - in his first grade debut two years ago.  "He's a big game player who always shows his best when the Origin series comes around," Matthew said.  But then again, the brothers have little experience with each other at representative level either.  "He was always a legend as a kid in making rep teams - I was just an also-ran," Matthew said. "When I missed Friday night's City v Country game, I was dirty because I thought he might go one up on me again."

Johns' Test chance 13 May 1995,  Sun Herald
Andrew Johns is three games away from an Australian jumper. Johns's odds have shortened considerably with conjecture remaining as to whether Queensland half Adrian Lam will be eligible to play for Australia after having played a Test series for Papua New Guinea last year. It now appears Johns must only remain in front of his fellow NSW halves to secure the Australian halfback spot. Having already taken a lead over other NSW halves, Johns needs only to hold his spot in the Blues outfit to be selected for the Test series against New Zealand later this year. Johns had been unaware until earlier in the week how close he was to fulfilling his dream. "Really?" he asked, unaware of Lam's situation. "I hadn't thought about it. If I started to think about that it would put too much pressure on me. "Since early in the season people have been saying to me, 'you might make Country' and then, 'you might make NSW', but I haven't been worrying about it." Origin week has been no problem for 20-year-old Johns, who says the swell of interest that traditionally surrounds the State of Origin has mostly passed him by. "No-one really knows me," he said. "The crowds seem to be getting behind the Blues a lot but not much attention is being paid to me. "But it's been an eye-opener." 

Johns out two weeks 22 Jul 1995,  Sun Herald 
The injury that threatened to pull the rug from under the Newcastle Knights' season is not as bad as first thought. Halfback Andrew Johns has a dislocated shoulder, not a broken collarbone. "He's in a sling and he'll be out for two weeks," said brother Matthew. Manly's Nik Kosef, who made the driving tackle on Johns, is on report for a dangerous tackle and will know his fate tomorrow.

Johns should kick on: Wishart -  Sydney Morning Herald 24 Oct 1995 
LEEDS, Tuesday: Regular Australian goal-kicker Rod Wishart wants teammate Andrew Johns to be given a second chance in the World Cup final against England on Saturday. Johns was goal-kicking in the 30-20 semi-final win over New Zealand but landed only three goals from eight attempts. 
 

Paul Harragon said of Andrew Johns,  "One week he is doing 12 interviews, five or six photo sessions and the next he hung his head nearly howling." Andrew Johns made a record debut with 23 points against Souths but missed three goals in front in the narrow loss to Wests.

1996 -  The first 10 games I started really well I think we won eight straight games that year. I played State of Origin and played hooker. We won 3-0. It was the first time I played with Laurie Daley and blokes like that and I learnt so much from them. After that, and coming back to club level, it felt like a letdown. For the rest of the year I played really badly and let the side down. We didn’t make the semi’s. It is a bit of a sore point because I know I let all the boys down. It was a tough year. We missed the top eight. That hurt. I felt guilty for letting the boys down so in the off season I got stuck into the training.

On the verge of greatness - 8 Jun 1996,  Sun Herald
One final barrier stands between Andrew Johns and greatness. And for Johns, a compulsive trainer, thinker, a man who lives for the game like few do, it's not attainable in the foreseeable future. According to the experts, Johns is doing enough to become a great player, but he must keep playing at this level for several years to earn the stamp of greatness.   League's sharpest minds, men like Warren Ryan and Jack Gibson and Bob Fulton and Phil Gould, rate Johns potentially among the best. Next to Sterling, Mortimer, Langer and Stuart, even Billy Smith. It's a fair rap. "He has a bit of everything," Ryan says. "A bit of them all. When I watch him I don't say 'Gee isn't he like Sterling, or Stuart'. I enjoy the fact they're all different. "But he's a bit canny like Sterling, has the peripheral vision of Stuart, has proven he's a terrific front-line defender like Toovey. He's brave and he takes the ball to the line." 
When Johns, at 21, was brought in to play No7 for NSW last year Geoff Toovey was injured and Ricky Stuart was banned. His selection was testimony to his potential as much as his ability. But by last year's World Cup final, Johns had established himself as the prototype halfback. Now those recognised as the best in the game believe that, if that time is not yet here, it isn't far away. Brilliant hands, short and long passes with equal impact, Johns can land a kick in his winger's pocket, has vision across the field and is as tough as a two-dollar steak - and he kicks goals. 
All that, and he weighs more than 90kg. At his peak, Ray Price weighed less. Many believe Johns's attributes touch on the best qualities of all the great halfbacks. While he may not yet have Stuart's vision or the cunning of Langer, he displays the traits. Ryan says that when Fulton elected to use Johns at halfback and Toovey, his club halfback, at hooker, it was the greatest indicator of his faith in the Newcastle half. "Fulton realises the superiority of Johns and gives him first think," he says. "He's given first think with the ball, which is what the first receiver has, and which was removed from Toovey. "They'll say they saw it best to put Toovey to dummy-half to utilise his speed from there but it was also saying is Johns is a better thinker at first receiver. "It's been a very successful move. It profits from Toovey's greatest asset which is explosive speed off the mark. "And by Phil Gould doing the same thing it shows he thinks the same way." 
Jack Gibson says if Johns walked into his living room right now he'd have to be introduced. "I can only go on what I see on video," Gibson says. "And if he isn't there now he isn't far away." Like Ryan, Gibson rates one of Johns' greatest qualities as his courage and ability to go to the line. "He goes to the game," he says, "he isn't shadow sparring. When he's got the football in his hands there's always a chance something will happen. But I don't know about him getting there any more. He's at a standard where it doesn't get any better. There's no Super State of Origin game, nothing comes after that." 

Johns on Super league - One perfect day - Paul Harragon
Andrew Johns recalls how he took a call on the way home from someone at News Limited trying to woo him and his brother, "It was so tough, because when you spoke to each organisation they could convince you that their way was the right way to go. When Matty, Butts and I went to speak to them the night before (the Knights went to Sydney), we said to ourselves before hand, "We're probably not going to sigh with News Limited anyway, so lets ask for some ridiculous amount of money and see what happens. It was almost a joke. We had Butts looking after us at the time because we were just young blokes and needed someone with a bit of experience and a bit of front. We had no idea what was going on, but Buttsy had been around so we let him do most of the talking. We asked for some bizarre amount and they said, "No way." We didnt expect to get it and we got no where near it. But on the way back from seeing the ARL in Sydney, and by then we were leaning towards going with the ARL, we got a call from news Limited. The bloke on the phone just said, "Look, money's no object. The figure you gave us yesterday, thats yours plus another heap on top of that." We just said to ourselves, "How can we know that back?" "Of the money we asked for originally, malcolm Noad said, "Mate, thats what we give to superstars." Buttsy replied, "well, your looking at Elvis Presley and Elton John here!" Then they said, "Well, that might be so but they've only had a few top ten hits. They haven't had any number ones yet." It was a pretty good comeback. What helped make up our mind was their pressure that if we didn't sign that night, the deal was off. We just couldn't bring ourselves to sign that night, so we went and talking to Gus Gould from the ARL.

Predators circle the Johns boys   18 May 1996,  Sun Herald
It's the hottest package in rugby league - Andrew Johns, Matthew Johns, Adam Muir. And it might be coming soon to a club near you as negotiations move into over-drive for three of the most sought-after signatures in Australian sport. The Johns brothers and Muir are still 16 months from finishing contracts with the Newcastle Knights. But already the phones are running hot, with the Knights desperately trying to keep the predators at bay. As he headed out to Brisbane on State of Origin duties lock Muir said he hoped his future would be resolved "within the month". Muir, disappointed with Newcastle's initial reaction to his requests for an upgrade, has spoken to several clubs. He readily admits the considerable appeal of a three-man "package" linking him with his mates, the Johns boys. "Obviously, I'd love to keep playing with them," he said. "Maybe that'll be a pretty hard thing to do. But I'll certainly be speaking to them before I do anything with my future." After further talks with his home club last Friday, Muir said he wanted to settle his future (1998 onwards) sooner rather than later. "I will leave (Newcastle) if I have to," he said. "I'm 24 now and I have to look after my future. My hope is that whatever is to happen will happen pretty quickly." By yesterday Muir had pigeon- holed the issue to focus on his State of Origin duties. 
The Johns brothers are understood to have aired privately the thought that their future direction could be linked to that of Muir, with whom their own careers have run more or less parallel from junior days up - although the possibility has gone no further than speculation. Such a package - of three young, dominant scrumbase playerrs - would be immensely appealing to any club that could afford it. John Fordham, manager of Andrew and Matthew Johns, told The Sun-Herald: "The brothers are keen to stay together as a package. Their present commitment is to the Newcastle Knights, but ultimately they'll have to make a decision as to what's best for them. All the facts will be evaluated at the appropriate time." That time might not be too far away, even though they're on contract until the end of '97. Fordham said he had already fielded several inquiries from "big-spending" clubs in relation to the Johns brothers. "The fact of it with the three of them is this: they are all gun players and they are all coming off contract at the end of 1997," he said. "The demand is strong." Inevitably the names of the wealthy clubs - Manly, Sydney City, North Sydney and Parramatta - have been whispered in connection with anny or all of them. There is also speculation that Tim Sheens' pending move to North Queensland will create before long a climate for talented players to join him there, as they did at Canberra.