They spit, they hate us: why Joey loves Origin - July 3, 2005, The Sun-Herald
Sun-Herald: Do you want the bus to drive past the Caxton Hotel again?
Andrew Johns: We're hoping they'll let us. It'd be a great experience for the young guys. I've been in the bus a few times and it's crazy. I can't believe they throw full cans of beer at you. They bang on the bus and spit - they hate us. They really do hate us. There are old grandmothers giving you the bird. But I try not to get too caught up in it. It can get the forwards revved up but I try to stay pretty relaxed. You can forget what your job is if you take too much notice of them.
S-H: Did you ever doubt you'd be back in Origin?
AJ: I had doubts because it was such a long process. I'd overcome serious injury before and come back and not missed a beat but this year I was struggling so badly at the start of the season it scared me. I was struggling with my knee, really struggling. It didn't matter what I did, I couldn't get any strength back in it and couldn't get any speed. I had no confidence. I was playing like a busted. But then I did the [Queensland Academy of Sport] course and got all the strength back. I wasn't thinking about Origin during all the rehab. I was training that hard I was just wondering when my next spew was coming.
S-H: Did you think about giving it away?
AJ: I was determined to get back, but there were times when I wondered if I would. I thought, 'Am I going to undo all the good work I've done in the past?' It was pride, for sure. You want to play at the level you're used to. It was scary. I was scared I wouldn't get back to where I wanted to be. Origin felt like a long way away. It was miles off and it was getting to the point where I thought I might have to forget about Origin. I feel lucky to be given the opportunity again because I didn't know if it would come. Maybe that's why I'm enjoying it so much.
S-H: Can you put into words the Origin buzz?
AJ: It keeps me young. Young at heart, anyway. I come into camp and room with Anthony Minichiello and we're like two 16-year-old kids. I can't describe how good the week leading into the game is. You're spoiled rotten. Everything is done for you. I even love the training. Everyone is pushing themselves to do the best pass, the best kick, show the best skills. I love it. And then the game, I can't describe it. An Origin game is the best thing ever. The noise hits you like a train when you run out. It's unbelievable. The adrenaline is going through the roof. Watch the players when they run out - as they hit the field, they just start charging. You can't help it. That's the feeling you get. Everyone is screaming and going mental. There's nothing like it.
S-H: Wally Lewis says Queensland should bash you.
AJ: I've got no problem with what he said. I know they're going to try to do that. They'll be coming at me in attack and defence. Everyone is trying to hit hard out there. We'll have 12 other blokes on the field so if they concentrate on me, Braith [Anasta] will take advantage of that. It doesn't matter to me as long as we win.
S-H: Darren Lockyer has been pretty quiet so far. Could he be due for a big one?
AJ: In the second game we just had so much ball he was playing off the back foot the whole game. He was still trying the whole time and he put Matty Bowen in for a nice try. Those two together - we've got to watch them. Some people might think he's due but I don't think his form wavers too much anyway. Even his bad games, for him, they're still very good games."
S-H: When did you peak and can you get there again?
AJ: Around the early 2000s I put a pretty good stretch together. We won the comp in 2001. Those couple of years were probably my best. I try not to compare how I'm going now with then because I don't want to live in the past, but probably my knee stops me getting back the speed and agility and power I used to have. I don't think I'm back to where I was in the so-called halcyon days and I probably won't get back there again, I suppose.
S-H: Are you more relaxed before this Origin than last?
AJ: Last time there was a question mark over my fitness and whether I was still up to it. I didn't have a doubt in the world, not for a second. I had total confidence. But I knew other people had doubts. I'd done the work and knew I could play well and it's the same this time. I was relaxed before and I'm relaxed now. I'm not going to come out and beat my chest and say I'm going to do this or do that but I'm confident with the team we've got and the preparation. And the way Ricky coaches, we'll be hard to hold out.
S-H: Your contract ends next year. Will that definitely be the end of your career?
AJ: Maybe not. I'll decide this time next year. I don't think people realise how tough the game is and it's getting tougher all the time. Players are doing so many weights and they're strong and fit. You get hit around so hard every week and do so much running because the game is so fast, it'd be a big ask to keep playing. But I'll see if I still enjoy it. The big key will be if I still have the motivation to train hard. If I have, I'll keep playing. The next big challenge is getting the Knights back up there. People probably question whether I have any challenges left. Well, I have. I've got plenty. I want to help our young players at the Knights become exceptional first-graders and then representative players. There are a few who have the capacity to do that.
S-H: Does it hurt to see the Knights struggling?
AJ: It breaks my heart and it breaks the hearts of all the old Knights players.
S-H: Did Queensland panic by dropping Billy Slater?
AJ: I don't know what their thoughts were. They might be planning to play a style that suits Matty Bowen better. If I try to look into it, I think they'll throw the ball around a lot more and play a lot more second phase, which will bring Bowen into the game. I've got a massive rap on Billy Slater. I feel for him because he's an exceptional player. He'll be back next year. There's something wrong if he's not.

Maroons load up to hunt Joey - July 4, 2005 
NSW coach Ricky Stuart has hit out at Queensland great Wally Lewis for suggesting the Maroons use foul play to stop Andrew Johns from again dominating in Wednesday night's Origin decider - but he admits his star playmaker will be in for a torrid game. As the Blues arrived in Brisbane yesterday ahead of the sold-out clash, Stuart revealed he had told Johns to expect a physical workout from a side desperate to avoid becoming only the second Queensland outfit to lose a series after winning the opening game. After Johns finished his remarkable Origin comeback in Sydney last month with just nine tackles to his name, Stuart has no doubt that the Maroons will attempt to make him work harder in defence in a bid to tire him and blunt his brilliant attacking skills. "The first day we got into camp I had a chat to Joey and just explained that is going to be the theme for them," Stuart said. "They'll want to run a lot more attack at him to create a heavier workload for him so that he is not as busy in attack." 
In contrast to Johns's light defensive workload, Queensland halfback Johnathan Thurston made 30 tackles in Origin II while five-eighth and captain Darren Lockyer came up with 19. As a result, Queensland players yesterday confirmed tactics were being devised to limit the effectiveness of Johns, but Stuart doubted they would go as far as Lewis's suggestion that the Maroons "knock his head off. Even if it means having a bloke put on report, Queensland have to find a way to stop Joey having such a big influence," Lewis says in the latest edition of Rugby League Week.  Every time he gets the ball he has to be hammered and put on his back, even after he's passed it. If you can make him uncomfortable and make him hurt, it is the best chance to put him off his game." 
Having resisted the opportunity to respond to Lewis's comments before leaving Sydney, Stuart took aim at the Maroons' immortal not long after the Blues touched down in enemy territory where they were welcomed by autograph-seeking fans and Wallabies players, including Wendell Sailor. "It's disappointing that he displays that kind of opinion, especially for the kids in the game," Stuart said of Lewis. "Coming from an icon of the game and an icon of Origin, it probably doesn't set a great example." 
The Blues coach, who reiterated that he is enjoying his first year in the job and would like to continue doing it, was also quick to hose down any doubts over Johns's fitness after he was reportedly seen icing his knee at training on Saturday. But Stuart warned that Johns wasn't yet back to his best after undergoing a knee reconstruction last year and said the lay-off he had before Origin II with a broken jaw may have been a positive factor in his man-of-the-match display. 
"The thing is that he didn't come back from a long break with his knee - it was his jaw and what that did was giive him six weeks to really get his knee stronger and to advance a little bit in speed and agility," he said. "But this time next year his knee will be better than it is now. I've experienced a reconstruction and that's just the cold, hard facts of it. Even with the modern technology these days it's probably 14-18 months before you get your whole game back." 
After watching a replay of Origin II in camp, Queensland players believe they did not put Johns under enough pressure but a big 10 metres enforced by referee Steve Clarke made their task harder. Speaking before a closed training session at Southport Tigers ground yesterday, prop Petero Civoniceva admitted the Blues successfully hid Johns in their defensive line, leaving him fresh to wreak havoc with the ball "He's placed out a bit wider so it's pretty hard for any of the big forwards to get at him," Civoniceva said. "But we'll sit down together as a group, have a look at the video and pinpoint him and hopefully get him involved in some defensive work." Queensland centre Paul Bowman said Clarke's interpretation of the 10 metres had "played into Joey's hands" and welcomed the appointment of Paul Simpkins, who was in the middle for the Maroons 24-20 overtime win in Origin I at Suncorp Stadium on May 25. Hopefully we'll just have the normal 10 metres instead of 13 or 14 and that'll help us to … put pressure on him," Bowman said. "We didn't get any pressure on [Johns], his kicking game probably had too much time." 

I'll take all you can throw my way - Johns - July 5, 2005
NSW's champion halfback Andrew Johns yesterday spoke of being illegally targeted by Queensland in tomorrow night's deciding State of Origin match before declaring: "Whatever happens, I can handle it."
There are genuine fears in the NSW camp that Johns may be a victim of foul play by a Queensland side fully aware they must somehow shut-down the Blues playmaker to secure the series. Wally Lewis, the Queensland legend, has already publicly stated the Maroons must take out Johns, even if that means a player risks being placed on report. The Johns controversy comes after both sides held closed training sessions in Brisbane yesterday. NSW again trained at Ballymore.
Asked by The Daily Telegraph whether he was concerned Queensland may target him through foul play, Johns said: "If they do that then so be it. Whatever happens, I can handle it. "They'll be trying to put me on my backside, ruffle my feathers, get at me and I suppose try and wipe me out of the game."
Johns said he was preparing for Queensland to throw everything at him to prevent a repeat of the halfback's dominating performance in Origin II. "I know it's coming," Johns said. "But I'm used to it and am a big boy. "There are plenty of players around me will look after me. If anything it's a little bit of extra motivation. But we've done nothing at training about trying to protect me. If they decide to run at me, I've got no qualms. I enjoy the defensive side of it. If I've got to do the extra defensive work then so be it. I've done the extra fitness work and am sure I'll get through."
Johns said he was anticipating Queensland players would find him in defence on the edges of the ruck. "I try to keep my workload down by getting out to the edges and stay away so I can keep myself fresh for attack," he said. "It's a ploy 'Gus' Gould got me doing a couple of years ago – to keep me fresh for the back-end of the game. But I don't think I'll be hiding too much – I think they'll find me. In Origin II they [Queensland] didn't get much quality ball. They didn't come to the edges too much until the last 30 minutes when they were trying to play catch-up. Hopefully all their ball is coming off their own line and they are just working up the middle."
Queensland's TBA, Tonie Carroll, trained for the first time with the Maroons yesterday. Many in Brisbane are adamant the powerful defender Carroll will be sent out to try and shut down Johns. We always knew he would come into the side if he came through [Brisbane's match against Cronulla on Sunday] and good luck to him if he's on a mission," Johns said. "But if he concentrates on me either Braith [Anasta] or Mini [Anthony Minichiello] or any other player will get through the holes he creates by coming out of the line at me. "I'm not too worried about it."
But Johns then added: "He [Carroll] is probably the best defender in the competition. The way he hits, his technique. The way he reads it. "He will help Queensland no end. I think [Queensland coach] Michael Hagan will use him in 20-minute spurts. He has to get his head around two 20-minute efforts and am sure he can."
Johns sat out a portion of training last week with a knee injury but he will certainly play. "It's sore but it's always sore," Johns said. 

Joey warms to life on the big stage -  July 5, 2005
Andrew Johns has decided to continue playing representative football next season. In a major boost to NSW and Australia, the double winner of the Golden Boot as the world's finest player yesterday said he intended to be available for selection again. "Yeah, probably," he said after hosting a media conference at the Blues' Brisbane hotel. "I'll see how I feel and see how I'm going … [but] … I'm really enjoying it at the moment, yes."
The celebrated 31-year-old halfback is once again the focus of attention with the 2005 interstate series to be decided before a sold-out 42,000 crowd at Suncorp Stadium tomorrow night. He had previously refused to speculate on whether the game might be his last in the Sky Blue, although Australia captain Darren Lockyer and NSW coach Ricky Stuart said before Origin II he should continue. Last year, Johns was unsure whether to concentrate on his Newcastle duties while he was agonisingly fighting his way back from a knee reconstruction and remained noncommittal on the issue when he turned down a massive offer from rugby union.
After deciding to play in this series, he gave some indication of a resurgence in enthusiasm for the representative game late last week when he said he definitely wanted to play his first Tri-Nations series in October and November. His announcement yesterday puts the Blues on the front foot with one day left until the decider. By comparison, Queensland will be farewelling team manager Chris Close and, quite possibly, coach Michael Hagan. "I know what's coming," Johns said of predictions he would be heavily targeted by the Maroons following his five-star representative comeback in Origin II. "They are going to try and put me on my backside, ruffle my feathers, get at me and try and wipe me out of the game. It happens every time I run on the field. I'm used to it now. I'm a big boy. I've got plenty of players around me who are going to look after me."
Seemingly more at ease than in the past with the hype swirling around him, Johns admitted his knee was still causing him problems in training. "It's sore but it's always sore," he said. "There's no other injury. I ice it after every session. There's a certain spy there at 'Wenty' Park [during training] who saw it and it's sort of run from there but there's no problem."
Both sides yesterday trained behind closed doors, with new Maroon Tonie Carroll acquainting himself with teammates at a session involving only the forwards at ANZ Stadium. Across town at Suncorp, Queensland skipper Darren Lockyer put up a series of bombs to new fullback Matt Bowen as the backs trained together.
The Blues followed a morning weights session with an intensive video briefing followed by training at Ballymore, ice baths and dinner with contest winners. With the adulation afforded Johns, Lockyer said it was up to him to lift his game after being "steady" so far this series: "[My form] hasn't been great. I guess Wednesday night, the stage is set for everyone playing to challenge themselves and bring out the best. "I want to go out there and make a difference and I guess everyone playing wants to do the same. I feel I've got to make a little bit of an improvement in this game to help the team out."
Not only has Hagan kept his thoughts on his future close to his chest, he still hasn't confirmed his starting side for tomorrow night. Lockyer did not want to comment on whether lock Carroll should start in place of the nominated Chris Flannery, but told the media: "If he [Carroll] was playing for them, the last place I'd want to see him would be starting."
Johns said he expected Carroll to play "two 20-minute spurts" and laughed off suggestions the Broncos and former New Zealand international would be set the task of shutting him down. "If he concentrates on me, I'm sure Braith [Anasta] or Mini [Anthony Minichiello] … any other players will get through the holes he creates if he comes out of the line at me," Johns said. Both sides train at the match venue today.

Mission Possible: Stuart asks Johns to be even more dominant - July 6, 2005
NSW coach Ricky Stuart has asked Andrew Johns to do the seemingly impossible in tonight's State of Origin decider - play better than he did in the last game.
Johns's five-star performance in Origin II has been the talk of rugby league in the three weeks since, with his contribution to the Blues' series-levelling win enough for many to call for him to be made one of the sport's Immortals. But as the Blues seek to win a series decider in Brisbane for the second time in 25 years, Stuart yesterday astonished reporters at training by saying he wanted the 31-year-old to improve. "If anything, we probably need a more dominant performance," Stuart said. "It's going to be a more spirited, better football team coming from Queensland. They're playing at home, they'll get the 50-50 bounces, they'll get the 50-50 calls and I'm expecting a bigger and better performance from Joey."
Told of the comments, Queensland boss Michael Hagan, Johns's club coach at Newcastle, said: "I think the circumstances in the last game allowed him to do what he did towards the back end of the game. If you are talking about performance over the course of the whole game, perhaps the capacity is there for that to happen.
"It's hard to know what to say. I just hope it doesn't!"
Stuart insisted he wasn't just making the statements about the double Golden Boot winner for dramatic effect. "It's a big request but it's within him," Stuart said.
"I think Joey can be more dominant in the game. There are ways to do it and I have spoken about that [but[ I don't need to go into it."
On the back of Johns's decision to play representative football again next year, Hagan said that he felt Johns could continue playing club football until he was 35.
"It's a bit addictive when you're involved in it," Hagan said. "Because he's missed so much footy, it's probably prolonged his career a little bit. "Players look after themselves so well now that playing when you're 31, 32 is not such a big issue to them."
Broncos forward Tonie Carroll was yesterday confirmed as starting lock for the Maroons, in place of Chris Flannery. Maroons fullback Matt Bowen said he was expecting an aerial assault from Johns. Bowen made five handling errors in his most recent club game and the North Queensland fullback said: "I'm expecting Joey to do that. He did it in game two. We're practising for it."
Hagan also said Bowen and skipper Darren Lockyer could expect to be roughed up in tackles, pointing to a heavy hit on Billy Slater last year. While Johns's name is on everyone's lips, Stuart was equally concerned that Lockyer was poised for a big game. "He's come out and said personally he hasn't been happy with his first two games," Stuart said. "When such a great player comes out and delivers that message, I think you have to show concern as a coach."
While tonight's game marks a farewell for Queensland team manager Chris Close, Hagan remains undecided as to his Origin future.

Joey's gang ready to steal show - July 06, 2005
MEET the Newcastle gang, from left, "Bedsy", "BK", "Simmo", "Joey" and "T". That's Danny Buderus, Ben Kennedy, Steve Simpson, Andrew Johns and Timana Tahu. In the good old days, the quintet used to knock about at EnergyAustralia Stadium and make life a living hell for visiting teams. Then the NRL stepped in via the salary cap and the gang was forced to split up. Johns, Buderus and Simpson stayed behind at the Knights, Kennedy moved on to find a new home and a new lease of life at Manly, while Tahu is just starting to find his feet in the centres at Parramatta. Tonight the gang gets back together for one last caper and it definitely won't be easy. It goes something like this: ride into Brisbane, pull off a job under the nose of Queensland and Newcastle boss Michael Hagan, and get the hell out of Dodge. If they can do it, the Blues will go down in State of Origin folklore as only the second team from NSW to come from 1-0 down to win the series. 
The only other time was in 1994. There are some personnel still left from that gig to help out in the form of NSW coach Ricky Stuart and assistant coach Laurie Daley. The brains of tonight's heist is Johns and he knows he's in for a tough night at the office. After dominating the Origin stage to level the series in game two, he knows he will be in the crosshairs when he walks on to Suncorp Stadium tonight. There will be 17 blokes in Queensland jumpers ready to jump him and 52,000 more Maroons in the stands with hate in their eyes egging them on. Which brings us back to the Newcastle mob. In a game that can be decided by centimetres, every little edge counts. The Maroons have an almost North Queensland backline at their disposal, while the Blues have another gang of four from St George Illawarra. But the opportunity to combine again with four of the players who helped win the Knights the 2001 premiership has Johns raring to go. Johns at halfback, Buderus at hooker, Kennedy at lock, Simpson up front and Tahu out wide. "Massive, massive advantage," Johns said, when asked about the Newcastle clique. "From my point of view with Bedsy at hooker, sometimes nothing is said between us. To play with him for so long we're on the same wavelength." 
If Queensland needs any reminders about that, it only needs to check the videotape from game two. With time running out, Johns runs at the line and somehow threads a ball through the defence for Buderus to score. So what about the rest of the gang? 
"I loved playing with BK last game and I just realised what a champ he is," Johns said. "I can't wait to play with Timana again. I've been watching him pretty closely this year and he's a sensational athlete and a great player. As for Simmo, I know if I go to the line, I know where he's going to be and what angle he's going to run. I know if there's a brick wall there, he'll get the ball and run through it for me." 
Johns knows he won't get things all his own way tonight and he faces a tough ask in going up against Queensland captain Darren Lockyer, but that simply adds to his enjoyment. "Love it, love it," he said of the impending clash. "He's without doubt the best player I've played with or against. He makes difficult things look easy. He's just so talented and a good bloke to get on with. I get on great with him off the field and I like the way he plays. There's no dirt in his game, he's a great sportsman and a great example for kids who play the game." 
Probably the best indication of how ready NSW is for this game was reflected in the tempered celebrations after game two. The message was obvious: the job was only half done. That means Johns and his mates have been scheming about this caper for the past two weeks. We will know just after 9.30 tonight whether it was enough. 

Joey can go four more - July 7, 2005
QUEENSLAND and Newcastle coach Michael Hagan has forecast the mercurial Andrew Johns could play on in the NRL until he is 35 years old.
It is a prediction that will frighten opposition coaches and clubs. Hagan said there was no reason why Johns, now 31, could not continue in the Telstra Premiership for another four years. Johns led NSW into battle for the third and deciding State of Origin match against Queensland at Suncorp Stadium last night. The Queensland coach said Johns' injury run in recent years could act as a strange advantage. Asked to put an age on Johns' retirement, Hagan said: "It's hard to put a number on it but if he wants to he might be in the game another three or four years. "If anything, because he missed so much footy, the injuries have probably prolonged his career a little bit. "Blokes look after themselves so well these days. It isn't such a big issue when we're 31 or 32 any more. I think he is still enjoying it, Joey's a great trainer and his attitude is always 100 per cent."
When asked whether Johns could still be punishing sides at 35, Hagan said: "Probably. I guess it will be a matter of how his body stands up. "But I don't see why he couldn't be playing on for a while yet."  Hagan said Johns was back to the top of his game after all the injuries. "He's playing pretty good at the moment for where he's at in terms of recovery from a couple of serious injuries," Hagan said. "But he's such a good player with so many tricks up his sleeve. He's pretty hard to coach against. That's the sort of player that he is." 

I need even more -  July 6, 2005
BLUES coach Ricky Stuart will demand more from Andrew Johns tonight – despite his halfback playing one of the greatest ever matches by a State of Origin player in game two. Johns was magnificent in Sydney but Stuart believes the Blues halfback will need to lift his game again if NSW are to beat the Maroons in Brisbane to take the Origin series. "If anything we probably need a more dominant performance from Joey," Stuart said. "Joey can be more dominant. There are ways to do it and I've spoken to him about that. We'll need it. Queensland have a better football team [this game] and they will be more spirited. They're playing at home. They will get the 50-50 bounces and the 50-50 calls."
SportsTAB last night had NSW as $1.55 favourites with Queensland at $2.30. Stuart said Johns would need greater performances from key players around him if he was going to dominate again. "I'm expecting a bigger and better performance from Joey. The only way to get that is by a bigger performance from every individual around him. They have to lift another gear," Stuart said. "That's the way great players perform better."
But Stuart acknowledged Johns would be under far greater pressure in tonight's decider. "There will be pressure on Joey but that comes with the territory," Stuart said. "You earn the tag of being a great player by handling pressure."
The Blues are fully fit and the nominated 13 are expected to start. Stuart said the Blues were prepared to battle through the tough periods of tonight's decider.
"We have prepared for worst case scenarios in segments of the game," Stuart said. "We've got a very strong team mentally so any adversity throughout the game will bounce off us because we have prepared for it and spoken about it. We know what it's like here at Suncorp Stadium – the atmosphere and the attitude of Queensland supporters. I know it lifts the players and gives the Queensland players a great buzz. But we have to use that to our advantage. The best place to play Origin football is Suncorp Stadium. It's second to none. It's where it was invented."
Stuart said the inclusion of Tonie Carroll as a starting player would make Queensland "a stronger side" and that he was "expecting Darren Lockyer to have a big game".  "I'm expecting Lockyer to lift to another level – there is a lot at stake," Stuart said. "It's going to be a great game of football. There are so many great players on show and you don't get a better environment or atmosphere than Suncorp Stadium for Origin, especially when it's the decider." 

Murray's late call on Johns tackle - July 22, 2005
North Queensland coach Graham Murray has contacted Newcastle counterpart Michael Hagan to complain about a late tackle by Andrew Johns. Murray and Hagan last night confirmed discussing Johns's tackle on Cowboys halfback Aaron Payne at EnergyAustralia Stadium in round 18 during a recent telephone conversation. The incident appears to have been missed by match reviewers and the Cowboys were made aware of it only when it was too late to take action.
"We're not one of those teams who look at every tackle and cite people but I didn't want this to go unnoticed," Murray said last night. "Aaron was hit pretty hard. I said to their coach: 'Have a look at it … if you think it's a bit wayward, tell your player'."
Payne completed the game but had swelling to one side of his face the next day. Hagan said he was yet to mention the incident to Johns. "I appreciate [Graham] giving me a call and that's all it needed, really," he said. "I had a look at it and there wasn't a lot in it, to be honest. The [camera] angle wasn't that great."

Classy Joey gives young gun a lesson for the ages - July 24, 2005, The Sun-Herald
Newcastle won, and Johns showed Smith a thing or two. Last night's masterclass: How To Dominate A Game, 101.
"I suppose it's been no secret that he's sort of looked up to me and I wanted to show him I'm not past it," Johns said after stumbling from the field from "a kick in the head" in the dying seconds. He's got a bright future and is going to be a top player. He'll enjoy himself for the next 10 years. The old bull and the young bull, write it whatever way you want."
Parramatta Stadium erupted when Smith, the 20-year-old who idolised Johns as a boy (not so long ago) and had never met him before last night, sent Paul Stringer on a bullocking run to score in just the third minute. It was 6-0 and Smith had drawn the first little bit of blood. If he was overawed by lining up against the great Johns he wasn't showing it. Smith struck again when he took the ball, danced, then sent a neat grubber kick for a former Knight, Timana Tahu, to score. Luke Burt was furious when he missed a relatively easy conversion but at 10-0 after as many minutes, the Eels appeared to be on their way. But then Johns, the relentless Knights captain who snatched the 2001 grand final from under Parramatta's nose, came up with another hatchet job. Slowly, inexorably, he turned the game his way. "It was pretty tough," Smith said. "I don't think he's past it. He played well. There's not much more I can say." 
Knights winger Trent Salkeld, fast becoming something of a try-scoring machine, pegged the early deficit back to 10-4 when he scored in the corner without an inch to spare. Johns missed the sideline kick, from his bad side on the left, but the visitors had renewed hope. They had real hope when they went to the break deadlocked at 10-10. Johns, Johns, Johns. He was everywhere in the second half. His kicking kept the Eels on their heels. He popped a deft ball to George Carmont and the Knights centre scored. The Eels trailed 16-10 and cries from the 16,168 folk in the grandstand had gone from "Go Eels!" to a more uncertain "Go Eels?" This wasn't the way it was supposed to be. "Joey probably wanted to dominate Tim as much as he could - show him who's boss a bit," Knights forward Steve Simpson said. It stayed 16-10 for the final 31 minutes. Johns kept directing play and Smith kept trying to catch up. There's no doubt the young Eels halfback will some day be something special but last night, the apprentice saw first-hand exactly who remains the master.

I see us winning the comp, says Joey - July 31, 2005, The Sun-Herald
Andrew Johns has revealed a key reason why he has extended his career until the end of 2008 - his belief that the Knights can win more NRL premierships before he hangs up his boots for good. And Johns has told how his end-of-season stint with English club Warrington came about following a chance meeting between his manager, John Fordham, and a club official during the first Ashes Test at Lord's. Johns, who signed a new two-year deal with the Knights yesterday that will take him past his 34th birthday, is convinced Newcastle at full strength can go from the cellar this year to the penthouse in the final three seasons of his illustrious career.
"I think definitely we'll be up there next year and in the years to come," he said after inspiring the Knights' 37-18 win over Melbourne last night with a performance best described as 11 out of 10. "It's been a season of what could have been. We're not just competitive, we're pretty dominant against the top teams at the moment. I'm enjoying my football and there's nothing better than the camaraderie of the team. I'm 31 but I feel like I'm a pretty young 31. "The powers that be [at the Knights] have made some great signings. The structure of the club is going to be fantastic next year. We've got some money coming in and the players will benefit from that. The confidence at training is just totally different. The guys are really putting in, working the weights. We'll be up there."
Knights coach Michael Hagan said: "The fact that Andrew will be with us for three more seasons gives the club real stability and enables us to put plans in place to mount serious premiership campaigns in the coming seasons. In my mind, he's without doubt the greatest player in the game." 
Contenders for the wooden spoon after being ravaged by injury in the first half of the season, the Knights are close to full strength again and with Johns fit and firing can beat any side in the competition. "I've always wanted to be a one-club man and it looks like it's going to happen," Johns said. The Knights gave the champion playmaker permission to play with Warrington this year as part of negotiations that led to two years being added to his current NRL contract. "I've always harboured an ambition to play in the big games in England so I'll get to do that with a short stint [six games] over there," he said. Johns's father, Gary, was in the Knights dressing room last night and said the Warrington deal had come together quickly. "It's given him a real lift," he said. "I was kind of hoping he would retire because it's been a long time for him in the game. I'm glad for him. Now he can try to get over there and win a competition in England. That's always been a goal of his."  The Johns announcement was greeted by NRL chief executive David Gallop as "great news for Knights and rugby league fans generally". Johns's current deal with Newcastle, signed in June last year after he turned his back on a switch to rugby union, is worth about $500,000 a year in payments from the Knights and another $500,000 in endorsements. It tied him to the club until the end of 2006. The new deal is understood to be of similar value in club payments. Newcastle chief executive Ken Conway said Johns's temporary move to England was still to be ratified. "The move is subject to Warrington Wolves fulfilling insurance requirements," he said. "Our new deal is a tremendous boost for the club and will avoid all the 'will he, won't he' saga that we went through last year."

Johns plans retirement from rep footy - August 1, 2005
NSW halfback Andrew Johns has agreed to retire from representative football at the end of next year's State of Origin series in a deal brokered with his club Newcastle. Johns has re-signed with the Knights until the end of the 2008 NRL season. The 31-year-old will be allowed to play between four and six games in the English Super League after Newcastle's season ends in early September. In return Johns will hang up his rep boots in 2006 and concentrate on helping the cash-strapped club rebuild. It means this year's Tri Nations international tournament and next year's Origin series will be his swansong in the representative arena.
The Knights are bottom of the NRL table and well out of contention for the finals, opening the door for Johns to play in Super League in the lead-up to the Tri Nations series. Johns could play the last two games of the English regular season followed by a maximum of four play-off ties, depending on whether his prospective club reach the grand final on October 15. Warrington has emerged as a favourite to gain his services after London Broncos and Wigan both distanced themselves from speculation over the triple Dally M Medal winner. "I'm extremely happy to commit to playing out my career with the Knights," said Johns, who has played 23 Origins for NSW and 18 Tests for Australia. "I've been with the club since I was a kid and I've been fortunate to have been a member of two premiership winning teams (1997, 2001). "We're now involved in an important rebuilding program and I look forward to playing a big part in that."
Knights coach Michael Hagan said his captain's commitment to the club was a massive boost for all concerned. "The fact that Andrew will be with us for three more seasons gives the club real stability and enables us to put plans in place to mount serious premiership campaigns in the coming seasons," he said. "In my mind he is without doubt the greatest player in the game and having him in the red and blue is certainly a satisfying feeling. I think he will be of even more value after next year without the burden of representative football on his plate."
The Knights will need to sort out their insurance requirements before signing off the deal for Johns to play in England. 

England lure makes Johns a test case - August 1, 2005
Andrew Johns is set to become the first player in the 97-year history of Australian rugby league to be granted an exemption from Test selection so he can play in a club game. The double Golden Boot winner's impending stint with Warrington at the end of the NRL season - announced on Saturday along with a renewed contract in Newcastle - has presented Johns and the Australian Rugby League with a potential date clash. The Super League grand final at Old Trafford is set down for October 16, the same day Australia and New Zealand are to open the Tri-Nations tournament at Telstra Stadium. While the Kiwis take it for granted their British-based players will put club before country - or be coerced to do so - at that time every year, no Australian has done so. "My manager is working on a proposal to the board of the ARL and I understand things are going to be OK," Johns told Britain's Sky Sports last night. If all goes well and I'm in the grand final, I think I'll be playing for Warrington."  ARL chief executive Geoff Carr said it was his understanding Warrington - fourth in the league - would not sign the 31-year-old unless tthe ARL released him from the Sydney Test. "No dispensation has been sought by Andrew Johns, although his manager has told me that dispensation will be sought," Carr said. "It will then be a matter for the board. One thing we will take into consideration is Joey's long service but we will also have to consider the effect on gate takings at Telstra Stadium if he is not available."
It is understood Newcastle officials have told Johns's agent, John Fordham, they have informally run the idea past Australian team management and received its blessing. But national coach Wayne Bennett said last night: "I haven't spoken about it with Geoff Carr yet. I would imagine it is something for him to consider. I won't say anything about it at this stage."
Fordham said it was his understanding the Australian camp welcomed the opportunity to have Johns training and playing through September in preparation for the Tri-Nations defence. He said he expected the NSW Origin star to be required for the tournament's second game, also against New Zealand at Ericsson Stadium on October 21. "I'm going to send off a letter to the ARL in the morning," he said. Since the first Kangaroos tour in 1908, players have been granted exemptions on personal or business grounds but never so they could play a domestic match - even a final. In 1908, 1948 and 1952, Australian players missed semi-finals in Sydney because they had to catch a ship to England for a Kangaroos tour. However, last year Kiwis Lesley Vainikolo, Logan Swann and Robbie Paul were prevented from playing in the opening Tri-Nations game in Auckland because of finals commitments in the UK. "There is a very remote chance of a date clash," Fordham said. "Andrew is not a British-based player, he is an Australian-based player who is having a stint in Britain. But I stress the Australian team has not been picked yet."
Johns has announced his representative career will end next July. However, NZRL officials have said they want him to fill the role of Dally Messenger, the only Australian on the 1907 pioneering All Golds tour of Britain - when the trek is re-enacted in 2007.

League Johns- 1 Aug, 2005 
In Australia, halfback Andrew Johns needs no introduction. But it seems English fans need their memories refreshed before the man considered rugby league's No.1 player arrives for a short term deal with Warrington. And it appears the classy halfback will have his work cut out living up to his reputation - as a larrikin, that is. BBC Sport has gone to great lengths to explain exactly who Johns is after all the hoopla surrounding his lucrative English debut next month. ``But who is Andrew Johns? Outside of Australia, little is known of the talented half-back known as `Joey','' the BBC Sport website said. ``In short, he is league's answer to Jonny Wilkinson and the 13-man code's wonderboy. ``But whereas England's World-Cup winning star can come across as a little dull, the 31-year-old Johns is anything but. ``Affectionately labelled a `larrikin' (a person given to comical or outlandish behaviour) by his countrymen, joker Johns lists his favourite superhero as Wonder Woman and would choose Mini Me to play him in any film biopic.'' 
But the website does get serious about ``Joker Johns''.  The Newcastle halfback is hailed as ``a man deemed by most to be the best player of his generation'' by BBC. And the story also features a glowing assessment by Great Britain and Wigan great Shaun Edwards. ``He is simply the greatest player in rugby league history,'' he told BBC. Johns is expected to make his much anticipated English debut on September 11 against Leeds after Warrington dump either Graham Appo or Nathan Wood to accommodate the halfback under its import quota. He is reportedly raking in $20,000 a game for his short stint which will consist of six matches - if Warrington makes the October 16 grand final. Warrington is cashed up thanks to majority shareholder, music promoter Simon Moran who gave an indication of his spending power by offering STG200,000 ($A465,700) to sign Great Britain centre Martin Gleeson last year. Adding to the intrigue over the deal, Johns's agent John Fordham came up with the English stint when he bumped into Moran during the recent first Ashes cricket Test at Lord's. But Warrington is no stranger to an Australian halfback. Brisbane legend Allan Langer made 47 appearances for the club from 2000-01. 

I would never be disloyal: Joey - August 4, 2005 
ANDREW Johns hit out at claims yesterday he did not value the Australian Test jumper and dismissed criticism his playing stint with Warrington is no more than a "grab for money".  Johns formally announced plans last night during a satellite hook-up with English media to take up the offer of a short-term playing deal with the Super League club when his commitments with Newcastle finish early next month. He will play between four and six games during his stint with Warrington, depending on how far the club progresses in the play-offs. The criticism of the Newcastle captain has come because of a potential clash between the Super League grand final and the opening Tri-Series Test between Australia and New Zealand on October 15 in Sydney. Johns' intention is to apply to the ARL for an exemption from playing in the Test to allow him to play in the Super League decider should Warrington qualify. "I've made a commitment to go over there and play out the season with Warrington," he said earlier this week. "It wouldn't be fair on them to pull out if we were lucky enough to make it through to the grand final." 
But there are now suggestions Johns' international career could be over if he withdraws from the Test against the Kiwis. And former leading players, including the likes of Tom Raudonikis, Gorden Tallis and Steve Renouf, have openly criticised his decision to put an English club ahead of wanting to play for Australia. Johns was yesterday reluctant to buy into the argument but bristled at claims he was devaluing the Australian jumper or was going to England for the money. "Plenty of people seem to want to voice their opinion on me going over there and I can't stop them," he said. "But saying that it is motivated by money - that it's a grab for money - is rubbish. This is not a money decision and it's not about me not wanting to play for Australia. People who know me well know I have always wanted to play in England. The problem with that is I have a son [Samuel] over here who I wouldn't want to leave and be away from to go over there for a full season. When this opportunity came up, it gave me the chance to experience English footy without having to be away from him for too long. It also gives me the opportunity to finish my career in Newcastle with the Knights. I wasn't aware initially about the clash with the Test. But Warrington making it through to the grand final is still a big 'if' so it may not be a problem anyway." 
Asked did he think he was devaluing the Australian jumper, Johns said: "Mate, no one loves playing for Australia more than I do. "I have my first ever Test jumper at home - I've still got all of them and won't be giving any of them away. "It's the biggest honour there is. "But as I said, the whole thing is all about 'what ifs' and I just don't think it has to be an issue right now." 

Joey's critics just taking cheap shots By Phil Gould - August 7, 2005
Andrew Johns wants to play in the Super League grand final in England, thereby making himself unavailable for the Tri-Nations game between Australia and New Zealand the same weekend. What's the problem? 
Oh, he's putting money before playing for his country, cheapening the Australian jersey and putting himself above everyone else in the game. I've never heard such rubbish and hypocrisy. First, money has nothing to do with it. Johns has always dreamt of playing in big, end-of-season games in England. Why wouldn't he? Like all kids, Johns watched Challenge Cup finals live from Wembley Stadium. The atmosphere at these big games in England is very special. Johns should be entitled to take advantage of this once-in-a-lifetime chance. Second, if he is doing it for the money, he wouldn't be the first player to turn his back on a green-and-gold jersey for a bit of the folding stuff. Some speaking out against Johns have very short memories. Ten years ago, a host of professional players signed with a rebel rugby league competition owned by a media company for lucrative contracts despite knowing this would exclude them from representing the traditional Australian Kangaroos. They didn't think twice about taking the money. We've seen plenty of players declaring unavailability for tours for reasons less important and far less legitimate than Joey's. Clubs have encouraged players not to play representative football so they can repair injuries or have a rest. The line about cheapening the Australian jersey really makes me boil. Newsflash, boys and girls: people have been cheapening and devaluing the Australian jersey for decades. Don't kid yourselves. Selections for our national teams have been very political. Powerful figures in the game have influenced selections to get certain players a start. We've seen trade-offs between Queensland and NSW selectors. Coaches have shown favouritism towards players, leaving more deserving players from rival clubs to miss out. On the Kangaroos tour a couple of years ago, Australia selected an ageing Australian player from the local league in England rather than give an opportunity to perfectly fit players who were already part of the touring party. Don't talk to me about cheapening the Australian jersey. Every time we stop the New Zealanders fielding their best line-up to play against Australia we cheapen the Australian jersey.
The following blokes could play for New Zealand but for the antiquated qualification system we have in place: Tonie Carroll, Luke Covell, Sam Harris, Karmichael Hunt, Reni Maitua, Willie Mason, Timana Tahu, Brad Thorn, Johnathan Thurston, Anthony Tupou, Richard Villasanti and Carl Webb.
Discouraging them from playing for their country with the lure of State of Origin football is cheapening the Australian jersey more than anything Johns is contemplating. Why are we cheapening the international game by playing a Test match before the Origin series? 
Who scheduled a Tri-Nations game for the same weekend as the English grand final? An international would never clash with the grand final in Australia.
The same thing happened last year. New Zealand had six players involved in the Super League grand final between Bradford and Leeds who, as a result, were unavailable for New Zealand in the game against Australia: Shontayne Hape (Bradford), Lesley Vainikolo (Bradford), Joe Vagana (Bradford), Robbie Paul (Bradford), Logan Swann (Bradford), Ali Lauiti'iti (Leeds). This year there are 12 New Zealand players in the running to be playing on Super League grand final day so who is responsible for scheduling a Tri-Nations game that weekend and weakening the Kiwis' national team?
How does this happen? Who is responsible? Why don't the Kiwis have access to their best players when they play Australia? Without strong competition on the international stage, we are cheapening the results attained by the Australian team. Johns could never damage the international game to the degree Australian administrators have over the years. And what about those who destroyed rugby league in the Pacific Islands?
Johns's appearance will assist the game in Britain enormously. Lifting league's profile there will do far more good for the game internationally than any act we have seen from an administrator in my time. Let Andrew play his grand final in England and, when it's done, welcome him back into the Australian team with open arms. 

Johns has had no equal this year  - August 11, 2005 
I don't care if his Knights run last and he doesn't win any of the competition's established player-of-the-year awards: Andrew Johns is the player of the year, without a doubt. In fact, Johns is more the player of the year in 2005 than in any of the previous years he has received the award. Considering the circumstances, what he has done for Newcastle and NSW and what he continues to do for the Knights is phenomenal. It is a reminder of how the greatest competitors in any sport are a different breed and how nature's rules don't necessarily apply to them as they do to the merely good competitor. I apparently needed that reminder, because I wrote something after three rounds this season that I wish I hadn't. 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. If only there hadn't been a space in the paper to fill that day. 
I pointed out the Bronco and Australian five-eighth, Darren Lockyer, had been about level-pegging with Johns before the Newcastle playmaker injured his knee early last season, and that Lockyer had only improved and was in sublime form. Johns was 31, he was returning from a reconstruction and Newcastle were struggling. I ventured that even if he got back to feeling great within himself, he might not get the chance to show it playing for the Knights. Thank God I stopped there, before I really put my foot in it … The time Johns was forced to spend out of the game after he broke his jaw against the New Zealand Warriors in round six in mid-April was the best thing that could have happened to him. It gave him the chance to recover from the knee operation without the added pressure of trying to carry the Knights while so many of their other leading players were out injured. Since his jaw healed, Johns has played in nine games and been a winner seven times - five out of seven for Newcastle and two out of two for NSW. His games in Origins II and III must both rank in the best 10 of his career and yet he was selected only in an emergency situation after chosen halfback Trent Barrett broke down at Blues training. When they chose the Origin II team, the selectors - seemingly with good reason - believed Johns, after only one game back from the broken jaw, would not be ready. The more even that this fantastic NRL competition gets, the more it emphasises how much the great players like Johns, Lockyer and the now retired Brad Fittler are really worth. Most think they are paid too much, but perhaps - as well paid as they are - they don't gget enough. The difference in Newcastle without Johns and Brisbane minus Lockyer has always been clear, but the discrepancy becomes greater when the competition gets as compressed as it is now. The spread of playing talent, caused by the salary cap, has made the elite players even more valuable because they are now operating in a situation where the team bases are more equal. Johns, Lockyer and other top-class performers can make an even greater impact from that starting point. Look at Sydney Roosters with and without Fittler. The Roosters hadn't made the finals since 1987. Fittler arrived there in 1996 and they made the finals for nine straight years. Now, despite the fact there are still plenty of other representative players at the club, in the first year of Freddie's retirement the Roosters are about to miss out for the first time since he joined. If that doesn't tell a story about the true worth of the best players, nothing does. No wonder English club Warrington have paid a fortune to get Johns for an end-of-season cameo in the Super League. 
I won't, for a moment, doubt that he is capable of inspiring the Wolves to go all the way and win the competition. I've learned my lesson. The debate over whether Johns should give up an Australian jumper should Warrington make the grand final, which clashes with the opening game of the Tri-Nations series, will continue. It doesn't need my help to keep it pumping along, but I'd like to make one point. Johns owes the game plenty, but rugby league owes him just as much, and after all the injury setbacks he has had in recent years no one would have held it against him had he decided to retire when he tore his anterior cruciate ligament early last season, which ruled him out for that year. It is the game's good fortune that he chose to come back. 

How Joey and Warrington Happened?
Mike Wainwright gives an insider's view on Warrington's sensational signing of Andrew Johns, from how the team found out, to what kind of impact Joey will have when he arrives. Most of the Warrington players found out Andrew Johns was signing for us in exactly the same way the rest of the rugby league world did - from the press. The first I found out was looking on Teletext. It had been mentioned within the team that Paul Cullen was trying to strengthen the team before the end of the season, so when I saw a story on Teletext that Andrew Johns was coming to play in Super League I put two and two together and wondered if Paul had gone for him. But we weren't sure until the club officially released it to the press that we'd made him an offer. www.knightsheadquarters.com 
Four of the lads had been tipped off. When something like this happens, it's generally the club captain who finds out first, so Lee Briers knew about it. And Paul had told the three overseas players, Brent Grose, Nat Wood and Graham Appo, because unfortunately Joey signing for us meant one of them would have to be de-registered. 
It's caused a lot of discussion about the rights and wrongs of signing a player at this stage of the season. One question which people have been asking is how the rest of the squad feel about Andrew coming into a team which has gone well all year, to play for the last few games. Obviously the players are very excited about him coming. From my point of view it's great at this stage of my career to have the chance to play in the same team as the world's best player. I feel a bit sorry for whoever is going to miss out but it's a team game and you've always got to look out for ways you can improve the team. Players come and go from clubs, it's part of the business that we are in. www.knightsheadquarters.com 
You sometimes are in a situation where a player in your squad has been injured all year and comes back and makes a difference in the last few games - so I suppose that's similar to the situation with Johns and Warrington. It doesn't matter how many games you've played earlier in the season, it's the impact you make when you come in that counts, and we know Andrew is coming over to give it 100% in the games he's playing for us. So nobody will accuse him of coming in on the back of everyone else's hard work - the club have done it for the team's benefit so all the players are positive about it. Of course you hear all sorts of figures being bandied around about what he'll be earning but you can go through everybody's squad and there's talk about what players earn big money! It's a fact of life that players earn different salaries and when he's in our team the last thing on his team-mates minds will be what he's earning. One thing which has become apparent from speaking to Paul and Lee is how keen Andrew Johns is on joining Warrington. He's been on the phone to Paul discussing tactics and how he is going to work with the rest of the team, and he's also said he's not only coming over to play for the first team. He's going to make time to do some extra sessions with the young kids coming through, and that's a good sign because he obviously realises that it will give everybody at the club a lift to have a player of such a high calibre around. He's going to put himself out a bit to help everyone learn as much from him as they can, and everybody at the club will gain from the experience of Andrew Johns playing for Warrington. Andrew is very much an individual player who creates things off the cuff, so it's very difficult to have a structure specifically to play around him. We'll have our general structure but it will be more important for us to learn how to read his game very quickly. And how he plays with Newcastle Knights won't necessarily be how he plays with Warrington because he's in a totally different team with different players. The players don't know yet whether he'll be playing left side, right side or both - these are the questions which are unanswered but will become clear as we approach those games where he'll be playing for us.
It's going to lift our game to play with the world's best player but it is probably going to fire up the opposition as well - so we will need to make sure it lifts us that little bit more than it does them. The form of our last two games against Leeds and Saints isn't good enough for us to win the Grand Final - but things can turn around very quickly. We've been close to Leeds and Saints when we played them earlier in the season, and we know we haven't been at our best the last two matches. Johns coming into the team can only be a positive for the next time we face them. We've used a small squad this season which has it's advantages and disadvantages. If you play the same players every week then they're going to get tired eventually and we have a few bruised, battered and sore bodies at the moment, but the plus side is everybody gets used to each others' games. The problem with using a bigger squad is that we aren't like football where you have two games a week and in a bigger squad you get players who miss a lot of matches. A lot of players don't like that and personally I'm one who wants to be in every match. Every team at this stage of the season starts to get affected by a bit of fatigue so it's up to the players and the coaching staff to nurse those bodies through the week and get them freshened up for the next match. A good example of that is Shane Millard, who Leeds have just signed for next season. He's a real tough bloke who pushes his body every week, he's often got some sort of injury or other but he does everything he can to get on the field for the next game. Shane's a good mate of Nat Wood, and he'll be a good investment at Leeds. Widnes will be sorry to see him go. Unfortunately one bloke who won't be able to push himself back is Scully (pictured) who's gone for the season with a knee injury. Club teams who have to come up against Saints will see it as a benefit that they don't have to face Scully, but from an international point of view we'll really miss him in the Tri Nations. It's a big blow for British rugby.

Joey agrees to be the Messenger - August 18, 2005 
Andrew Johns last night said he would bring down the curtain on his representative career by accepting the role of Dally Messenger in a re-enactment of rugby league's first international tour. In a gesture that would assure the 31-year-old's place in the game's history as the player of his generation, New Zealand Rugby League chairman Selwyn Pearson confirmed he wanted Johns to play on the Kiwis' 2007 tour of Great Britain. The trek marks the 100th anniversary of the pioneering All Golds, who took Messenger, the father of Australian rugby league, with them. Johns is due to retire from representative football at the end of next year's Origin series, but said: "I would be honoured if invited to travel to Great Britain with the side in 2007. "To think that, 100 years after rugby league's first international tour, they would pick me to fill such a historic role is absolutely incredible." 
The 1907 "professional All Blacks", dubbed the All Golds by The Sydney Morning Herald because they were accepting money, introduced rugby league to Australia when they stopped here on the way to Britain. Secretly assembled by promoter A. H. Baskiville and including four defecting All Blacks, they set up games with the internationally isolated Northern Union, which had broken away from English rugby union 12 years before. League was born in Australia when a team was assembled to play against them en route. Messenger then joined the tourists and was such a phenomenon in England that he was offered association football contracts. But he decided to return to Sydney, with his popularity ensuring the success of the new code when it kicked off here the following year. 
Speaking after a lunch in Auckland to farewell France-bound Warriors great Stacey Jones, Pearson told the Herald: "I'd love Andrew to be available. It will depend where he is at in his career, I suppose. "He would be absolutely perfect. At Stacey's luncheon today, they did a video link [with Johns]. It's not just Australians who love Joey; we do, too. Obviously we wished he was a New Zealander. We are talking 100 years ago with Dally Messenger - Joey Johns, he's right up there." ;
Johns's representative farewell was tipped to be in Origin III next year, to be held in the far-from-traditional environs of Melbourne's Telstra Dome. 
He now has the opportunity to leave a more compelling final memory of his time in the game, one that will be remembered long after the controversy about whether he turns down an Australian jersey on October 15 this year is forgotten. 

Better, but not my best - August 20, 2005 
ANDREW Johns will admit to being older, wiser and a little bit smarter on the football field these days but better . . . not likely.  After finally putting three seasons of injury heartache behind him, Johns has firmly re-established himself as the premier player in the world over the past three months. But the Newcastle captain doesn't go along with suggestions his current purple patch of form is the best of his career. "I wouldn't say I'm playing better now than at other times throughout my career," he said prior to leaving for Auckland to lead the Knights against the Warriors tonight. "I think I'm playing a bit smarter.  Picking my times better to get involved and not over-playing things which I have been guilty of in the past. That's because I'm getting older and a little bit wiser and probably a little bit slower, I suppose." 
But there are those, including his coach Michael Hagan, who firmly believe that Johns, at age 31, is at the peak of his powers right now. "I haven't seen him play any better than he is at present," Hagan said. "It's a combination of a lot of things. He is fit and healthy and just seems to have so much energy to put himself in the game all the time. He had close to 40 carries of the football against Manly last Sunday which is extremely high and in the end, they just could not contain him. Confidence is another thing and he is playing with more patience than he ever has in the past. As a package, he has just been outstanding and the players around him have really supported and fed off him." 
Statistics obtained by the Saturday Daily Telegraph back up Hagan's appraisal and reveal just how devastating Johns has been since his unbelievable performance in Origin 11. In the final two games of the series, he was directly responsible for five of the 11 tries the Blues scored and of the six he didn't set up, he had a hand in the lead-up to five of them. It gets better. Newcastle's resurgence to win six of their last eight games after 13 straight defeats to start the season has been largely off the back of Johns' brilliance. In the seven games he has played for the Knights since Origin III, Johns has set up a staggering 17 tries and scored two himself out of a total of 30 tries. It started in round 16 when Newcastle broke its long losing streak to win their first game of the season against Penrith. 
Johns led the fightback that night and finished with three try assists in his side's five try win. Since then, he and hooker Danny Buderus have been Newcastle's best just about every week. Even in defeat, the Knights halfback has been dominant. Against the Sharks in round 19 when the Knights lost a golden point extra time thriller, Johns created all four of Newcastle's tries in the match. It was the only defeat he has experienced in the past 10 weeks. 

Johns is chasing awards -  August 29, 2005
THIS column comes with a stamp saying "No responsibility taken" for anyone who might accidentally think it is an official dogma of the Dally M. It carries a cigarette-type warning saying anyone who accepts this contemplative musing as a prediction could suffer incredible damage to their intelligence. But there has to be a possibility of Andrew Johns walking away with an unprecedented four Dally M's this year. Please don't think I'm saying that because I know the result or I've seen the final numbers or that I've had a leak from the overall judge. No. This is all my own work. I may be so far off track that today colleagues will come and scratch the country music discs on my desk as retribution for my audacity. All I can do is suggest that if you appreciate my prescience, send a cheque in three weeks time. If I'm wrong, say nothing. I just happened to think that Johns has been doing magical things every time I seem to watch Newcastle live or see their games on TV. He must, at the very least, be in line to be: 
* Best representative player after picking NSW up by the back of the neck and inspiring them to win games two and three to take the Origin series;
* The Peter Frilingos Award for a headline performance for Origin II.
* Best halfback after a string of mesmerising performances to revitalise Newcastle.
And those same performances in helping lift Newcastle, could put him within striking distance of the Dally M as best player. Statistics released this week show Johns has been involved in 42 of his teams' 47 tries (NSW and Newcastle) while he has been on the field. It is an incredible statistic and should have earned Johns points from the wide variety of Dally M judges. Naturally there have been other great performers this year. Manly's Ben Kennedy is one. So is the Roosters' Anthony Minichiello, who was also the official man of the series in the Origin series. There's the Tigers' exciting Benji Marshall and Scott Prince heading the younger challenge and Darren Lockyer and his Broncos who would have polled points early when the team was dominating the competition and Parramatta's tireless Nathan Hindmarsh. There are a lot of contenders and winning four awards would make history. It might not happen but if anyone can, it would be Johns. 

Alpha Article on Matty and Andrew Johns
All together, everybody, to the tune of the Itchy and Scratchy theme song:  They fight, and bite, They fight and bite and fight!
Fight fight fight, bite bite bite, The Matty and Joey Show!
Hye, nobodys suggesting that rugby league's most famous brothers are at each other's throat like the murderous cat-and-dog duo from The Simpsons. Not for real, anyway. But there's a buzz when the Johns boys walk into a room - a prodding, niggling, poking vibe that is so damn funny it deserves theme music. And when the brothers walk out two hours later, after a rat-a-tat barrage of one-liners and put-downs - and an awful lot of arse-pinching - the room feels so empty you almost expeect credits to roll. Matthew, of course, is chief tormentor. "Watch 'Joey' over there," he warns as Andrew gets changed for the photo shoot. "He acts like he doesn't care about clothes, but the only reason he got here early is so he could have first pick."
"Stop talking s-t," Joey replies. It's a weak comeback. Matthew usually finishes on top in the never-ending battle of lip. Usually.  "When we played footy together he used to wear screw-in studs to make him an inch taller," Matthew taunts. "Mate, I've got an inch on him everywhere," Joey deadpans. Yep, it's the Matty and Joey show all right. And not just in the studio where Alpha has cornered the boys, but in the sport of rugby league itself. In the decade-and-a-half since the brothers pulled on the red and blue of the Newcastle Knights, they've become nearly as big as the game itself. And they haven't done it through arrogance or showiness or trash-talking, but by being incredibly good at what they do. Joey, 31, is good with a footy in his hands. That's a bit like saying Pavarotti warbles all right in the shower, because Andrew Johns is into Pele territory now. His 80 minutes of devilish kicks and perfect passes in this year's State of Origin II, coming on the heels of a broken jaw and a bung knee, had "best player of all time" written all over it. Matty, 34, and in his third full year of retirement, wasn't exactly clumsy with a footy, either, as his collection of sky blue NSW jerseys and green and gold tracksuits proves. But it's with a microphone in one hand and a can of retro KB lager in the other that he's really made his mark. Everyone wants a piece of Matty the commentator, Matty the Footy Show regular and Matty the entertainer - not to mention his piss- taking, piss-swilling, moustachioed alter ego, Reg Reagan.  Australia has had plenty of successful sporting brothers down the years - so let's play the comparison game. If they were the Chappells, which one would they be?
"I'm not really sure - they're a bit before my time," Joey answers. "But Matty would be Trevor Chappell. He's the underarmer in the family."
Matty cracks up. The seasoned funny man knows there are times you don't heckle down the heckler. How about the Waughs?
"I'd probably be Mark. He likes a bet," says Joey. He has no issue posing for the camera just hours before leading the last-placed Knights to victory against second-placed Parramatta Eels in a Saturday night game. "I'd only be in the TAB anyway."
Matty leans toward the other cricketing twin. "I'd be Steve. I'm more analytical. For me to score a hundred as a cricketer, I'd have to do 100 hours of preparation. Joey would just pick up a bat and go out and score it."
Joey the natural we can understand - but Matty the analyst? The man with a bagful of Reggie mo's, whose humour is so off the cuff, it's sleeveless?
"As a footballer I always used to prepare well and I've carried that work-ethic beyond football. Old habits die hard." The boys' manager, Nick Fordham, confirms Matty is a real swotter, who does serious homework before any on-camera appearance. "Both brothers work so hard behind the scenes to be where they are today," Fordham says. "Seeing what Andrew puts himself through to get back from injury is nothing short of frightening, and Matty is meticulous in all facets of his life."
In truth, there's probably a touch of Mark and Steve in each. Both Johns boys leave nothing to chance. Yet in a delicious irony, both love a bet.
True to character, Matty claims to be quite the form student. "Liar!" Joey counters. "Matty rings me every Saturday, frothin' at the mouth for my tips. It's not, ‘How ya going? How ya feeling? Good luck with the footy,' it's 'Where's your tips? What's gonna win today? Have ya got any mail?'"  Matty sticks to his guns. "I enjoy the process of betting, so on a Friday I'll go and get a Best Bets and study it on the way to the game. Sad, isn't it? I'm turning into my old man."
Gary, the old man, is a mining unionist who looked certain to play league in Sydney (with St George) until injury intervened. "He passed on a hunger to succeed to us," says Matty. . That hunger bore fruit in the early '90s, as the Knights became a rugby league powerhouse on the back of the Johns-Johns combination: Matthew at five-eighth, Joey at halfback. Talk in those days was always of "the Johns boys". But Matty knew who the real star was. 'After a year or two in grade, I thought 'Oh, Jesus Christ, I'm getting left behind here.'  "I wouldn't have been the player I was if I hadn't played alongside Andrew."
The highlight of those years was Newcastle's 1997 ARL premiership, when Darren Albert scored on the last play to sink favourites Manly. Less well remembered is that Joey set up the try, shunning the obvious option of the infield pass and field-goal attempt, to run the blind side and pass to Albert. And that was after coming out of hospital on the Friday with a punctured lung. to a backdrop of newspaper headlines screaming, "You Will Die!"
Afterwards, the pair posed together for memorable brothers-in-arms shots, as supporters lined the F3 freeway all the way to Newcastle. Joey spent the week stage diving, dressing in drag and skateboarding shirtless. An article by Neil Jameson in the Australian Magazine summarised it beautifully. "Bart Simpson meets Don Bradman".  In 2000, Newcastle were forced to axe Matty for financial reasons. The decision caused outrage among fans - and in the Johns family. "I was ready tto go," Joey told The Australian in 2003, "until Matthew pulled me aside and gave me some great advice. He said, 'If you go, go for your own reasons, but don't go because of what happened tome.'"
The brothers have always sought each other's counsel at crucial moments, as well as working on ideas together. One of Joey's signature moves is the banana kick: an attacking cross-field manoeuvre that deliberately slews off the side of the boot. The banana's precise origins are hazy. AFL and Ricky Stuart were both influences, but it was Matty who helped Joey hone the kick. (Players of the calibre of rugby union's Carlos Spencer and Jonny Wilkinson say it's just one aspect of Joey's game they have copied.)  Matty acts as both aide and counterweight to his brother. "Blokes like Andrew get so much praise, they deserve to go down a notch," he says. Matthew goes about his work of de-deifying his brother by constantly calling him "barge arse".  "Kids now ask me to sign my autograph as barge arse," Joey admits. "Young kids just love it. They think it's my name."
That's the genius of Matty/Reg: nothing is sacred. Who else could have got on board the NSW bus before this year's all-important Origin III decider? Who else could have lampooned Mark Gasnier's late-night phone exploits to his face? Or introduced Jason Stevens - the Cronulla prop saving himself for sex after marriage - to a TV audience as "a man who hasn't made love for 10 years".
"I've never put a bloke on the spot who doesn't want it," Matty says. "I asked Stevo if I could introduce him like that and he said, 'That's gold!'"
Sure, there have been outbreaks of brotherly biffo. In 1996, Matty was out with a few mates from the Knights. "Naturally you don't ask your brother to go everywhere [with you]," he recalls. But Newcastle is a small town. When Joey happened to see his brother in the window of a Darby St restaurant, he took it as a snub and all hell broke loose. Or so the papers reported. Matty denies there was any real drama. "It was like handbags at 10 paces."
You can't fake the closeness these guys have. Both are fathers, and the first thing they do when they meet is ask about each other's families. Matty discusses his kids' snowboarding exploits; he's just taken the family to Perisher Blue (NSW) to film The Footy Show's snow episode, as well as snowboarding sequences for the new Reg Reagan DVD (the last one went five times platinum: everything he touches, from books to CDs and DVDs, sells like hot cakes). Joey says he seeks out his five-year-old son Samuel in the crowd at games. "I look for him when there's a break in play. The other day I was kicking for touch and I saw him sitting there. He was waving pompoms, which is a bit of a worry."
That Joey can take game-time out to look for his son says volumes about his control on the football field. He's also in the rare position of being able to control his destiny after footy - whenever that day comes. "I'll decide about retirement midway through '06; see how I'm going, see if I'm still enjoying the game," he says. "Hopefully I'll play Origin next year. It's the jewel in the crown for rugby league, isn't it?"
Beyond that is anyone's guess. "I don't know what 1 want to do, " he says. "I don'twant to be a first grade coach, but 1 would like to do some individual coaching or troubleshooting."  An obvious road is the Channel Nine commentary box. Kerry Packer certainly appeared to be wooing him at an Origin function this year.
"1 said, 'Where am 1 sitting?' and they said, 'Next to Mr. Packer,'" Joey recalls. "I was terrified, but he's very relaxed. He's a sports nut. He talked all about players he loved in cricket and footy; he's a really good fella."  For now, Joey's the king on-field, Matty the king off it. Which brings us to the most obvious question of all: which one of the Johns boys would the Johns boys choose to be?
Joey' s in no doubt. 'T d be Matthew. He hasn't had knee problems, neck problems, back problems: he's not getting bashed into every week. Plus he earns five times as much as me. Matty's in everything but a s-t sandwich."  Would Matty step into Joey's shoes?
"Nah, have a look at that body. When he finishes, he'll explode. And what about those lines? He's a candidate for the Botox, eh? Eh?"
"He's slowly turning into Reg," Joey says, shaking his head. "He gets a KB in his hand and he turns into Reg."
"Reg's got a great life," Matty says. "Seven wives, a palace out at Lidcombe, gets pissed every day, not in the least bit PC... "
Then, in a brief flash of seriousness, Matty raps his little brother. "Look, at the moment, Joey's the world's best footballer. I honestly believe he's the best player we've ever seen." And Matty's not motivated to outdo him in other ways? "Hand on heart, 1 can honestly say 1 never try and outdo Andrew," he says. "We just get along."  Then he pinches his brother's arse, as Joey rolls his eyes.