Johns to bow out in Anzac Test
Andrew Johns wants to play for Australia in the Anzac Test against New Zealand in Brisbane on May 5, in what he says will be his last representative appearance.
The star Knights half-back met Kangaroos coach Ricky Stuart in Newcastle this week and confirmed he would be available for selection in the trans-Tasman showcase. But Johns says he is now retired from State of Origin football, bringing the curtain down on a glittering career spanning 23 matches for New South Wales. His manager John Fordham said the 31-year-old wanted to make sure he stayed fit for his NRL club side Newcastle after a run of injuries in recent years.
"He's just got to manage his health," Fordham said. "It's a long season, he's not getting any younger, he's still playing brilliantly. A commitment to the Origin program is about a six-week commitment, and Joey feels at this stage of his career it would be taking too much out of him."
Fordham said Stuart had been "extremely happy" to hear the news at his meeting with Johns, who had indicated that he would not play for Australia again after injuring his knee while playing for the Kangaroos at the end of last season. "It'll be Ricky's first Test as coach of Australia and to have the best footballer in the world in his side will be a great bonus," he predicted. New South Wales Origin coach Graham Murray said he was disappointed he would not get to coach Johns in a Blues jersey, but supported his decision to retire from the team. "He's on top of his game at the moment as we've all seen," he said. "Particularly at Origin level last year he was very good. But he's a bit concerned that the toll of the arduous Origin series might just affect his club football - and you've got to respect that."
Murray said Johns broke the news to him over the phone. "I said good on you mate, you've made a decision that obviously you've thought long and hard about," he said. "I said you've made a decision that's very respectful of your football club that's been very good to you over a long period of time."
The Knights suffered a string of losses last season when Johns was absent through injury, but almost avoided the wooden spoon when he returned to spark them to several victories at the end of the season. Johns's place in the Anzac Test side now rests in the hands of Kangaroos selectors.

Knights face the unthinkable: life after Joey - March 28, 2006
Newcastle has begun to plan for life after Andrew Johns with the NRL club today announcing the re-signing of former junior Kangaroo Jarrod Mullen until 2009. 
Mullen said the chance to continue his development under the guidance of Johns was a major factor in his decision to stay with the Knights. "I do a lot of work with him and to have a player like that and learn of him, be his apprentice, I suppose, is just amazing," Mullen said. "I don't think anyone can replace Joey... I'll do my best job." 
The Newcastle junior was thought to be highly sought after by opposing clubs but chose not to test his value on the open market after the June 30 anti-tampering deadline. There where rumours Parramatta-bound Knights coach Michael Hagan would try and lure Mullen to the Eels next season. But Hagan said he was pleased for both Mullen and Newcastle. "I think it is a really good situation for the club to be in, I think Jarrod has been a tremendous talent for the club in the last couple of years, it's good for the club that he has agreed to stay and for his development I think down the track he is going to be a very good player for the club," said Hagan, who has signed a three-year deal to coach the Eels from 2007. "He has a great attitude and is regarded as a future playmaker for the club. This is an important signing for the Knights long term success." 
Opportunities in the immediate future, however, may be rare for Mullen, with the Knights current scrum-base duo of Johns and Kurt Gidley in scintillating form. 
But Mullen has found some positives in being stuck behind such an established combination. "I'm learning a lot in premier league actually, I get my hands on the ball a fair bit," Mullen said. "If I was in first grade playing outside Joey I don't think I would be touching the ball much because he plays a pretty dominant role... I'll get my chance I hope, I've just got to take it when it comes." 

Johns to celebrate milestone against Warriors - March 29, 2006. 
Andrew Johns will reach a career milestone when he takes on the New Zealand Warriors this weekend, joining Tony Butterfield as the most capped Newcastle first grade player in the club's history. Johns will play his 229th game for the Knights against the Warriors in the round four National Rugby League match at Marathon Stadium on Sunday. The New South Wales and Australian representative made his debut for the club back in 1993, and Newcastle chief executive Ken Conway praised his efforts with the club. "It is an outstanding achievement and we congratulate Andrew on this milestone and the contribution he's made to the club," he said in a statement released by the club. The 31-year old recently announced he would be standing down from all representative football after this year's Anzac Test against New Zealand in Brisbane on May 5 to focus on maintaining his club form. Johns, a premiership-winner with Newcastle in 1997 and 2001, will be looking to continue the Knights' winning form this season against the lowly Warriors. Newcastle sit atop the premiership ladder with three wins from as many matches, while the Warriors cracked their first win of the season against the Tigers last weekend but remain in last position on the table after they were docked four competition points before the season for salary cap breaches. The Knights have named the same team that disposed of the Bulldogs 46-22 in round three.

One last Test for Joey after Ricky's plea for revenge - March 29, 2006 
ANDREW Johns is set to farewell representative football with a final appearance for Australia in the upcoming Anzac Test. Johns agreed to the one-off appearance after secret talks with Test coach Ricky Stuart in Newcastle yesterday. However, he has ruled out playing for NSW in this year's State of Origin series. The decision follows a personal plea from Stuart for help in avenging the loss to New Zealand in last year's Tri-Nations final. After making a stunning comeback for the Blues in game two of last year's Origin series, Johns indicated he had retired from rep football when he injured his knee in the second match of the Tri-Nations tournament. Having extended his Newcastle contract until 2008, he said he wanted to preserve his ageing body to prolong his club career. Johns has been in scintillating form and looks refreshed after four seasons that had ended prematurely due to injury. Stuart met Johns in Newcastle yesterday and was determined to convince the star No.7 to keep playing for NSW and Australia. John Fordham, who manages both men, was also at the meeting. It is understood Johns agreed to make himself available for the Anzac Test against New Zealand on May 5. ARL chief executive Geoff Carr said Johns did not need to declare his hand until the selectors met on April 30 to pick the Test team. "He still has plenty of time to make up his mind," Carr said. "We haven't pushed him for a decision and it's not up to us to push him. We don't need to know until the selectors sit down to pick the Test team the Sunday prior to the game. We certainly hope he plays again. We believe another year of rep footy will cap off a great career for Joey." 

I wish Joey had quit last year - March 30, 2006
MICHAEL Hagan has only one regret about Andrew Johns' decision to quit Origin football - that he didn't make the call this time last year. "I might have had an Origin series win on my resume if he had," last season's Queensland coach said yesterday. "It's a noble gesture from him with the sort of form he is in at the moment. He would have walked into the NSW side again and I know Graham Murray [Blues coach] was looking for his number a week ago. It's certainly a big sacrifice he is making and it shows how unselfish the bloke is. But from the point of view of the Knights, I have no doubts it will have a positive effect for us." 
Hagan revealed he has been discussing representative football with Johns for the past three or four weeks. "We'd spoken about it a few times but it was always his decision to make," Hagan said. "He's desperate to win another premiership before he finishes and he is pretty conscious of how tough the Origin series is on the body. We'll lose the likes of Danny Buderus, Steve Simpson, possibly Matt Gidley and even one or two others to Origin this year. Having Andrew there fulltime is going to make a huge difference. He can play the sort of role Brad Fittler played at the Roosters a few years back when he stepped back from rep footy." 
Johns' brother Matthew is also glad to see the champion halfback make the decision. "I think it's a great decision for Andrew and the Knights," he said. "After what he did last year, what a way to go out and he'll have the opportunity to farewell rep footy in the Test against the Kiwis." 
Johns' Knights teammate and NSW captain Danny Buderus said he could not have ended his Origin career on a better note. "To finish, as it has turned out, on what he did in last year's series - what a great note to go out on," Buderus said. "From a Blues point of view, it's disappointing he won't be playing but you move on and there will be other halfbacks champing at the bit to get a go. "I'm just happy he has made the decision and that he is happy with it. He has obviously taken into account what the added burden of playing in the series does to the body and from a Knights point of view, it is going to benefit the club no end." 
Experienced Knights centre Gidley admitted to being surprised at his captain's decision to quit Origin. "The first I knew about it was this morning when I read it in the paper," Gidley said. "Yeah, it's a bit of a surprise because he hasn't really mentioned it but I suppose he probably feels he ended last year's series on such a good note he had nothing left to prove in that area. It's certainly great from the club's point of view knowing he is going to be here all the time over the Origin period." 

Joey ranks alongside King Wally By Darren Lockyer - March 30, 2006
HAVING watched first-hand what Andrew Johns did to my Queensland teammates and myself in last year's State of Origin, I can't say I was too devastated to hear he was stepping away from representative football after the Anzac Test. Joey is, by a fair stretch, the best player I have played against and Origin football will be the poorer for his decision to step away. It is the greatest contest in our game, and I believe Joey ranks alongside "The King" Wally Lewis as one of the rare players who have managed to transcend the rivalry between NSW and Queensland. Wally definitely dominated Origin football for a longer period but Joey and another little halfback, by the name of Allan Langer, were the only guys who have been able to exert such a commanding influence on the game in the toughest of circumstances. What Joey did in last year's Origin series, coming back from a knee reconstruction and a broken jaw to guide NSW home in the final two games, was Lewis-like. When you are talking State of Origin, there is no higher praise. Being a young Queensland boy, Wally was, of course, my hero. Unfortunately I never got to play with the great man, but seeing Joey and Alf at their best - even if Andrew was carving up my side - are memories I will pass on to my grandchildren. Those two guys are, in my opinion, the greatest in modern times. I have seen Joey in action from a variety of vantage points. I have played with and against him, at fullback and five-eighth. I saw him with the No.7 and No.9 on his back. But the situation, vantage points and numbers made no difference to the outcome: wherever he has played, Joey has been in control. I was asked this week why it is little blokes such as Joey and Alf are as great as they are and the answer to that is pretty simple. They see things on the field the rest of us do not; not even the really good players. They see a situation evolving two and three plays ahead. They steer their team in a certain direction to get the opposition thinking about one hand and then they hit them with the other. I must admit I was a little shocked when I first read about Joey's decision but, with a little more time to consider the factors and knowing the bloke like I do, I am not all that surprised. He loves Newcastle and wants to win another title before he retires. He feels he owes the club and the Knights fans the best he has left and that mid-year commitment simply will not allow him to do that. Origin football is mentally taxing and Joey also has to worry about his body, which is in peak condition for one of the few times in recent seasons. As you get older the physical toll does start to wear you down. It's been a long time since Joey finished the year in good shape and I just don't know how he would handle another off-season plagued by surgery and rehab. Thankfully, all rugby league fans will have a chance to see him in a Kangaroos jumper one last time in the Anzac Test. It will be a wonderful occasion and I hope everyone gets behind Joey and gives him the send-off from representative football he deserves. 

Joey under a cloud after gym injury, but Knights are confident he'll play - April 1, 2006
SUPERSTAR Andrew Johns is suffering from a neck injury sustained while he was lifting weights, but Newcastle are optimistic he will recover in time to play against New Zealand Warriors at EnergyAustralia Stadium tomorrow. "Joey is a bit crook today," Knights operations manager Steve Crowe said yesterday. "But it's a muscular thing rather than something really serious and I think he'll be right to play."
Newcastle club doctor Neil Halpin examined Johns yesterday and said he thought the halfback and captain would be fit. "Joey hurt himself in the gym yesterday," Halpin said. "He's got a bit of a sore neck but it doesn't seem like anything too much. I'm going to see him again tomorrow and review it then, but it doesn't seem to be the same major problem he had with his neck a few years ago. I didn't send him away for any tests because I don't believe there was the need. He's still got pretty good movement. It's a neck strain to do with the ligaments and he's on anti-inflammatory tablets and having physio. Joey thinks he'll play. I think he probably will, too."
Meanwhile, South Sydney chairman Nicholas Pappas says transparency was of paramount importance at the football club's March 19 extraordinary general meeting that voted in private ownership for the club. Pappas was responding to an item in yesterday's Sin Bin column in the Herald that asked why no one had moved a motion to destroy the ballot papers at the end of the meeting. "We actually moved a motion to preserve the ballot papers for 60 days, to allow for any inquiries or appeals," Pappas said. "In my experience, it [moving to destroy the papers on the day] isn't the way it's done at public meetings. That wouldn't look good at all."

Knights lose Johns on game day - April 2, 2006
NEWCASTLE captain Andrew Johns has withdrawn from the Knights' NRL encounter against New Zealand Warriors today. Johns has a minor neck strain he sustained during a weights session last week. Youngster Jarron Mullen will replace Johns in the Knights' line-up for the match at EnergyAustralia Stadium. 
Club doctor Neil Halpin said early indications were that the injury is unrelated to the serious neck injury that sidelined Johns two years ago.  "It doesn't seem to be, but obviously you can't be 100 per cent sure of that," Halpin said yesterday. If there is any doubt we'll get an MRI on Monday. But it's not the same sort of pain. He hasn't got the same sort of pain going down his arm and his hand like he did before. It's purely neck pain. We'll see how he pulls up." 
Betting agencies across the country yesterday were rocked by a massive plunge totalling $200,000 on the Warriors. Centrebet would not take chances and suspended betting on Friday evening. Johns failed to train yesterday morning but was given until later today to confirm his fitness, but he elected to pull out of the fixture sooner rather than later. 

Truth about Joey's farewell - By RICKY STEWART,  April 2, 2006
SINCE Andrew Johns announced he would play just one more representative match, a lot of information has gone around that has not been quite right. Some people have been critical of Johns, saying he should not be able to pick and choose when he plays rep football. Andrew Johns is not picking and choosing.
He could have played for Australia in the Anzac Test and retired from rep football, which would have satisfied everybody's desire for natural order and given us no difference to the end result. The truth is Johns was ready to retire from all rep football until I spoke to him last Tuesday. I asked him to play this Test as a favour to Australian rugby league. That's it, nothing more than a favour. It's not a new favour, though. The first phone call I made after the press conference that announced me as the new Australian coach was to Johns. I rang Joey before I rang my parents, before I rang my wife. I told him we needed him. On Tuesday, I reminded him the Australian rugby league team needs him. The way he finished his Origin career was exactly what Johns' career deserved and nobody would have been down on him if he wanted to go out that way. Now he gets the chance to do it for Australia after playing through two Tests late last year with a knee injury.  The major factor in Johns' decision to quit rep football was a talk with Brad Fittler over the off-season, when Freddy told him he felt a new lease of life once he had given rep football away. Freddy felt he had a major commitment to the Roosters and Joey feels a similar commitment to the Knights. It's a professional commitment. Johns has already said he wants to win another premiership with Newcastle and believes he can win another one before he retires, which is fair warning to all of us. And that rejuvenation is already evident. I read during the week that after our talk Johns went back to Knights training, with his future now sorted, and said he felt like an 18 or 20-year-old. Many people who have never played Origin find this hard to understand, why you would want to walk away from Origin when you're still at the top of your game. What they don't realise is the huge emotional and physical investment players make for Origin. When you have played a number of Origin matches you know through experience the huge toll it takes on your body. You know the mental effort required to get up for each match, the pressure that surrounds you 24 hours a day, for the 10 days of camp, and you know what it actually takes to deliver the performance that is needed.
When you factor in the many niggling injuries players carry into these games, you begin to get an appreciation of the toll it takes on your well-being. And, as we all know, your health is your happiness. While the rewards are some of the greatest you can experience in this game, the cost should also never be underplayed.
For any man nearing the end of their career, getting the balance right can be among the most important decisions they have to make. Behind all this is also a commitment to your club, which pays your wage and willingly lets you put yourself at risk for what is, for all intents and purposes, your own greater glory and for what is only of minor benefit to the club. After a while you begin to feel an obligation to your club for its sacrifice, and the good men want to repay the club for that.
Instead of debating the wrongs and rights of Johns' decision to play this Test, what we should do is understand that this will be his last rep game and that we get him for one more game, which is our good fortune. We should get ready to appreciate one of the truly great players in his farewell appearance.
What if you had the chance to go back and see Bob Fulton's last Test?   Or Johnny Raper's or Reg Gasnier's?
This is the opportunity we have to see Andrew Johns – in Brisbane, on May 5 – play for Australia for the last time. There is no place I'd rather be. 

The Johns factor - April 03, 2006 
ANDREW Johns didn't play and it led to the inevitable question about the Knights and their ability to win games without him after Newcastle's four-point loss to the Warriors yesterday.  Coach Michael Hagan, to his credit, wasn't offering a defence. "You can't defend it on the back of that [perfomance] you know," Hagan said of the talk his side can't win without their captain. We had the opportunity today and we knew that was on the cards. We didn't take the opportunity and you've got to take what comes."  Johns pulled out yesterday morning just after 8am with a neck injury.  It is not serious and had it been a few years ago, he probably would have played. But the Knights are taking no chances with their skipper. He is too important to the club and it showed yesterday. The bottom of the ladder Warriors were good in patches but the Knights gave them a huge leg up after racing to an early 10-point lead. There was nothing remotely composed about a lot of their attack and simple balls were being put down in pressure areas with international winger Brian Carney coming up with a game he will quickly want to forget. The Knights could have snatched the game at the death and nearly did but they would not have deserved to. Stand-in skipper Danny Buderus claimed his side's handling as much as the loss of Johns was the deciding factor in the defeat. The Knights had spoken before the game about needing to "drain their petrol". That did not happen. "But put it this way, if Joey played and we dropped that much ball, we still might have found ourselves in the situation," he said. "Joey can't catch the ball for everyone -- it's a 17-man game and we found ourselves in the situation where we had to panic for the last 20 minutes." 
Warriors coach Ivan Cleary said his side had arrived in Newcastle with the plan to engage the home side in a contest. "We wanted to get them into a game," Cleary said.  "Get them into an arm wrestle -- we might have a chance that way." 
With Johns out, Cleary said he was more concerned his side's mental approach would not change. There were some contentious moments with referee Russell Smith's failure to go to the video referee for a line-ball Nathan Fien try from a kick in the second half one of them. It bumped the Warriors lead to 26-16 midway through the half and they were able to hang on. The early signs for the Knights without Johns were all good. Hagan sprang a surprise when he elected to start the game with utility Todd Lowrie at five-eighth instead of young Jarrod Mullen. Just five minutes in, Lowrie more than justified the decision. He combined brilliantly with centre George Carmont on the left before backing up to score under the posts before the Warriors had even had time to settle. 

Johns brothers not linked to sting - April 4, 2006 
THE manager of Matthew and Andrew Johns yesterday denied speculation linking the brothers to a betting plunge by a millionaire horse owner and punter on Sunday's game between Newcastle and New Zealand Warriors. The sports betting industry was abuzz with rumours yesterday after an estimated $250,000 was allegedly won by Eddie Hayson after the last-placed Warriors upset the Knights at EnergyAustralia Stadium. Most bookmakers suspended markets on Friday once it was known that Newcastle captain Andrew Johns could miss the game after straining his neck in the gym on Thursday.  However, the move came too late as several significant bets were laid that afternoon with bookies around the country for the Warriors to cover the spread of 16.5 points start. 
Hayson owns the racehorse Regreagan in partnership with the Johns brothers and the suggestion yesterday was that news of Andrew's injury was relayed to him before the markets were suspended. Several bookmakers said yesterday that Andrew had informed his brother Matthew he was in doubt and he in turn relayed the information to Hayson. There is no suggestion, even if both rumours were true, that either brother would be in trouble with the NRL for breaching its strict anti-gambling rules. "Matthew Johns has had no contact whatsoever with Mr Hayson for at least two weeks," manager John Fordham said yesterday.  The last occasion was to discuss their horse Regreagan, so therefore rumours circulating about contact Matthew Johns and Mr Hayson and Matthew Johns and Andrew Johns had in relation to the Warriors game are totally false." 
Fordham also denied the suggestion that Andrew had told Matthew he could be in doubt for the game, given a decision on his fitness was not officially made until after 8am on the morning of the game. Johns, who is contracted until the end of 2008, has had a history of injuries over the past few seasons and is only one serious injury away from hanging up the boots for good. "If the game was played on Saturday there was absolutely no way he would have played," Fordham said. 
"It was a 50-50 call on Sunday and he said he would make a decision that morning. I spoke to him on Sunday morning and when he initially got up he felt he was OK to play. But then the neck started to tighten again and I said, 'You're crazy to play mate if you're in any doubt at all'." 
Hayson is well known as the man who masterminded a Gold Coast greyhound racing sting last year after he manipulated the odds on a TAB market to win $700,000 from an Adelaide bookmaker. It is understood Hayson has not breached the NRL's rules either and denied he was behind the plunge. Bookmakers refused to confirm if Hayson had laid any bets with them but it is believed they were made by a commission agent. Northern Territory-based betting agency Sportsbet revealed it had lost $50,000 on the game with the biggest bet being $30,000 on the Warriors with 16.5 points start at $1.90. "We did up to $50,000 on it. And as soon as it became public knowledge that he (Johns) came out, it was very hard to lay the other side," Sportsbet's Phil Hannah said. "I've got no idea who was involved in it. We just accepted it as one of those things. You back a few winners and you back a few losers." 
Sportingbet's Stuart Springer said he had lost money on the game and one punter had asked after backing the Warriors with 16.5 points start at $1.90 for $15,000 if he could lay them for $40,000. "For someone to ask for a bet of that size on a Friday when the game's on a Sunday, your ears prick up straight away," Springer said. "I believe most of the people who bet with us were betting with someone else for this game. They were money movers." 
Mark Read's International All Sports spokesman, Darren Dunbar, said they reacted early to speculation Johns might be out but there were still some curious bets made. Centrebet's Gerard Daffy suspended his market on Friday night after taking $75,000 in bets on the Warriors but claimed he had still finished in front. 

Eels' Perenara prepares for a test against Johns - April 7, 2006
PARRAMATTA rookie Marcus Perenara has been nominated by New Zealand coach Brian McClennan as a possible bolter to play opposite Andrew Johns as the Kiwis' halfback in the Anzac Test. With Stacey Jones out with a broken arm and Lance Hohaia stranded in New Zealand's domestic competition after being axed from the Warriors' line-up, McClennan has few options at No.7 and will closely monitor the form of Perenara before the May 5 Test at Suncorp Stadium.
A former Junior Kiwis representative recommended to the Eels by former Warriors and New Zealand coach Daniel Anderson, Perenara will make his NRL debut from the interchange bench in Sunday's match against Penrith after asking during the off-season to switch to hooker because of Tim Smith's hold on Parramatta's No.7 jersey. But with PJ Marsh out injured, the 20-year-old brother of former Kiwis international Henry Perenara is also expected to spend some time at five-eighth. McClennan revealed he had made some inquiries at Parramatta about his prospects. "We don't have a lot of halfbacks, we just don't," McClennan said. "We could look at Lance as a No.9 and a back up No.7, but I think you've got to be playing NRL or Super League to play in a Test. I know Marcus and I know the Perenara family very well. He is a good young kid so it's good to see that he's been thriving under the guidance of Brian Smith and what is a very successful development program at Parramatta. If he can play four or five NRL games and play well, he is a chance, a very good chance. I just think it is too great a step from anywhere else. We've had bolters in the Kiwi side before and I wouldn't rule out that happening again."
Among other options being considered are shifting Wests Tigers five-eighth Benji Marshall to halfback or flying out London's Thomas Leuluai to play on limited rest (the Harlequins play on the Saturday before the Test). Meanwhile, the Rugby League Professionals Association will table a revised salary cap proposal to the NRL on Monday, with the players now seeking a ceiling on payments of $4 million next season. The RLPA also wants the third party sponsorship arrangements outside the base salary cap to be increased from the $150,000 offered by the NRL for three players to $300,000 available to every member of a club's top 25-man squad and a minimum wage of $20,000-$25,000 for other full-time players. "The players have gained a greater understanding of the financial realities of the game but there is still a bit of work to do, and there is a gap between us," NRL chief executive David Gallop said. 

Joey's pain relief - April 08, 2006
ANDREW Johns yesterday described as "massive" the relief he felt when told his latest neck injury was not career threatening. The champion Knights halfback will play against St George Illawarra in Wollongong tonight despite still being inconvenienced by the problem which kept him out of last Sunday's loss to the Warriors.
He trained with the team yesterday and afterwards declared himself a certain starter. "It is still pretty sore but once I get it warmed up, it will be fine,"Johns said.
"I'm really looking forward to the game – the Dragons are going to be a big test for us." 
Johns, sporting a crew-cut, admitted that he had feared the worst when he travelled to Sydney on Thursday to see specialist Professor John Yeo. He had scans of his neck taken the previous night and the fear was he had suffered a re-occurrence of the bulging disc problem which had threatened his career in 2003. "In the X-ray report, there was something there which indicated the new injury might be related to the old one," Johns said. "I was really worried about it and I got Cath (his partner Cathrine Mahoney) to drive me down to Sydney to stop me driving off the Mooney Mooney Bridge on the way back if the news was bad. Professor Yeo did a few tests and looked at the scans and said that it was just a muscular problem that would sort itself out. "It was a massive relief because you always fear the worst with these sorts of things. I'm just glad everything is OK with it."
Knights coach Michael Hagan admitted on Thursday that he wasn't all that confident about the fitness of his skipper. "I thought yesterday when the scan was done and he was seeing Professor Yeo, I wasn't all that confident," he said. "I thought it might be a little bit more serious than they first thought. But now it is obviously a plus for us at this stage. We'd hoped that it would only be a week that he'd be out and they're satisfied it is fine to go and it has settled right down so things look pretty good at the moment. He got through the whole session and I think he would be pretty confident on the back of that. It's a nice lift for us and the boys trained accordingly."

Knights fans - and bookies - exhale as Joey gets the all-clear - April 8, 2006
THE wind that blew out of Newcastle yesterday was the collective sigh of relief from Knights fans at the news Andrew Johns would play against St George Illawarra at WIN Stadium tonight. Even bookmakers were confident enough to start betting on the game again after they had suspended operations on Thursday morning. No player in the NRL affects a team's chances of winning like Johns does with Newcastle, and the Dragons will have to battle the superstar halfback's genius after he did what was asked of him to prove his fitness yesterday. Johns trained with the Knights and was then examined by the club's doctor, Neil Halpin, to make sure his neck problem had not flared again as a result of the session. He got the all clear. "Joey was very good at training today," Newcastle coach Michael Hagan said. "He is pretty confident on the back of seeing the specialist yesterday. That was a bit of reassurance for him. Peace of mind, more than anything.
"He trained on Wednesday, so the signs were good then, but he just needed to know for sure that the problem with his neck wasn't major. It's not a case of us having to wait until tomorrow, now, to check Joey again. He's right to play. "His neck has all but settled down now. We'll manage his work in the gym in the next few weeks to guard against the same thing happening again, but he should be fine."
The news that Johns was visiting spinal specialist Professor John Yeo in Sydney early on Thursday had sparked the latest bout of Joey hysteria. After last week, when big punters got the early mail that Johns was in doubt for the game against New Zealand Warriors and backed the Warriors heavily at the big-points start, bookmakers got nervous. Rumours abounded that Johns - whose career has been threatened by a serious neck injury in the past - would be out for two to four weeks to beat the injury with rest. But it turned out the club's medical staff was just being careful by sending him down for Yeo to have a look at him.
After examining Johns yesterday, Halpin said the captain had continued to improve and would play. "Joey is OK now and he should be OK on the weekend," Halpin said. "He came up good in the examination and he told me he felt good and was looking forward to playing. I've got no plans to see him again before the game."

Johns puts rivals at sixes and sevens - April 8, 2006
THE number seven has always enjoyed a mythical quality. The Greek Pythagoreans considered seven to be the perfect number because it was the combination of three and four, representing the perfect figures, the triangle and the square. The Arabians had seven Holy Temples, the Romans seven deities, Catholics have seven sacraments, the pirates had seven seas, Snow White had seven dwarfs and, there are seven deadly sins. Seven is mentioned frequently in scripture ( "And He had in His right hand seven stars." Revelations 1:16). And God rested on the seventh day. He also ensured the number was worn by rugby league's busiest player.
Coaches, some of whom see themselves as mini deities, now use numbers to refer to the four key positions on the field - hooker, half, five-eighth and fullback - nine, seven, six and one respectively. Of these, No.7 is the high priest. In fact, the most important piece of real estate in rugby league is the six inches (or is it seven?) between a halfback's ears. The world's best player is a No.7: Newcastle halfback Andrew Johns. Australian coach Ricky Stuart made a decision a month ago he couldn't win the Anzac Test match against New Zealand unless he had Johns. So Stuart, a former halfback, made a dash to Newcastle with his manager John Fordham, who also happens to be Johns's manager, and secured the No.7 for the Brisbane Test on May 5, beating NSW coach Graham Murray, another former No.7, for the services of the brilliant playmaker. The value of the No.7 to the team has already been seen this season in the reaction of players who rush in to protect their little man when he is in danger. When Johns was hit by Parramatta's Luke Burt after he passed the ball and the Warriors' Nathan Fien was shoved by Storm's Ian Donnelly in backplay, both incidents sparked wild skirmishes in round one. 
I once believed front-rowers were the most important players on the field because they took the game forward, creating momentum. But the modern prop is an athlete, not a footballer. The 10-metre rule, plus interchange, allows him to hit the defensive line like the lead boulder in an avalanche and, if he wants to create further momentum, he dives at the feet of the defence to execute a quick play-the-ball. It's a surrender tackle, of course, but many referees wouldn't recognise a submission if you dressed it up in a negligee, laid it on a bed and told it to think of England. Wests Tigers made 63 submissions to Melbourne Storm's 21 in last Sunday's match and referee Jason Robinson's inability to recognise this contributed to the frustration that led to two players being suspended for a total of nine weeks. Paradoxically, as the No.7 assumes more power in the modern game, there are fewer of them. And one reason for that is the Bradmanesque gap that has developed between Johns and the second best halfback. Johns missed the Warriors match but leads the NRL on linebreak assists. He has nine to Parramatta's Tim Smith, with St George Illawarra's Trent Barrett and Penrith's Craig Gower on six each. Johns also leads in try assists with nine, ahead of Brisbane's Darren Lockyer, Newcastle's Kurt Gidley and Gower on six. Johns and North Queensland's Matt Bowen have made the only 40:20 kicks so far this season and Johns is the top goal kicker, with 22 from 25 attempts. Throughout the competition, coaches try to turn their No.7s into replicas of Johns. It is like trying to find another Hope diamond, or looking for a Rembrandt in a Dutch attic. Instead of letting the halfbacks play off the back of work done by the forwards, as Gower does with his short passes, or react to calls from the backline, in the manner of Wests Tigers Scott Prince, with his long, quick passes, or capitalise on inherent speed and nous to back up, like former Panthers pivot Greg Alexander did, coaches want their No.7s to be the sons of Joey and do everything. The result is a junkyard full of discarded halves or No.7s turned into No.9s. Souths selected their fourth halfback in as many games this season for tonight's match against Brisbane and their 19th No.7 since readmission to the NRL in 2002. The Bulldogs have dropped premiership halfback Brett Sherwin to premier league, meaning that of the No.6s and No.7s on the field in the game in Canberra tomorrow, there will be only one experienced half, Raiders five-eighth, Jason Smith, a former second-rower. The Roosters will continue their juggling act with the halves in tonight's match against the Sharks at Toyota Park, selecting Jamie Soward as No.7, Brett Finch as No.9 and Craig Wing on the bench, all of whom started life as scrum feeders. Tonight's big match at WIN Stadium features the classic confrontation between the perfect half, Johns, and a manufactured one, St George Illawarra's Trent Barrett. Barrett doesn't play like a half or a five-eighth, more like a nine-sixteenth, considering he is a merger of the two positions. He runs across field, destroying more opportunities than he creates. Because he got away with it as a schoolboy, then as a Steeler, and occasionally as a Dragon, he believes he is successful. But cross-field running is the curse of the modern No.7, typified at its worst by Brisbane's Brett Seymour. Stand behind the goal posts at a Broncos match and you'll see Seymour take the attack sideways, running it over the sideline and making it easy for the defence. Former St George fullback Brian Johnson, now AIS rugby league coach, believes the epidemic of sideways running is a result of the rule in mod league, the modified version of the game played by kids, in which the first receiver, if caught with the ball, has to hand it to the opposition.
"The rule is designed to force kids to pass the ball but all they do is try and beat the opposition on the outside," Johnson said. Typically, former Test No.7 Tom Raudonikis thinks it's about toughness, saying: "Today, they've got all these replacements," he said in his raspy voice. "None of them other than Joey grabs the game by the scruff of the neck."

Perfect end to hairy week By Andrew Johns - April 9, 2006 
I MUST admit I was pretty relieved to get the all-clear to play against the Dragons. Because of my history with injury, I was worried I might get some bad news on my neck injury. When I had to travel to Sydney the other day to see professor John Yeo, I made sure my girlfriend came along with me. I didn't want to go alone. I think I would have driven off the Mooney Mooney Bridge if I got the worst kind of news all over again. When I was told my injury was only muscular, it was a weight off my mind. I feel I am playing smarter than ever. I have probably played better in years gone by but my timing is tighter now. I have been playing in the NRL for more than 10 years, and it has taken me that long to get a grasp on the game. I'm just so proud of the blokes after last night's win. Four or five years ago, I used to worry about my performance and I would worry about what people thought of me. Now I just want this team to play well. After this win, I know we've got a special bunch of blokes. People keep talking about me, but outsiders don't see the work Steve Simpson does. Or the angles Milton Thaiday runs. Or the go-forward Craig Smith and Josh Perry provide for me to do my job. The young guys like Riley Brown and Daniel Tolar are going great - playing out of their skin. This week's game against the Cowboys will really tell us how we're going.  They are my favourite team to watch and I've got my work cut out coming up against Johnathan Thurston. As for my new haircut, my mates cut it. The missus is not happy, though mum loves that the scruffy hair and beard are gone. But I can assure mum of one thing: I won't be dying it red. 

Thurston 'better than Joey' -  April 10, 2006
The greatest player Queensland has produced challenged the Australia selectors to "show some courage" and have Thurston in the Test 17 for next month's Suncorp Stadium showdown with New Zealand. Thurston has three NRL matches left in which to stake his Test claims, starting with Sunday's top-of-the-table blockbuster against the Knights at Newcastle's EnergyAustralia Stadium, where he will clash head-on with Johns. The Cowboys will then be away to the Sharks at Toyota Park before hosting the Roosters in Townsville the night before the Test squad is named. "There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that Thurston is the No.1 player in the game at the moment, bar none," Lewis said last night. His performances in the first five rounds of the NRL have put him marginally ahead of Andrew Johns, who has been rated the best player in the world, so I'm saying Thurston is the best in the game." 
Thurston and Johns gave sparkling displays at the weekend. Thurston scored a try and kicked six goals from seven attempts for 16 points in North Queensland's 32-12 win over the Wests Tigers while Johns scored a try and kicked nine from 10 for 22 points in Newcastle's 54-6 thrashing of St George-Illawarra. 
Thurston has scored 78 points from five matches this year while Johns has contributed 75 from four and the temptation will have to be to unleash them against the Kiwis, who will be weakened by the unavailability of star five-eighth Benji Marshall. Lewis, who played 33 Tests and 31 State of Origin matches in a stellar career, said it was incumbent on the national selectors to pick the best 17 for the May 5 Test. "If the selectors have any say any more, and believe me, that is an if with a capital I and F. He has to be there. As long as the selectors show some courage, Thurston will be there." 
Former Test centre Steve Renouf said he was stunned by talk that Thurston might be overlooked for the Test. "I've watched a lot of football this year and I'm a huge fan of Thurston," Renouf said. "I honestly can't see how they can leave him out of the Australian team. They can't ignore him, can they? 
"If they stick with Andrew Johns and Darren Lockyer in the halves, I could understand them having Thurston on the bench but it would be an absolute joke if they put Trent Barrett at five-eighth ahead of him." 
Cowboys coach Graham Murray said Thurston's man-of-the-match performance against the Tigers last Friday night should have boosted the five-eighth's chances of making the Kangaroos squad, which will be selected on April 30 at the completion of round 8. "He was outstanding again. I'll leave the accolades to you but he's just a brilliant player and playing great football for us," Murray said. "I wrote that in my newspaper column last week (that he should be in the Australian team) and nothing has changed. He's probably enhanced (his chances). All I can do is answer your question about whether I think he's up to it. He's certainly up to it." 

Bring it on - April 11, 2006 
NEWCASTLE'S blockbuster against North Queensland at EnergyAustralia Stadium this Sunday is the most anticipated club match in history after a staggering 20,000 tickets were sold yesterday – still six days before the game. Never before has as many tickets been sold for a club game so far out from kick-off. 
"We're on a roll, they're on a roll," summed up champion Knights halfback Andrew Johns as the Newcastle faithful queued outside the club's stadium all day yesterday. The Easter Sunday game will be sold out today or early tomorrow. Knights fans are hoping to see the mercurial Johns lead their team back to the top of the table. The match-up between Johns and North Queensland five-eighth Johnathan Thurston will be the best individual clash of the season. And the game will also be special for Johns, who will break Tony Butterfield's record of 229 first-grade matches for Newcastle. "It's looming as one of the great matches of the season so far," Johns said. "The anticipation here in Newcastle is enormous." 
Season ticketholders have snapped up tickets while all corporate boxes are sold out. Just 6000 tickets remain unsold. Johns' manager John Fordham said "Joey" was excited at the prospect of becoming Newcastle's most capped player. "On a personal note, Joey is looking forward to playing against a team with so many exciting players like Thurston and Matt Bowen," Fordham said. "But Newcastle also have their share of exciting players like Milton Thaiday and Brian Carney." 
The last club match to have such a build-up was Bulldogs v Parramatta at Sydney Showground in 2001. Cowboys coach Graham Murray said his players were looking forward to playing in front of a hostile 26,000 crowd. "The expectation is this will be a great game," Murray said. "North Queensland have come a long way since opposition teams wanted to take us to Gosford to play (their home) games. The atmosphere will be outstanding." 
North Queensland remain unbeaten this season and are premiership favourites, while Newcastle have been highly impressive whenever Johns has been on the field. The Knights belted St George Illawarra 54-6 last Saturday night in Wollongong with Johns calling the shots. However, they were beaten at home by the Warriors when he sat out the game. 

All fear the little men in Joey's shadow - April 11, 2006 
WHEN Joey Johns is lying in state in 2070 or so, footballers will poke him with a stick to see if he is still alive. The Knights playmaker is so admired, he seems destined for a glass mausoleum in Hunter Street, Newcastle, and so feared that visiting teams are likely to check the coffin's gold-laced latches, lest he jumps up and destroys them on the morrow. St George Illawarra coach Nathan Brown certainly believes the legend of Johns will pass the new century, saying after the Dragons' humiliation on Saturday: "You're not going to see another player like him in a hundred years." 
Statements like that are either an indictment on Brown's own profession, or an advertisement for cloning. Joey's DNA may become the most precious commodity in sport after Shane Warne's wrist. Johns and his opponent this Sunday, the Cowboys' Johnathan Thurston, have reversed the terror that begins to flow in the days and hours before a big game. For almost all of the history of both rugby codes, the current of fear originated in the vicious tacklers and flowed white hot into the rattled pysches of the players who earned their big contracts for what they did with ball in hand. But Johns, Thurston and a fit Benji Marshall have sent the terror flow back the other way. The big props who once stalked around dressing rooms, barking commands at their timid halves and wingers, head-butting lockers, taping knuckles, grunting at officials, causing everyone else to have nervous pees, are the ones praying out loud. The little attacking players are now in command. 
Cleaning up the game - ridding it of vicious elbows, coathangers, stomping, rising knees - is a big factor but the predators are now the prey; terrified stand the terrorists. Former Balmain prop Steve "Blocker" Roach agrees brilliant players like Johns now strike fear into the defence, saying: "He's the one who intimidates now." ARL chief executive Geoff Carr, a former St George winger, says: "I can still remember all the talk in the dressing room before the first, first-grade game I played. It was a Wills Cup pre-season match and all they talked about was Kevin Ryan, who had shifted to Canterbury. All the talk was Ryan and what he would do. I didn't know what to think." 
Since Ryan, there has been Mal Reilly, Les Boyd, Les Davidson, David Gillespie and company, men capable of doing something deft with the ball but mainly feared for hitting with the subtlety of a broken beer bottle over the head. Maybe the current of fear began trickling back the other way with the rise of Wally Lewis and his long passes and clever kicks, but the King only played three big games a year. The rugger men will argue their attacking players have always been dominant. Former Wallaby Peter Crittle once told me: "We only had one move in international rugby. Give it to [Ken] Catchpole." 
But Colin "Pine Tree" Meads, the All Blacks forward, soon stopped that, grabbing the brilliant Randwick player's leg and peeling back its muscles, like a stocking rolled down. What sets Johns apart and, to a lesser extent, Thurston is that they raise the skill level of their teams. Johns plays with such a rare mix of guile and glee you wonder if he's not still a 10-year-old sitting on the lounge room floor at the controls of a video game. But that underscores his effect on his teammates. He's the ultimate difference maker, not in the sense he can do everything, but because he makes all his teammates better. As Blocker says: "All the Newcastle players can pass and catch on the run at speed and it's all coming from Joey Johns. He's even inventing new plays." 
The way the Knights and Cowboys are playing, all the other teams can do is adjust the speed of their death, not the inevitability. So what happens when they play each other, as they do in Newcastle on Sunday? 
How do Newcastle approach Thurston and North Queensland counter Johns? By not giving them the ball. If one team gets 60 per cent of the ball, the other team can forget about winning. Both teams will be afraid of turnovers, playing more conservatively than in the past month. But, as bookies have been saying recently, don't bet on it. 

Joey is like a fine whine . . .; Mike Colman. Apr 15, 2006. 
THE Sydney media were at it again this week, calling Queenslanders paranoid for daring to express disgust at the prospect of the Kangaroos running on to Suncorp Stadium on May 5 with only one Maroon in the team. To which I say, just because you are paranoid doesn't mean everyone isn't out to get you. Now fair enough if there wasn't a second Queenslander deserving of Australian selection, but what's Johnathan Thurston, a bowl of goldfish?
The bloke is the current Dally M winner and 2005 Halfback of the Year (yeah, yeah, I know. If Andrew Johns hadn't missed half the season with injury he would have won the Dally M with a leg in the air and Thurston didn't play much at halfback anyway, etc etc, but since when did paranoia take facts into account?).
Besides which, he's the form player of the competition right now. Says who? Says King Wally, that's who, and if he isn't qualified to judge, who is?
So who could possibly be against Thurston making the side, especially since the mail is that Darren Lockyer will be moved to fullback to make way for . . . Trent Barrett (whose rock-like defence around the ruck was on show for all to see in his team's 54- 6 loss to Newcastle last weekend). How's this for a conspiracy theory? The heavies down south don't want Thurston in the side because they're afraid he'll steal the spotlight from Joey Johns in his farewell Test. Which, by the by, brings us to another point. Wasn't the rule that when you dropped out of representative football you dropped out of all representative football? If so, doesn't Joey ruling himself out of the 2006 Origin series rule him out of the Tests as well?
Sure it might appear churlish and nit-picky to expect the greatest player of his era to play by the letter of the law, but I don't remember officialdom bending too many rules when King Wally was trying to get on to that final Kangaroo tour, do you?
And besides, if I'm going to be accused of being a one-eyed, biased paranoid, why not go all the way?
Speaking of which, you have to wonder why The People in Charge don't do what they'd really like to, and move the game from Brisbane to Newcastle so the Joey Johns Tribute Test is played where the love needle goes right off the dial. They could even bring back his brother Matthew to play five- eighth and wheel Chief Harragon on for one hit-up just for old time's sake. And if that sounds like the kind of anti-NSW Us versus Them claptrap that used to emanate from these parts 20 or 30 years ago, all I can say is: good. There should be more of it. We've all got much too friendly in recent times. Origin is at dire risk of becoming . . . well, a football game instead of an annual festival of bile, venom and invective. Joey Johns might have killed off Maroon hopes when he played last year, but if he can kick-start some good old-fashioned inferiority complexes and put a few thousand chips back on Queensland shoulders this year, then hats off to him.

I love way Jonathan play - April 16, 2006
I'M against having a hard and fast rule but I'm still a believer in not rushing young players into first grade too soon. Sometimes it is unavoidable, with the skill level of some players - or injuries to the senior men - demanding they be chosen in the top grade. Which brings me to the NRL's man of the moment, Johnathan Thurston. He has developed into an unbelievable talent during his time at North Queensland and represents a huge challenge for Newcastle today. I love the way he plays. It's like watching the kid with all the skills bamboozling his mates in the backyard. He is not programmed at all. His brain is uncluttered. He plays what's in front of him and reacts to what is going on around him rather than with some preconceived idea of what he should be doing in certain situations. Just as importantly, when he makes a decision he is not weighed down by the fear of making mistakes. A player of his ability with that sort of confidence is a potent weapon. But Thurston hasn't just emerged out of the woodwork. He has definitely stepped up a notch or two over the past 18 months to become one of the game's premier players. He is no overnight success story. The platform for his success was laid when he was at the Bulldogs. He was a player everyone earmarked as someone to watch back then. But with Brent Sherwin and Braith Anasta having a mortgage on the half and five-eighth positions, Thurston bided his time in the lower grades. Bulldogs coach Steve Folkes gave him a taste of the top grade every now and again when injuries intervened. There were other times when he was used off the bench, but he was allowed to develop in a good learning environment. We have a similar situation at Newcastle with Jarrod Mullen. He played a handful of top-grade games last year because he had to and handled himself really well. I know that Mullen is headed for big things down the track, but he will be that much better for being able to continue his development in Premier League this season without having to deal with the added pressures of playing first grade on a consistent basis. Getting back to Thurston. Folkes, while disappointed he is not still wearing the blue and white of the Bulldogs, can at least be satisfied he played a role in that development. And Cowboys coach Graham Murray can take a big slice of the credit for the way he has come on. Murray identified his potential by attracting him to North Queensland and developing a playing style which has complemented his talents and those of Matt Bowen. He has encouraged their free spirit rather than suppressed it. Three or four years ago, the Cowboys coming to Newcastle would have barely created a ripple of interest from Knights supporters. In the build-up to today's game, they have been lining up outside the Knights' office trying to buy tickets. The buzz around the place is enormous. Our forward pack is going gang-busters but will need to be at its peak against one of the competition's hardest-working engine rooms. We'll be aiming to limit Thurston and Bowen's opportunities with the ball and I'm sure the game will live up to its billing. 

Johns 'shattered' by his latest injury - Aril 16, 2006 
Newcastle captain Andrew Johns could be sidelined for two weeks after rolling his ankle in today's loss to North Queensland. After suffering the injury in the 32nd minute, Johns played through the pain after having his foot re-strapped at halftime. Knights doctor Neil Halpin said the champion halfback was an "outside chance" of playing against Melbourne next Saturday night, while Johns would only say "I'm shattered" when asked about the injury in the sheds. The Cowboys opened up a four-point gap at the top of the NRL table to sit on 12 points with the Knights, Brisbane, Penrith and Melbourne all on eight. Sydney Roosters, the Bulldogs and Manly round out the top eight on points differential with the Bulldogs playing South Sydney, the only side yet to register a win in 2006, at Telstra Stadium tomorrow. Rival coaches Graham Murray and Michael Hagan urged Australian selectors to pick Cowboys half Johnathan Thurston in the Anzac Test after he starred in the impressive North Queensland win at a sold out EnergyAustralia Stadium. The Knights lost rugged forward Kirk Reynoldson for 4-6 weeks with a calf injury, while referee Paul Simpkins also pulled a calf muscle in the 28th minute and was replaced. Premiers Wests Tigers proved there is life after Benji Marshall with thumping 42-16 win over Cronulla at Campbelltown Stadium. Both sides came through the game unscathed with post-match talk centring on referee Jason Robinson's 14-3 penalty count against the Sharks, leaving coach Stuart Raper fuming. Craig Gower could find himself back in the captaincy frame at Penrith following Tony Puletua's rib injury, sustained in the Panthers' 40-18 NRL loss to Melbourne in Adelaide last night. Sacked as skipper by the club after a drunken bucks party in December, Gower and Panthers hooker Luke Priddis are by far the club's two most experienced players, with Puletua to undergo scans tomorrow. A second half hat-trick to Melbourne utility back Greg Inglis inspired the Storm's win but coach Craig Bellamy insisted his rising star wasn't yet ready for Queensland State of Origin duty. "He played seven of 10 games off the bench last year, now we're expecting him to play a full game so that's a big enough ask in itself this year, and if they leave him alone this year I'm sure he'll be ready next year," Bellamy said. 

Johns twists again -  April 17, 2006
ANDREW Johns hobbled out of EnergyAustralia Stadium after yesterday's game on crutches and wearing a protective boot on his left foot, but Newcastle club doctor Peter McGeoch said he was confident it was no more than a "one- or two-week" injury. That would mean that while the superstar is likely to be missing for the Knights in the short term, he should be back in time for his planned representative farewell for Australia in the Test against New Zealand in Brisbane on May 5.
"It's an ankle ligament injury," McGeoch said. "We'll reassess it during the week, but it's probably a one- or two-week injury. He was able to play on for basically the whole game with it, although he was obviously in some discomfort."
Johns, not only the greatest player in the world but arguably the fiercest competitor as well, was frustrated and angry in the dressing room after the game.
His ankle was badly swollen and rather than care too much about how it happened he was simply annoyed that it had. "I don't know what happened and I don't know how bad it is," Johns said. "Tomorrow will be an indicator, but it's not too flash. I'm shattered."
Johns will, no doubt, do his best to try to overcome the injury in time to play for Newcastle against Melbourne at Olympic Park on Saturday night, but McGeoch said that was a long-shot. The veteran halfback was left limping after appearing to twist his ankle in a tackle in the 23rd minute. He aggravated it 10 minutes later, at which stage he temporarily went to the wing in defence. But, although the injury obviously restricted his running, he never left the field. It is the second injury scare for Johns this season. Two weeks ago he missed the game against New Zealand Warriors with a neck injury. Johns recently announced that he planned to miss the State of Origin series for NSW and exit from representative football with the Test, in which Australia will try to avenge their shock loss to the Kiwis in the Tri-Nations series final in England last November. It remains to be seen whether North Queensland halfback Johnathan Thurston makes the Test squad - either at five-eighth, with Darren Lockyer being pushed back to fullback, or on the bench - but there were plenty of high-profile figures talking in support of him at yesterday's game. Cowboys coach Graham Murray was adamant Thurston should be selected.

Joey's ankle injury likely to spare the Rabbitohs - but Kiwis won't be so lucky - April 25, 2006
NEWCASTLE are unlikely to get the game's greatest player, Andrew Johns, back in time for their game against South Sydney at Telstra Stadium on Sunday.
The left ankle Johns damaged playing against North Queensland last Sunday week was examined again by Knights team doctor Neil Halpin yesterday.
Halpin said afterwards: "Joey's ankle is a lot better than it was last week. He's walking on it, but it's still swollen and he's still questionable for this week. I still think he'll be right for the Test match, but that's not my decision." 
Veteran halfback Johns is set to make his representative farewell for Australia against New Zealand in Brisbane on Friday week and will face a medical conducted by national team doctor Hugh Hazard after his automatic inclusion in the side on Sunday night. It is anticipated that if Johns is still recovering but looks likely to be OK in time, he will be given a few extra days before he has to prove himself. Newcastle, NSW and Australian hooker Danny Buderus was yesterday cleared of anything worse than a burst blood vessel in his hand and will figure against Souths.

Knights come first - April 29, 2006 
ANDREW Johns is ready to put club in front of country by playing for the Knights against South Sydney tomorrow despite still being troubled by an ankle injury. 
The champion halfback will be an automatic selection tomorrow in the Australian side for the May 5 Test even if he doesn't play against Souths at Telstra Stadium. 
But he claimed last night he will play for the Knights if the ankle feels OK today. "If I'm right, I'll play," Johns said. 
Asked why he would risk playing tomorrow with his swan song Test less than a week away, Johns said: "Because the Knights have lost two in a row." 
Johns' fitness has been the centre of another betting plunge with trading on the Knights game still closed yesterday after a flood of bets for Newcastle. 

Johns to play but Knights keep insurance - April 29, 2006 
ANDREW Johns is set to return from an ankle injury against South Sydney tomorrow but Newcastle coach Michael Hagan will keep youngster Jarrod Mullen in the side as insurance over the questionable ground surface at Telstra stadium. Johns completed a half hour ball work session at Newcastle this morning, clearing the path for him to make a return sooner than expected against the winless Rabbitohs. Mullen was originally named at halfback in the Knights team but the return of skipper Johns has shifted the 19-year-old onto the bench. He has come off the bench several times this season to replace Johns as the Knights nurse their star through the year. Mullen could find increased game time tomorrow with Johns's suspect ankle to face a serious test with the Homebush stadium's surface coming under serious fire this week following player complaints and a knee injury to Bulldogs centre Andrew Emelio. Over 1000sq m of turf was re-laid during the week and while Hagan said that the Knights had been keeping an eye on the progress of the repairs, he would still inspect the field tomorrow morning before finalising his starting line up. Telstra Stadium's new surface will face its first test tonight when AFL premiers Sydney host Geelong. We've been advised by them all week (on the state of the surface) and we just hope it stands up tonight alright and I guess tomorrow morning, (NRL officials will) make sure that it's suitable for us tomorrow afternoon," said Hagan. Test selectors will also watch the game with interest as Johns was tipped to be named at halfback, even if he didn't play this weekend, when the team is announced tomorrow. Johns completed most of the session today before handing over the halfback duties to Mullen for the final 10 minutes. 
Johns missed last week's humiliating 52-6 loss to the Storm in Melbourne and had indicted his main reason for coming back ahead of schedule was to stop the Knights two-game losing streak. "He got through the session pretty well, so he's right to play," Hagan said. "We thought he'd miss one week and it's settled right down. He's done a little bit yesterday and again today, so he's more than confident (of playing). He's keen to play." 
The Knights were desperate to have Johns back having lost their past 10 matches without the champion halfback on the paddock. While everyone at Newcastle bristles at suggestions the Knights are a one-man team, Hagan admitted that having the influential playmaker back on deck had given the side a tremendous lift. 
"He's good fun to be around and directs things so well for us, it allows everyone to just focus on doing their job well and we can hopefully go into the game with a bit of confidence," he said. Sports TAB have re-opened betting on the fixture after suspending betting on the match on Thursday afternoon when a flood of money for the Knights alerted bookmakers to the possibility Johns might play. After today's confirmation that Johns would play, the Knights where installed as $1.18 favourites with South Sydney $4.40 outsiders. 

Johns ready for Test farewell - April 30, 2006
ANDREW Johns's performance for Newcastle's against South Sydney at Telstra Stadium today was neither flashy nor brilliant but it convinced him he is ready to leave the Test arena on Friday in a blaze of glory. Johns returned after just one week out with a left ankle ligament strain to prepare himself for Friday's Anzac Test against New Zealand in Brisbane, the final representative game of his glittering career. Although he had a hand in three of the Knights four tries today, Johns was highly critical of his own performance. "I have pulled up alright," he said. "It was just good to have a hit out. Just two weeks out, you lose a bit of a feel for the game. I thought today I took a couple of awful options, my kicking game was off, a few tackles were off, so it's good to get that out of the way."
Johns was a late inclusion for today's match. He knew only yesterday that he was capable of playing after new anti-inflammatories reduced the swelling in his ankle.
"When I trained yesterday and got through that I pretty much knew I could play," he said. "I got new anti-infammatories towards the end of the week and it took all the swelling out. Structurally (the ankle) was all right but once all swelling was gone I was confident of playing."
Johns admitted he was apprehensive about returning on a pitch that had been embroiled in controversy all week over the state of its playing surface. Up to $100,000 was spent relaying 1000 square metres of turf at Telstra Stadium, but Johns didn't bother checking it ahead of today's game. "It was in the back of my mind because there was a lot of talk about it but the powers that be had a look at it and said it was alright," Johns said. The halfback will attempt to keep this week's Test preparation low key. He believes he will be OK to train all week, and he will talk to team officials about getting his media commitments over and done with before heading to Queensland. "I will probably talk to the media people tomorrow and hope that will be it and just focus on the game, otherwise you get to Thursday and think you have got to play tomorrow," he said. "The Kiwis will be coming at the Aussies 100mph. It will be true Test and I can't wait." 

I'm a certain starter todayBy Andrew Johns Newcastle captain - April 30, 2006
I WILL definitely play in the game against South Sydney at Telstra Stadium today. I made it clear when I decided not to make myself available for Origin this season that the Knights would be my number one priority every week from now on. Nothing has changed. That's why I've decided to take my place in the side. I guess I could have taken the soft option and sat it out. People have said to me, "why risk missing an opportunity to play a farewell Test for one game with the Knights".  The answer to that is simple. I believe I'm fit enough to play and will get through it today without too many dramas. It might only be one game but it is an important game for the club. Every game is. We're coming off two straight losses and this competition is so tight, two competition points at the end of the season could be the difference between a place in the play-offs or missing out. Two weeks ago, a flash of brilliance beat us against the Cowboys. Last weekend, it was a red-hot Melbourne who would have beaten us whether I played or not. Souths are a danger game for us because they will field one of their best sides of the year and will be desperate for a win. If we are down in any department against them, they will find us out. I want to be out there. I'm a poor spectator at the best of times, so I want to be able to contribute. I'll worry about the Test if and when I get selected. I must admit I gave myself no real chance early in the week of playing against Souths, when the ankle didn't seem to be responding to treatment. It was still swollen and there was still quite a bit of pain there. But club specialist Dr Neil Halpin put me on these new anti-inflammatory tablets and, from Wednesday on, it started to really improve. I had a couple of light runs and was reasonably confident on Friday the ankle would stand up provided it felt alright after training yesterday. I ran for about half an hour with the team and while there is still some pain, there are no problems. The ligament I partially tore is fine - it is just a little bit of inflammation around the joint which is apparently the cause of the discomfort. 
I must admit I've been keeping tabs on all the drama through the week surrounding the surface at Telstra Stadium. We just have to take it as read that their won't be any dramas with it today. 

Knights beaten to the punch.
ANDREW Johns has set himself the challenge of directly taking on the game's two biggest rising stars, Benji Marshall and Sonny Bill Williams, and finishing on top at Suncorp Stadium tomorrow night in the final chapter to his glittering Test career. About to play his 21st and last Test for Australia, Johns said yesterday he was excited by the prospect of lining up against Marshall and Williams for the first time and wanted to leave a lasting impression on them. "I can't wait," Johns said after the Kangaroos arrived in Brisbane. "They're just so naturally gifted … I think we're lucky that they play our sport. It's the first time I've played against Benji and Sonny Bill, so I'm looking forward to that. I don't know how many times I'm going to play them. I'm coming to the end of my career, so I'd like to make an impact on their psyche that they played against me." 
While most of the focus will be on Johns's brilliant attacking game, he expects to play opposite the young Kiwi superstars in defence, and hopes that by nullifying their effectiveness with the ball he can help the Kangaroos avenge last year's Tri-Nations defeat by New Zealand. But Johns, who will celebrate his 32nd birthday this month, warned that such results were likely to become more frequent due to the array of talent available to New Zealand. "On my edge of the ruck, I'm probably up against Benji and the likes of Sonny Bill … so I'll do my best to try and shut them down, which is a huge task," he said. "It's pretty evenly matched, I think, if you look at both teams and past results. They [New Zealand] just played so well on the night [in the Tri-Nations final] and I don't think they were given the credit they deserve. "I think for the next 10 or so years they are going to be so strong. If you look at the players they've got now in the NRL, they all get the same coaching as we do, they're doing the same fitness training and I suppose they know how we play inside out." 
Despite no longer being Australian captain, Johns will run the show for the Kangaroos. He and skipper Darren Lockyer missed the 24-0 loss to the Kiwis in Leeds in November and their presence at the scrum base will be a huge boost to a largely unchanged Australia side. "Joey is playing halfback and he'll be the guy who directs the team around the park, that's what he does so well," Lockyer said. "Last year we had two games together. It takes a bit of time to get it where you want it but we both know how we play the game and what we're good at. We'll be looking to accommodate each other and put the team first." 

"I feel very lucky to have played all my football with Joey. I feel I'm among the privileged few and I will never forget that"  - Danny Buderus 

"I played in his first Test back in 1995 and I'm absolutely thrilled to be playing in his last. Joey will be remembered as one of the greatest ever"  - Steve Menzies 

"Even though I've played alongside him for so long with the Knights, it's always a privilege. I hope we get to send him out on the right note"  - Steve Simpson 

"I hold him as the number one player I've played with. I don't think you'll see another like him"  - Willie Mason 

"He has the knack of making people look better than what they are sometimes. He's a very gifted person"  - Mark Gasnier 

"I remember watching tapes of Joey running around and to be actually playing with him for Australia is almost a once in a lifetime opportunity and something I'll always remember"  - Johnathan Thurston 

"He's a good friend, a great bloke and one of the best players ever"  - Ben Kennedy 

 "There will be someone who will come along like Joey but I don't know when and how long. He's something different and something special"  - Mark O'Meley 

"It's something you can tell your kids and grandkids about that you played with the world's greatest player" - Nathan Hindmarsh 

"He's one of a kind. I think even the old legends talk about him as being one of a kind and he is a legend and he's still playing"  - Timana Tahu 

"Joey is one of the all-time greats. I know we're going to send him out a winner in his last Test"  - Matt Cooper 

"He's one of the game's greatest. I've been fortunate enough to play alongside him and against him. It's much better to be alongside him-- better memories there" 
- Petero Civoniceva 

"Even I benefit from watching him play at halfback each week and now I get to learn more playing with him. He's a pretty freakish talent"  - Luke O'Donnell 

"You'll never see another player like Joey. There's one in a 100 years that come along. He's just that good"  - Karmichael Hunt 

"It is an honour to play alongside Joey and the fact that it is his last Test makes it all that more special"  - Matt King 

Joey to leave in style - May 5, 2006
ANDREW Johns feels blessed. The Newcastle captain said as much this week before tonight's Anzac Test against New Zealand in Brisbane.
His reasons were simple. Tonight represents the last time Johns will don a green and gold jumper. Unlike the vast majority of the 732 other players who have trodden the same path before him, Johns knows it is his final Test. "I have been granted a wish to play my last Test on home soil," Johns said. "A lot of people don't pick the way they go out. They go because of injury or lost form, so I have been blessed in a way. I try not to think of it as my last game. It's not about me. As long as the team wins, then I am happy." 
Johns's self-sacrifice comes as no surprise to former Test captains Brad Fittler and Mal Meninga. They felt the same way when playing their farewell games for their country. For former Sydney Roosters five-eighth Fittler, that night came in 2001 at JJB Stadium in Wigan, in northern England, when the Kangaroos held off a resolute Great Britain to wrap up the Ashes series 2-1. "It was all positive and I felt very privileged," Fittler recalled of his final Test. "I felt really fortunate to play with the blokes coming through who are now the game's leading players. "Joey's the same. He'll want to leave an impression of what it takes to be the king of football he already is." 
Meninga, the former Canberra centre and most capped of all Kangaroos with 45 games, played his last game against France at Berzier in 1994. However, he always remembers an earlier game that year against France, when 27,318 fans packed into Parramatta Stadium to say goodbye. "That's what you get all emotional about - that the people respect you enough to turn up and watch you play," Meninga said. "But it's not about your last game, it's about playing well for the team because you know if you play well and the team does well, you get the just rewards of victory." 
Johns will be hoping to do the same tonight to cap what has been a solid, if not spectacular, international career. It started in 1995 when he made his debut as a fresh-faced 21-year-old from Cessnock against South Africa in the 1995 World Cup - he equalled a world record 30 points. He was named at hooker for nine of his first 12 games for the Kangaroos but spent most time at first receiver. There have been 20 Test matches, more records (his haul of 32 points against Fiji in 1996) and the privilege of captaining his country twice. It appeared to have come to an end this year when the 31-year-old decided to stand down from representative football to devote his remaining years to his club side the Knights. He reversed his decision after a lunch date with Ricky Stuart in Newcastle last month, when the Test coach pleaded with the champion halfback to return for one last hurrah. Who could blame Stuart? 
He made the same SOS call last year when New South Wales looked down and out after game one of the State of Origin series. Johns responded by delivering him the shield. The stakes in Brisbane tonight are just as high. The Kiwis knocked the Kangaroos off their world perch last year by beating them 24-0 in the final of the Tri-Nations series. It was the first time in nearly 30 years Australia had tasted defeat in any series. It was the first time in more than 50 years it had lost a series to its trans-Tasman neighbour. More importantly, the Kiwis did it without Benji Marshall and Sonny Bill Williams. Both superstars will be in the Kiwis team at Suncorp Stadium tonight trying to prove last year's result was not merely a one-off. The Kangaroos, of course, are just as confident. They have captain Darren Lockyer back after he missed the tournament final last year with a foot injury, while lock Ben Kennedy has also reversed his decision to retire. Then there is Johns. 
To a man, his teammates were happy to heap platitudes on the winner of three Dally M player of the year awards when approached by The Australian this week. 
For debutants Johnathan Thurston and Karmichael Hunt it is a chance to rub shoulders with a player they grew up idolising. "I've watched (Johns) since I was in school," Hunt said. "You'll never see another player like Joey. He's just that good. I can't really explain how good he is." 
For Lockyer and second-rower Nathan Hindmarsh it will be a memory to treasure when their own representative careers wind down. "Things like this are the stuff you tell your grandchildren when you retire 'I played with Andrew Johns'," Lockyer said. "He brings a confidence to the team because he's a very smart player and a very tough competitor." 
For Knights teammates Danny Buderus and Steve Simpson it is part of an ongoing honour they feel every week when they run on to the field behind Johns in the club's red and blue colours. "I feel very lucky to have played all my football with Joey," Buderus said. "I feel I'm among the privileged few and I will never forget that."   There are more tributes but the message is basically the same.  Apparently Johns is not the only player who feels blessed about tonight. 

I have no regrets - EXCLUSIVE By ANDREW JOHNS - May 05, 2006
I FELT it the moment I walked into camp. A feeling which is hard to describe but you just know it's there. That sense of urgency and anticipation that hits you before any big game, only magnified. I've been around a long time and have been fortunate to play in plenty of big games. Tests, Origins, grand finals.
For me, this time it's different and it has nothing to do with tonight's game being my last Test and representative swansong. It's more than that. There is so much more at stake and everyone connected with this side knows it. You could see it on the faces of all the players when the team assembled last Sunday night. Some of the squad didn't play in the tri-series final late last year but all of us felt the loss. We still do. It's why this game is so important. If Test football lost some of its aura over the years because of our dominance, it' s back now – in a big way. We have the Kiwis to thank for that but we're not about to do them any favours tonight.
They are a great side and I don't think they have been given anything like the credit they deserved for their tri-series win. It was comprehensive. We had players out but so did they. If we are stronger tonight, so are they. The difference is with everything on the line, we'll be mentally tougher this time around. We have to be.
PREPARATION It has been great. As good as it could have been given the short turnaround from our weekend club games. We've had two sessions a day where we have sorted out our moves and run through them. The ballwork has been really crisp. It doesn't always work out that way when you bring players together from all over the place but the focus from everyone has been spot on. I've spent plenty of time talking over everything with Locky (Darren Lockyer). We haven't played together at seven and six all that often so it's important for the team we get it right. I think we'll actually take the pressure off each other to be honest.
He is a dream to play alongside because he just knows where to be and when to be there and we'll share the workload. Sticky (coach Ricky Stuart) is really thorough with his videos and we have gone through those. You can just sense the passion and desire from the coach whenever he has spoken this week.
It means just as much to him as it does the players. Nothing has been left to chance for tonight.

Joey signs off as best ever -  May 6, 2006
Australia 50 New Zealand 12
AUSTRALIA coach Ricky Stuart last night farewelled Andrew Johns from representative football by declaring him "the greatest player I've ever seen". 
Johns was the star of the Australians' resounding return to the top of the rugby league tree with an eight-try, 50-12 belting of New Zealand at Suncorp 
Stadium before a 44,191 crowd - the biggest for a trans-Tasman Test on this side of the Tasman in 43 years. While 31-year-old Johns kicked eight goals from nine attempts and lock Ben Kennedy ended his own representative career with a non-stop performance under-scored by a conversion, 19-year-old Australia debutant Karmichael Hunt finished the evening in Disneyland. He was smashed in the 50th minute while running the ball back by Kiwis replacement Frank Pritchard, who escaped suspension following a charge of a careless high tackle late last night. But new national coach Ricky Stuart hailed Johns, saying: "We now have a hole at halfback because of the ability and the mark that Andrew leaves on the game. "I've told you what I think of Andrew Johns. He's the greatest player I've ever seen, since I've been around rugby league. You don't replace those type of players. I've said all that in the changerooms with the players, where it's most important." 
The decorated No.7 thanked the Australian Rugby League for letting him play last night's Test while formulating new rules which won't force him to be available 
for State of Origin. "Not many people get to go out like this," said Johns, who joked his father Gary enjoyed the night with the help of "15 schooners". 
"I've been lucky enough, thanks to Ricky and the ARL, to get the chance to go out on home soil and what a performance. To win by 50 out there ... especially considering the way the Kiwis played last year and the side they had. I've let it be known my priority now is club football. I'd like to win a couple of premierships, or a premiership, before I finish." 

Stuart hails 'irreplaceable' Johns -  May 6, 2006.
Coach Ricky Stuart has labelled Andrew Johns 'irreplaceable' after the star half-back bowed out of Test rugby league in Australia's 50-12 hammering of New Zealand in Brisbane last night. The Kangaroos led 14-6 at half-time before piling on six second half tries in an impressive display. Captain Darren Lockyer and winger Timana Tahu each bagged doubles for the Australia, who extracted revenge for last year's 24-0 Tri-Nations defeat at the hands of the Kiwis.
It was the perfect farewell for Johns and fellow retiree Ben Kennedy and Stuart says Johns's exit from international football is a big blow for Australia.
"He's the greatest player I've ever seen. You don't replace those kind of players," Stuart said. "You just find somebody else who can come in and play to his best and fit the bill for the team, and find a combination now for Darren that he's comfortable with and the team can move on."
Johns said while his representative career was over, there was still plenty of football ahead of him. "I've sort of let everyone know that my priority is now club football," he said. "I'd like to win a couple more premierships or a premiership before I finish, so I'm not going to rest on that performance tonight. Not many people get to go out like this. I was lucky enough to be - by Ricky and the ARL - be given the chance to go out on home soil, and what a performance - to win by 50 out there, especially the way the Kiwis played last year, and I suppose the side they had."