Party boys getting back to business  -  01 Mar 1998,  Sun Herald
He's so talented on a football field, it's almost painful to watch. So, you ask, is there anything the Newcastle Knights' Andrew Johns can't do. "I was out surfing with him at Avoca one day," recalls cousin Shane Powell, ranked No 3 in the world in the sport of surfing. "He gets up on a wave and all the little grommets are sitting back watching him. "I hear one of them say: `Look, he can surf, too'. He's a freak'." Johns is relaxing at his home, overlooking the famous Newcastle surfing break at Merewether. Johns' plan is to challenge for the standing as the leading halfback in the game. "I was at a night club in Newcastle and all the boys were going home," Johns recalls of the night the two were introduced. "I saw him walking across to the bar. I yelled out: Hey, are you Shane Powell? "Yeah, he says. "I'm your cousin, Andrew. Buy me a bourbon." WHILE he thought at the time the guy had more front than a Mack truck, he has since learnt that this type of behaviour is not out of character for a man rugby league supporters have since discovered to be one of the wildest of all. If Andrew Johns likes one thing as much as playing footy, it's partying. His antics which followed the Knights' grand final triumph will go down in sporting folklore. Johns was photographed outside silverchair vocalist Daniel Johns' home singing the hit tune I'm A Freak. He later stage-dived into the crowd during a rock concert with a punctured lung. But even the "try anything once" Johns says there was one incident he will never forget but always regret. A television reporter asked him just how good it felt to win a grand final? "Better than the best sex I've ever had in my life," replied a sloshed Johns, with his arm firmly planted around his elder brother Matt's shoulder for support. Johns said the joke didn't go down well with his girlfriend and he says now he can understand why. 
Johns wants to be recognised as the best halfback in the game - bar none. Johns says he also has plenty to prove in 1998. While he has already achieved almost everything the game of rugby league has to offer, Andrew Johns, being the unpredictable guy he is, has more than a few surprises in store for the season ahead. Not only does he want to continue his outstanding form in a united league but he also wants to be recognised as the game's best halfback. Despite the fact he proved himself the best in the ARL last season Johns now has to compete with the likes of Allan Langer, Ricky Stuart and Greg Alexander. "I want to get a chance playing halfback in the rep games," he said. "It's going to be pretty competitive. If Alf is fit, it's going to be hard. Ricky Stuart is another one - and then you've got Toovs [Geoff Toovey] as well."

THE KNIGHTS FILE  -  28 Mar 1998,  Illawarra Mercury
"Yeah, yeah. I'm a freak." That's the chorus of a song written by silverchair's Daniel Johns but it sounded just as good sung by namesake and soul brother Andrew Johns the morning after Newcastle won the greatest game in the history of rugby league last September. The Knights halfback sure can play but like everyone else in Newcastle he's just as good at partying. 

1997/98 -  Injuries hampered Johns, who has pulled a muscle in what Knights doctor Peter McGeoch describes as the "peraneam area". "I was doing stairs," Johns said. "I was racing my mate. I gave him a head start and ... I must have overstrided it or something. I've had some bad injuries, some rib cartilage injuries, but this, by far, was the most uncomfortable.  "It was near unbearable. I couldn't sit down, I could hardly walk. It's between, as you said in the  paper, the chocolate factory and ..."  Andrew admits he should not have played in the Monday game against  Sydney city. He left the field in obvious pain three times. "That was probably stupid," he said. "I was just hoping for something, that I'd run it out."

Andrew's my brother in arms - Matthew Johns,  29 Mar 1998,  Sun Herald 
Much has been spoken about the relationship between my brother Andrew and me. Some say we are as thick as thieves, as close as any brothers could be. Others say we rarely speak outside the confines of the football arena, total opposites, constantly irritating one another, to the point of fisticuffs. It is high time I put the rumours to bed for good. Yes, it is true that Joey and I have at times squared off and the odd left-cross has graced the other chin. I remember several training sessions where we have dis-agreed to the extent where teammates have stood dumbfounded as we have displayed a very poor impersonation of Ali vs Frazier. On one occasion coach Malcolm Reilly had to get between us. It was not long after he had arrived and he was devastated at what he thought was a club crisis. Mal soon learnt not to worry . . . 
Andrew is not only my brother, but one of my very best friends. Yes, I believe, as close as any two brothers could possibly be. I would do anything for him except suck snakebite venom out of that hairy backside. But what about the bouts of physical violence between us, I hear you ask? These altercations are one of the real strengths of our working relationship on and off the field. Things are black and white with us. If he is unhappy with me, he'll let me know and if I think he is taking the wrong options, I let him know. There are no snide remarks, behind each other's backs and no build-up of tension that explodes over time. 
Anyway, who hasn't had their brother in a headlock at one time or another? We would drive Mum and Dad nuts when we were kids. If we weren't playing footy on our knees behind the lounge, we would be emulating the terrors of the World Wrestling Federation. The battles would rage for what felt like hours, until I would apply my patented "figure four leg lock" or Andrew his "camel clutch!" Fortunately for Mum, Dad and Malcolm, we haven't engaged in any type of grappling for a long time now. Joey and I have never got on better, and I think it has showed on the playing field. We are coming up with new tricks and, most importantly, we are now involving the team in what were once our own off-the-cuff, instinctive plays. This is something Malcolm has always wanted us to do. 
People ask us all the time whether there is some kind of telepathic thing happening on the field that enables us to do things that appear unorthodox or unplanned. There's no telepathy, although I do know when Joe has had a big night out, but that had more to do with his breath than his mind. What we have is familiarity, it comes from playing and training with one another for a long time. For instance, if Andrew calls for the forwards to take us to a certain position on the field, I know immediately what will probably evolve in that set of six. 
Some quotes my kid brother has let fly over the years. The first was when I informed Andrew that Trish and I had got engaged. Andrew grunted with: "Gees, you're keen, aren't you?" Followed by: "How much did that ring cost ya?" Joey really disguised his excitement well. On another occasion when Trish was pregnant, I joked to Andrew that we were having twins. Andrew looked at me straight-faced and asked: "Can I have one?" 
The most recent quote was on grand final day. As we walked the victory lap, a journo asked Joe how it felt. Andrew replied: "Better than the best sex I've ever had." Unfortunately for Joey he was serious. He must be doing something wrong! 
The super league war seemed to change the Newcastle side.  Andrew Johns was also affected. The pre season of the knights in 1996 was poor and in the space of 12 months,  Joey and the Knights were not playing well.  Evidence was on the eve of a big game. Matthew Johns in the Newcastle Morning Herald tells the story.
 

Joey called me up. "Matty, I'm gonna dye my hair bright red, What d'ya reckon?"

Joey called me up. "Matty, I'm gonna dye my hair bright red, What d'ya reckon?" I answered: "If you want to." He then said: "I'll do it only if you come and get it done with me!" I don't know what I was thinking but I replied: "I'll pick you up in 10 minutes." So we stroll into the hairdressers and Joey gets his hair dyed red or, as the hairdresser (who, believe it or not, is now Andrew's wife) called it, Strawberry Fields.  I went for Princely Purple. So out of the hairdressers walk the Knights half and five-eighth, one with a head full of bright red hair, the other with a ridiculous purple, glowing like a Christmas decoration. I went home, looked in the mirror and nearly fainted. Like a flash, I jumped in the shower and washed it out before it set in properly. Joey wasn't so lucky. He turned up at training proud as punch but filthy that my hair had returned to its normal colour.

Good Knight, Steelers 29 Mar 1998,  Sun Herald
Johns brothers `best since Kenny and Sterling' 
ILLAWARRA coach Andrew Farrar yesterday dubbed Newcastle's Johns brothers the best halves combination in club football since Brett Kenny and Peter Sterling after they blitzed his hardworking but outgunned Steelers. After watching their teammates frustrate Illawarra at almost every turn with scrambling defence, Andrew and Matthew Johns delivered the killer blows in their side's 37-18 win at WIN Stadium to ensure the Knights remained unbeaten. "You've got to admire their skill," Farrar said. "I don't think we've seen a combination like this since Sterling and Kenny. "The way they work together, they stand on either side of the field and have the ball on a thread. Explaining his freakish combination with his brother, Andrew Johns said: "Whoever has less numbers (defenders) in front of him, takes them (on). Today I took them a lot." 

TELEPATHIC TERRORS -  10 Apr 1998,  Sydney Morning Herald 
There is a school of thought around town that says Andrew Johns is so naturally gifted that, come 2 pm, he plucks his football boots from his gear bag and that is as much pre-match thought as he gives to his game. 
Matthew can flick a ball over his head or tap it sideways off his foot in a manner that catches everyone but his little brother by surprise. And, for reasons unknown, Andrew suddenly became interested in video tape over the summer so he, too, has begun making a study of opposition plays as part of his preparation for the game. "Just to see their set plays, to see if any forwards are lazy, to see what they do when they're tired," Andrew says. "To see if they work." Matthew makes a similar study and opposition teams should be thankful Newcastle cannot get pay TV. "We've only got the free to air," Matthew says, which means he gets to see only two matches a week. More exciting than their analysis of opposition teams is their admiration for opponents, their desire to copy their skills. It is why the Johns brothers are the most eye-pleasing combination in rugby league and why many rate them a better pairing than Langer-Walters, Stuart-Daley, Sterling-Kenny or Mortimer-Lamb. 

Johns boys make it a real Mother's Day massacre -  11 May 1998,  Sydney Morning HHerald 
NEWCASTLE 50 MANLY 16 -  Whichever way you look at Newcastle's annihilation of Manly at Brookvale Oval yesterday, it was two innocent smiling brothers from the bush absolutely terrorising 13 opponents and a coach with a breathtaking array of skills. In one short afternoon, the Johns brothers punished the Sea Eagles for every player they have robbed from Souths, Norths and Wests over 30 years; cancelled out every little favour Manly have ever won from referees and Phillip Street; rectified every sin ever committed by Arko, Bozo and Biscuits for an eternity. The time has come to leave the Silvertails alone and treat them like any ordinary team - which is precisely what they are now. The Johns Brothers have atoned for the past. They dominated a day of record breaking - of long spiral passes thrown from centre-field to waiting wingers; of kicks launched with such accuracy they may have been aimed at certain blades of Brookvale grass; of passes squeezed out so fast, they were missed in a blink. Even Manly coach Bob Fulton, one of the game's most competitive individuals, walked to the press conference smiling. Asked whether it was the biggest margin Manly had been beaten by at Brookvale, he said, "It's the first time I've ever coached a team beaten by 50." Newcastle coach Mal Reilly, a former Manly player, could not remember a score at Brookvale approaching the one his team had racked up and he even admitted: "I feel for them." 
Fulton was asked if Newcastle had improved from the grand final and he shook his head in the way a punch drunk clears the stars and finally said: "Without a doubt." What Fulton did not say was that last year's premiership victory had given the young Knights the confidence to become one of the game's great teams. "It just wasn't meant to be," he muttered, repeating the same words he said just before the final six seconds of last year's grand final when Andrew Johns set up the match-winning try. The creativity of Andrew and Matthew Johns was . . . unbelievable," he did say. Read: celestial, God-like, miraculous, cosmic. These Johns boys are the best thing in rugby league since beer in the dressing-room and the invention of screw-in-studs. 

Knights take no action after `tired' Johns blows up at Jackson  -  26 May 1998,  Newcastle Herald
The Newcastle Knights insist there is no problem between team-mates Andrew Johns and Lee Jackson despite their on-field blow-up in Sunday's 20-12 win against South Sydney at Marathon Stadium. Johns shot Jackson a dirty look and shaped to throw the ball at him after spilling a wayward pass from the former English Test rake late in the game against the Rabbitohs, then minutes later shouted `get him off' to the sidelines after another loose pass went to ground. Most of the crowd of 21,357 saw the incident, which was caught by the NBN camera crew covering the game and replayed on television later that night. 
Johns refused to discuss the incident after the match but it is well known among Knights insiders that he is one of several players who would prefer Brett Clements ahead of Jackson as first-grade hooker. Others believe it was just an over-reaction from a fatigued and frustrated player who had endured an exhausting State of Origin match on Friday night and was backing up for his second game inside 48 hours. Knights coach Malcolm Reilly ruled out the possibility of a fine or punitive disciplinary action against Johns while Jackson will retain his place in first grade for Friday night's game against the Sydney City Roosters at the Sydney Football Stadium. 
`I really don't want to make more of an issue out of it than need be,' Reilly said yesterday. `I don't think there's a problem there and I don't want to create a problem. `It will be dealt with at the next opportune time and it will be dealt with as a team issue. `Like I said yesterday, there's plenty of negatives that occur out there on the field and you don't want to go creating them. `What you've got to do is turn them into positives.' 
Johns and Jackson trained in their separate groups, backs and forwards, during yesterday afternoon's workout at the Bank Corner Boxing Gym. It was an optional session for Johns because he and the other three State of Origin representatives, Paul Harragon, Adam MacDougall and Matthew Johns, were granted leave from training until tomorrow. Jackson was reluctant to make any comment when contacted by The Newcastle Herald yesterday but agreed with Reilly's position. `There's no problem there that we can't sort out between ourselves,' Jackson said. Johns still had nothing to say when contacted last night but his brother Matthew, who stood in for Harragon as Newcastle's captain against Souths, was confident the two players would resolve any differences before the game against the Roosters. `I think it's just something Andrew and Jacko have to work out at training,' Matthew said. `I don't think it's so much a disciplinary thing, it's probably more a technical thing. Maybe Joey (Andrew) just needs to talk to Jacko about where he wants him to pass the ball. `But all in all I think it was just something borne out of frustration. `Joey was a little tired after backing up from Friday night and it was just a really frustrating game to play in. `It's nothing that's going to become a problem and they'll work it out between themselves.' 

Coach eases Johns' fears -  31 May 1998 Sun Herald 
Star playmakers Andrew and Matthew Johns have been given guarantees they won't be stifled under the coaching of Warren Ryan. The Johns brothers' sleight of hand and flair make them the most entertaining and skilful halves combination in the NRL. But both admitted the thought had crossed their minds that Ryan may tone down their act when he takes over at the Knights at the end of the season. Ryan has a history of outstanding success, but he is also known as a strict disciplinarian. He has had well-publicised run-ins with playmakers, including former Australian halfback Steve Mortimer and veteran back-rower Paul Langmack. 
Andrew Johns said. "He is not going to alter our games. "I am too young to remember what sort of coach Warren is, so I can't really say if I was too worried. "From what I've been told by the boys he should do a really good job." Matthew Johns said the issue of "being allowed to play like we do" was high on his agenda before the meeting with Warren. "But before I had the chance, Warren brought it up himself,"
 

"I don't like to get too worked up about a game.  I just like to turn up feeling loose and free and easy, and I seem to play best that way."  Andrew Johns.

Sorcerer Johns knows he must weave some magic  5 Jun 1998. Sydney Morning Herald 
Of all the NSW players who will run out wearing the name of sponsor Wizard on their jumpers for the second State of Origin match against Queensland tonight, none plays more like a sorcerer than half Andrew "Joey" Johns. Unlike great ball-players of the Arthur Beetson mould, who was a wizard inside a blacksmith's body, the slender Johns is less athlete than artist. When he finds the flow, he becomes at one with the ball. They are in consummate harmony in a seamless way with long passes, clever switches of play and deft kicks. He also has the capacity to hypnotise the opposition, as he did in the final six seconds of last year's Australian Rugby League grand final when he cast such a spell over Manly. 
In representative games, Johns does not play with the conjurer's craft. Against New Zealand in Auckland in April he was tentative. In the first State of Origin match in Sydney last month, he performed few of the tricks that taunted Manly at Brookvale a couple of weeks earlier. He admits this, saying: "I haven't moved to that next level. I've got to become more dominant in representative matches. "I tend to sit back and let the others call for the ball. I don't know whether it is the personality of the other players. "I have talked to Freddy [Fittler] about it because I room with him. He's told me the boys will respect me more if I boss them around." Johns's caution, though, is understandable. It is very difficult for a country-born lad to walk into a team containing players like Laurie Daley, Andrew Ettingshausen and Glenn Lazarus, and start bossing them about. Rugby league's biggest crime is big-headedness. 
Johns has already acquired a reputation for bravado and bar-room antics. And he once ran onto the field with his hair dyed red and admits to being shocked at the reaction. "It was just a bit of a joke. A bloke dared me," he says. "I didn't think it would kick up such a storm. It was the worst game I ever played." To order Fittler into the play, or demand Nik Kosef exit the play, invites criticism of brashness, particularly in the more relaxed atmosphere of training where cruel barbs fly as quick as the pigskin. Johns says: "I've got to be more mature. I've got to steer them around the field more. "At club level I get the ball all the time, but for Australia and NSW I have sat back a little too much. "I've got to demand the ball and take Queensland on." Asked if he had seen the replay of Origin I, when any one of his four conversion attempts would have won NSW the match, he replies: "No, I was too shattered." 

Johns triumphs over crisis attack -  7 Jun 1998, Sun Herald 
Andrew Johns overcame a public crisis of confidence on Friday night - thanks to the help of his teammates. Afteer missing his first two shots at goal following on from his off-key kicking display in Origin I, Johns wanted to sack himself as the goal- kicker after Paul McGregor's second try in the 22nd minute. Faced with a third straight difficult goal attempt, he was prepared to hand the ball to winger Rod Wishart. But on the urging of Tim Brasher, Johns took the shot. "Brash told me to have confidence in myself and to nail it," said Johns. "He told me I would, and I did. "I tell you what, I did have a fair bit of self-doubt coming into the kick. I wasn't really feeling the best about it. "I'm glad I did take it because it really put me on track and lifted my confidence for the rest of the game." Just before kicking his morale-boosting goal Johns' confidence was boosted when he split the Queensland defence up the middle to create the momentum that led to McGregor's try. It was that moment, even more than his breakthrough goal, that appeared to signal Johns' arrival on the Origin stage. "I haven't been dominating as I've wanted to because there are so many good players around," he said. "I suppose that run really sparked things for me. "It made me realise that I shouldn't be sitting back. "I had a good talk to Freddie [Brad Fittler], who is my roommate, and he told me I should be taking charge out there. "I was fairly happy with the way things went, especially after that run and that goal." Johns was widely praised after the match, earning plaudits from his teammates, coach Tom Raudonikis and his rival halfback Allan Langer. 

Joe Cool holds all the aces  -  11 Jun 1998,  Newcastle Herald
So how did Andrew Johns prepare for Saturday night's game against Cronulla at Shark Park. The champion Newcastle halfback had taken a couple of solid shots to the ribs and played himself to a standstill 24 hours earlier, inspiring NSW to a record-equalling 26-10 victory against Queensland in Brisbane to level the State of Origin series.  After an early-morning flight back to Sydney on Saturday morning with team-mates Paul Harragon and Adam MacDougall, surely Johns wanted to get busy doing nothing? ehydrate himself with plenty of fluids, replenish the energy stocks with a feed then perhaps a good long sleep in his hotel room? `Actually I went to the TAB and had a punt,' Johns said. `And won big.' But what else would you expect from the Knights' own King Midas.
Johns picked up Radio 2UE's man of the match award for his efforts with the Blues then three Dally M points and another gong in Newcastle's come-from-behind 18-16 win over the Sharks. This week he has enjoyed a couple of days R&R before rejoining the Knights to get ready for Sunday's game against Canterbury at Marathon Stadium. Johns said the most difficult part of backing up for two games in two days was winning the psychological battle. `I'm a bit sore but it's just muscle soreness,' he said. `Physically it's very demanding but you can push yourself through the physical side of it. `It's the mental barrier. `You prepare all week for the Origin. You build yourself up for probably one of the toughest games you've ever played in your career and win so that's a massive high then you've got to come down and build yourself up again, all in one day.' 

The bottom line  -  30 Jul 1998,  Newcastle Herald
Today,  I'm going to discuss a subject that others wouldn't touch. 
It's Joey Johns's bum. Now this is not a trivial matter and is certainly not written tongue in cheek. It is very serious indeed. So how does Andrew's backside stack up against the dickie knees of Paul Harragon or the hamstring of Matthew Johns? Everywhere seems to be saying Newcastle cannot win this year's premiership without Paul Harragon on the field. No wonder the Chief's knees are gone because he has had to carry the hopes and dreams of the entire city, and that is a huge weight to bear. There is absolutely no doubt that Newcastle do need the inspiration of Harragon, but it is just as crucial that the two Johns boys are also on the field. 
So it was with concern I heard the news that both Andrew and Matthew could be in doubt for Saturday night's game against Illawarra. Matthew is troubled by a hamstring injury, which is very common in rugby league. But Andrew's worries are something quite different. Coach Mal Reilly admitted Andrew could be in trouble for this game because's he is battling a badly corked buttock muscle. So the bottom line really is: will Andrew play and how desperately do Newcastle need him? Of course, the answer to that is very simple. The cliche goes that no one player makes a team, but Joey Johns, especially under the present circumstances, does go very close. If Johns for whatever reason was to be sitting beside the Chief in the stand over the next few weeks, then Newcastle's hopes of retaining their premiership would really go out the back door. 
It is not just the natural ability that Andrew Johns possesses that makes him so valuable. It is also the amazing workload that he gets through during a game that sets him apart. And over the past few weeks when the good ship Newcastle has been rocked by drug scandals and injuries, it has been Andrew who has tried his best to steady the boat. He has taken on just about every role possible, and when you combine that with his mercurial skills you get to realise just how valuable he is to the Knights. Over the years there have been some very famous injuries that continually made the headlines. It would be interesting to know just what young Andrew Johns is doing to get his backside in shape for Saturday night. It really does give new meaning to a coach wanting players to pull their fingers out. 

Joey doesn't dally as raps keep coming -  24 Aug 1998,  Newcastle Herald
Newcastle halfback Andrew Johns celebrated his 100th first-grade game by captaining the Knights to a 34-20 victory over Adelaide on Saturday and picking up the first of what should be a swag of individual awards. Johns took an unassailable lead in the Frank Hyde player-of-the-year award run by radio station 2UE, and a Sun-Herald players' poll yesterday also judged him the NRL's best performer of 1998. The 24-year-old NSW and Australian playmaker is favoured to pick up the game's most prestigious individual honour, the Dally M Medal, at a black-tie function in Sydney on Thursday night. 
With the Knights doing little right in the first half, Johns had few opportunities against the Rams but still played a part in Newcastle's only two tries. The Knights clicked into gear after the break with Johns' cross-field bomb providing rookie outside back Grant Stuart with his second try in the 53rd minute to cut Adelaide's lead back to 20-12. Johns could not buy a conversion with his first four attempts but his fifth shot, after Danny Buderus burrowed over to score under the posts in the 66th minute, gave the Knights their first lead at 22-20. The icing came four minutes later when Johns put centre Jason Moodie into the clear down the right wing then backed up inside to score and convert for an unassailable 28-20 advantage. `I think we probably got too excited in the first half but we were more patient in the second half and just wore them out,' Johns said. `We had a lot more ball in the second half and controlled it better.' 
In only his second game as captain, Johns could have been excused for being lost for words after Adelaide's stunning opening, which yielded three tries fora 20-4 lead. But in the huddle behind the goalposts, Johns told his players: `We've come back in bigger games than this'. `It was a great comeback,' he said. `The crowd really got behind us.' 

On-field general earns his stripes -  17 Aug 1998,  Newcastle Herald
The first thing Andrew Johns did after being handed Newcastle's captaincy yesterday was seek out seasoned pack leader Tony Butterfield and ask for his blessing. With skipper Paul Harragon (knee) and regular deputy Matthew Johns (hamstring) injured and out of yesterday's game against Balmain, Knights coach Malcolm Reilly approached Johns junior an hour before kick-off and asked him to lead the side. Winning the toss against Balmain hero Paul Sironen, who played his 245th first-grade game for the Tigers yesterday, breaking Garry Jack's club record, was a good omen. Then Johns was his usual marvellous self to inspire the Knights to a 30-16 win. `It was very emotional when Mal came up before the game and asked me if I'd captain them,' Johns said. `I went up to Tony Butterfield and asked if he'd mind if I was captain and he said it would be a pleasure to play under me, so that was great for someone of his stature to give you that sort of boost.' But as the realisation hit home, Johns didn't know whether to laugh or cry as he remembered his only other leadership experience with the Knights. `The only other time I've been captain was in reserve grade one year,' he said. `We were coming first and we were playing Cronulla and they were coming last but they beat us by 40.' 
The way he runs the Knights, Johns is the team's on-field general and leader in the run of play anyway but the extra duties and responsibilities that come with the captaincy had no effect on his own performance. He scored a try and was involved in the lead-up to four of the five others, his kicking game was spot-on except for a couple of kicks out on the full after reaching to take passes, and he got down and dirty in defence with the forwards. `I think the added responsibility is good for me,' he said. `There's only a small band of players who have been captain and they're held in high regard so it's definitely been a goal of mine.' 

Johns the Great 23 Aug 1998,  Sun Herald
Enigmatic Newcastle halfback Andrew Johns has been voted the 1998 rugby league player of the year by his peers. In a poll conducted by The Sun-Herald of 100 NRL players - five from each premiership club. While other league awards are judged by referees and journalists, Johns said acknowledgement from his fellow players was the highest honour of all.  "To be judged by your peers is probably the biggest compliment I have ever got - I'm over the moon," a slightly stunned Johns said yesterday when told of the poll result. "It's great to get individual awards, but to be rated by your fellow players to be going well - that's something you've really got to put highest on your honours. "I'm astounded, surprised . . . but really happy." 
Unlike last year, when he missed most of the regular season - 16 matches - through injury, Johns said he had thrivedd on playing all the Knights' games this year, plus a few representative matches.  "It was a goal of mine to play every game this year, and to back up straight after Origin and keep playing," he said. "I surprised myself in a way that my body kept together."

Seventh heaven  - 27 Aug 1998,  Newcastle Herald
Andrew Johns deserves the chance to win another one of those big rugby league awards tonight. There's no doubt Joey has been doing a fair bit of the sticky-taping to hold Newcastle together through a tough year. He has taken on a huge workload ? and given it his all. That is not downgrading the efforts of any other Knights player. But, quite frankly, without Andrew Johns over the concluding stages of the season, Newcastle would NOT have had the luxury of a bit of R and R this week. But for all the great things he has produced this season, one factor remains: he is a fabulously naturally gifted rugby league player. 
The best way I can describe the talent he displays each and every game is that he makes hard things look very easy and takes the impossible and turns it into tries. Newcastle fans should not only thank God Almighty that he decided to endow Andrew and Matthew Johns with such an array of talents, but they should be yelling hallelujah that the brothers were born in Cessnock in such a great league family. That is why Newcastle still have a great chance of winning this year's title. The winning factor could be the Johns magic. And isn't it great to watch. When you see a sportsman who can display such ability and do it so easily, it does stand out. Once you see that natural ability, it stands out. 

Dally double -  28 Aug 1998,  Newcastle Herald
Knights halfback Andrew Johns was crowned last night as the undisputed champion of 1998, winning the Dally M Medal as the NRL player of the year. Making a clean sweep, Johns also won the Provan-Summons Medal as the people's choice player of the year and picked up the Dally M award as the game's premier No.7. Johns said he would swap all those honours for another premiership with the Knights but was still overwhelmed. The 24-year-old NSW and Australian playmaker won by a clear margin from Melbourne halfback Brett Kimmorley, who was understudy to Johns at the Knights in 1995-96 before joining the Hunter Mariners last year and the Storm this season. Johns thanked his parents, Gary and Gayle, sister Kate and brother and team-mate Matthew, who was among the top nine vote-getters in the final tally for the Dally M Medal. He also paid tribute to Newcastle coach Malcolm Reilly for allowing him to blossom. `This is beyond my wildest expectations,' Johns said. `I only played about 10 games last year because of injury and I wanted to play as many games as possible this year. `Luckily I got to play every game plus some rep games.' 
Johns was reluctant to rate himself in the same class as some of his role models, including Ricky Stuart, Brad Fittler and Allan Langer. `I've only played first grade for five years and my only rep football in the combined competition has been this year,' he said. 
 

Knights halfback Andrew Johns was crowned the undisputed champion of 1998, winning the Dally M Medal as the NRL player of the year.

Johns reigns as top Knight -  5 Sep 1998 Newcastle Herald 
In an amazing show of popularity Andrew Johns has been voted Knight of the Year in a Herald telephone poll, recording more votes than all the other nominees added together. In the poll conducted by The Newcastle Herald, Johns finished almost 200 votes clear of Tony Butterfield who, in turn, finished 31 clear of Paul Harragon in third spot. Twenty Knights received votes in the poll.  Johns has virtually been crowned the undisputed rugby league champion of 1998, already collecting this year the Dally M Medal as the National Rugby League's Player of the Year, the Provan-Summons Medal as the People's Choice Player of the Year, the Dally M award as the game's best halfback, Rugby League Week's Player of the Year award and a Players' Player of the Year award. 

Johns' big game  13 Sep 1998,  Sun Herald
It was the big little man who should have been the difference yesterday. As a halfback, Andrew Johns weighs 88kg. That's more than Ray Price weighed in his prime. It is 13kg more than Geoff Toovey, 10kg more than Allan Langer. It makes him the heaviest halfback in the competition and, for other reasons, too, many say the best. The advantage of a halfback weighing 88kg is that, at times, he can play like a back-rower. So, while Johns was terrifying the Canterbury defence with his attack, the work he was doing in the trenches also made a difference. Yesterday, he kicked down-field and led the chase. He picks up a loose Canterbury pass and heads down the sideline, Bulldogs prop Steve Price comes across in cover and Johns pushes him off. Easy. The Knights score soon after. Johns plays a game no other halfback can. He defends in the front line and hits with his shoulder. When the Dogs have all the momentum in the second half and Gavin Lester heads up-field, it is Johns who closes the play down. Canterbury play out their tackles and, come the last, Rod Silva nearly slips over from dummy-half. It is Johns wrapped around his ankles. And when Newcastle ruck it out? There he is, taking it off the dummy-half, taking it forward. 

Johns' sweetest win comes from team-mates  - 22 Sep 1998,  Newcastle Herald
Andrew Johns has made a clean sweep of the National Rugby League's individual honours but yesterday's Excalibur Club players' player-of-the-year award had special significance. Johns has won the Dally-M Medal and a swag of other trophies, cheques and prizes this year for his outstanding season with the Knights but said the players' player was the one he wanted most. The 24-year-old NSW and Australian playmaker became only the second back to win the award in its 11-year history, after former Knights stalwart Robbie McCormack took out the out the inaugural trophy in 1988. `It's nice to be judged by people in the media for various awards but this is the award all the boys hold in high regard,' Johns said. `To be judged by your own players, the blokes you play with every week, that's the one you aim for.  `When you look at the names on the trophy, they're the players the club was built on. `This club's going to be around for a long time so it's an honour to have my name alongside theirs.'  Johns will receive a trophy, medal and $2000. 

Reilly sees champion in Johns  -  28 Sep 1998,  Newcastle Herald
Not long after Andrew Johns had his highly publicised on-field dummy-spit in response to one too many erratic Lee Jackson passes, Knights coach Malcolm Reilly sat his precociously talented halfback down for a heart-to-heart. Reilly was not reprimanding Johns, not disciplining him, and certainly not trying to get inside his head. What he did offer was some simple advice which obviously had the desired effect as Johns showed signs in the back end of the season that he was maturing as a player and, perhaps more importantly, as a leader. Reilly rates 24-year-old Johns, the undisputed stand-out player of the season, as talented as anyone he has seen in the game. `I had a conversation with Andrew about six to eight weeks ago in my office,' Reilly said. `I told him I wasn't going to try and do a personality transplant on him because there's no way I can do that. `But I just want him to appreciate that he is a senior player and anything he does on and off the field influences the players around him. `Certainly since that conversation, he's clearly had a look at himself and said "This is the direction I'm going in now", so I'm really pleased.' 
In one of his last official duties as coach, a report to the club's board of directors, Reilly described his playmaker's game in the 100-minute semi-final loss to Canterbury as the gutsiest performance he had seen. `In 30 years of watching players go around, I've never seen a gutsy performance quite like that one against Canterbury,' he said. `He was all over the place, creating opportunities, making breaks, kicking the team into good field positions, making tackles on forwards that had to be made, then just jumping back up whenever things got tough. `Over the last month I've seen it too. `(In the semi-final) against the Roosters, every time the defence was stretched he was the one sticking his hand up to do that extra bit of work. `He's as good as they come. You can't question his skills but it's that attitude that makes a champion.' 
The Knights were disgusted with referee Steve Clark's handling of the Canterbury marathon as they went more than an hour without a penalty but Johns, deputising for injured captain Paul Harragon, was all class during post-match media interviews. Not once did he point an accusing finger Clark's way and had nothing but praise for Canterbury's comeback and the courage of his own players. `That's a true sign of him maturing as a person as well as a player,' Reilly said. `He still gets irate with himself. He's got to understand himself better before he can really maximise his potential as a leader. `At the moment he still knocks himself about mentally a fair bit. When he does something wrong he gives it to himself and loses a bit of focus. `But I think he's already started to appreciate the responsibility that goes with leading other people.' 
Not that Reilly has to worry about it any more, it is now the domain of incoming coach Warren Ryan, but Johns' active social life has never concerned him. As long as Johns did the business on the field, he could please himself in his own time. `I'll tell you what, I don't care what he does off the field and he is maturing,' Reilly said. `But the one thing that stands out with Andrew Johns is, and I've not seen it too many times before, the tougher it gets on the field, the better he performs. That's the sign of a true champion.'

Jason hooked on Joey Johns  -  4 Oct 1998,  Sun Herald
Jason Hetherington said the man who has beaten him into the Australian side, Andrew Johns, had to have a place in the team. Hetherington is a huge fan of Johns' ability and couldn't argue with his inclusion in the national team. "I just wish they'd picked him somewhere else other than hooker," he said. "I was disappointed that I didn't get a run but Andrew has had a terrific year and they couldn't leave him out of the team because he has been the best player in the competition this season."  Johns won a multitude of awards, including the players' player of the year in a survey done by The Sun- Herald. He also won the Dally M player of the year. "That makes it a little bit hard when you miss out on selection but I'm sure Andrew Johns will adjust to hooker, even though he's not a specialist there. "He's played there before with great success and he'll do a very good job for Australia."

Coach says Johns boys best since Eels greats -  30 Mar 1998, Newcastle Herald 
ILLAWARRA coach Andrew Farrar rated Knights halves Matthew and Andrew Johns as the best since champion Parramatta pairing Brett Kenny and Peter Sterling after they inspired Newcastle to a 37-18 win over the Steelers at WIN Stadium on Saturday. And Farrar would know, having played against Kenny and Sterling while with Canterbury in the '80s and alongside them in representative sides. Farrar admitted there were times on Saturday when he had to sit back and admire the skills of the breathtakingly brilliant brothers, who were involved in five of the six Newcastle tries. Matthew was at the wheel in the first half then took a back seat to his younger brother after half-time. Andrew scored a sensational solo try, kicked five goals and piloted a field goal for a 15-point personal tally for the match. If they weren't linking with long passes before putting their support players through gaps, they were kicking the ball with amazing accuracy or stepping into space and having a run themselves. The Steelers certainly had no answers, not after the first 20 minutes anyway, but Farrar said the brothers were almost impossible to coach against. `You've got to admire their skills. I don't think we've seen a combination like theirs since Sterling and Kenny, people like that,' he said. `(It's) just the way they work together and are such a threat on either side of the field. `If they get a bit of a roll, they're very hard to stop. `The defence has got to stay together, it has to be fast-moving and it has to drift very well. But they can come at you with footwork, short passes or long passes and moving the ball across the field very quickly.' 
Knights coach Malcolm Reilly preferred not to compare them with anyone but said they could only get better with time. `They're certainly a handful,' he said. `Whichever side of the ruck the ball goes, if there's an opportunity and numbers, they're the kind of guys with the vision and the options with their hands and feet to seize it. And when they're pushing the ball wide together, they're unique. `But I'm not going to make comparisons. Experience is definitely a factor and that's coming to the forefront this year. `The longer they play together and the more experience they get, the more benefit they will be to the side.' After the Knights recovered from yet another slow start, when Illawarra pivot Trent Barrett's smart try in the third minute gave his side a 6-0 lead, they never looked like losing. Smart play by Bill Peden, taking a quick tap from an off-side penalty in the 15th minute, allowed Owen Craigie to scamper outside Paul McGregor and scoot 30m for a try. Peden then pushed through Barrett to score in the 25th minute after long passes from both Johns brothers. Fullback Robbie O'Davis bobbed up to score from a Matthew Johns in-field kick nine minutes later. Trailing 18-6, the Steelers had to score first after the break to make a game of it but instead just stood and watched as Andrew bamboozled back-up forward Brendon Tunbridge with a neat step then fullback Luke Patten en route to the line in the 51st minute. `It's probably just the luck of the draw and I was lucky enough to get through a couple of times today,' said Andrew, who even had time for a breather on the sidelines late in the first half. 
`It's just the way the game pans out. `Sometimes we (he and Matthew) split when we're attacking and if I've got less numbers in front of me I'll take them. `Some weeks there's more players on my side of the ruck and Matthew takes them. `But it's never easy. It's a very hard game, otherwise everyone would play it.' Matthew chipped in: `It's such a hard game, there's no way in the world that one bloke can run things on his own for 80 minutes and still have a run and enjoy himself. `We try and share the workload, give each other mental breaks now and then and one of us can do a bit of running and show a bit of enterprise while the other bloke steers us around. `It's something we've worked on over the last few years and Malcolm's put the finishing touches on it.' The Steelers scored again in the 61st minute through second-rower Andrew Hart to close the gap to 24-12 but Andrew's field goal, Peden's second try and a touchdown for home-town hero Neil Piccinelli against his old club stretched the lead to 37-12 before Barrett crossed for his second in the dying stages. 
Peden, just shaded by his Cessnock `cousins' for man-of-the-match honours, felt privileged being on the same ground as them, let alone the same side. `It's great to have a set of halves like them who can point you around the park so well,' Peden said. `They're just a pleasure to play with because they know what they're doing then help you so much with your own game.'

Season 1999
I had a good season for rep footy. I think we won the season that year. At Newcastle we got knocked out of the semis by Parramatta. We were all injured that year and that was when my groin injury started. That year I had my groins operated on and I missed the tri-series. I think that was when Brett Kimmorley got his first start and he played really well. He really dominated.

Johns boys welcome Dragons' fire  -  10 Apr 1999, Newcastle Herald
Andrew Johns has laughed off suggestions that he and brother Matthew will be targeted by St George-Illawarra halves Anthony Mundine and Trent Barrett tomorrow. The Johns boys have welcomed the Dragons to `bring it on', a sentiment supported by coach Warren Ryan. `He's a great competitor, Joey. He thrives on competition,' Ryan said. `Coaches have gone grey throughout Allan Langer's career trying to contain a player of his calibre and Joey Johns is right there now. He's the heir apparent. He's the Allan Langer of now and tomorrow.' 

Johns praises his best opponent -  29 Apr 1999,  Newcastle Herald 
NEWCASTLE Knights halfback Andrew Johns said yesterday that champion Brisbane and Australian No.7 Allan Langer was the best player he played against. Langer stunned the rugby league world yesterday when he announced his retirement from the game, just five days after he represented Australia against New Zealand in the Anzac Test. Johns was training with the Knights yesterday when the news broke and, like the rest of his team-mates, was shocked. `He was a great player ? the best I ever played against,' Johns said. `The highlight of my year at club level was playing against him. `He gave hope to every kid who thought they were too small to play footy.' Johns is the heir apparent to replace Langer as Australia's halfback but said he was not thinking that far ahead and it would be inappropriate to assume anything. Langer pipped Johns for the Test job but Johns was selected on the bench then promoted to hooker. `It's funny because I roomed with him all last week and when I asked him what his future holds, he said he might play a few more years then play in England,' he said. `As for playing for Australia, it is another six months before the next Test and there were huge changes between Tests last year because of form and injuries. `If I take the attitude that I'm automatically going to be the Australian halfback just because Alf's retired, my football will slip. `If anything, it just gives me extra incentive to try to consolidate my position.' Langer said he did not deserve to be selected ahead of Johns in the Test side. `I knew deep down I didn't deserve the jersey,' Langer said at his press conference yesterday. 

Johns plays down surgery fears -  23 Jul 1999,   Newcastle Herald 
The Newcastle Knights are playing down fears that star halfback Andrew Johns could miss the rest of the season with a serious groin injury. Specialist Neil Halpin has told Johns to rest for 10 days before a decision on surgery is made, meaning Johns is likely to miss tomorrow night's game against Balmain. `I'm 90 per cent sure I'm not playing, maybe more,' Johns said last night. `Dr Halpin said that early on you don't know whether it is a strain or tear in the groin. `The only way to find out is to rest for 10 days and then go again. `If I break down again, then we'd have to talk about our other avenues to fix things. `Hopefully it's just a strain and after 10 days I'll be right for the Broncos.' Knights doctor Peter McGeoch has prescribed anti-inflammatories and extensive physiotherapy. `I've spoken to Neil about this and at this stage he's not willing to say whether he'll require surgery or not,' McGeoch said last night. `We'd obviously like to give Andrew a bit of time off but we've just got to bear in mind we're not far off the finals series and he's such a key player for us. `It's just going to be a fine line as to which way we're going to go.' Knights media officer Stephen Crowe described surgery on Johns as `option Z' and said the injury would need to get much worse to require surgery mid-season. 

Johns facing Origin threat  -  16 May 1999,  Sun Herald
Brett Kimmorley is within an ace of knocking Andrew Johns out of the NSW team for the first State of Origin match. By yesterday, it was believed two of the four State selectors preferred Kimmorley over Johns at half. Another preferred Johns and the fourth was undecided. If that selector goes for Johns, it should be enough to get him into the side. It appears that if the selectors cannot break the deadlock and leave the decision to coach Wayne Pearce, he will go for the established representative player in Johns. Pearce is welcome to voice his opinion on all positions, but does not have a vote. 
The Newcastle club reacted with amazement to any suggestion Johns could miss out. Knights chairman Michael Hill, who is also on the boards of the NSW, Australian and National rugby leagues, said yesterday: "Andrew Johns is playing in the best form of his career. "I could not believe that they would consider not picking him at half." Coach Warren Ryan added: "Andrew Johns has been the best player in the competition for the past two years. It would be an enormous shock if he missed out." 

Ryan puts things in order for Johns -  19 Jun 1999,  Newcastle Herald 
Warren Ryan made some interesting observations about comparisons between the Johns brothers in an interview in the current issue of Rugby League Week magazine. `Andrew Johns is so good that he might well end up being regarded as the best halfback the game has ever seen,' Ryan said. `Unfortunately his brother seems to have been judged against Andrew's standards. It is sad to think that Matthew would suffer at the selection table simply in comparison to his brother, but I suspect  that has sometimes been the case.'

Not now, John -  05 Aug 1999,  Newcastle Herald
Knights chairman Michael Hill has slammed comments by Matthew and Andrew Johns' manager, John Fordham, concerning the future of the dynamic duo. Fordham, who also manages controversial Newcastle-bound Canberra lock Ben Kennedy, told Rugby League Week magazine that he wanted to `spark preliminary discussions' with the Knights this week about the future of the Johns brothers despite them being contracted until the end of next year. Fordham was quoted in the magazine as saying it would be `quite difficult' for the Knights to keep the Johns brothers together, and that he wanted to start the ball rolling with Hill because `finalising the last contract took us 12 months from the time we began talking'. 
Hill said he had not heard from Fordham about the Johns boys. He was critical of Fordham's timing, given the Knights' current on-field quest to reach the semi-finals and off-field battle to retain other players. `This is like a re-run of 1997 when there were stories every week about the Johns brothers' contract negotiations,' Hill said. `But I'm not surprised because John seems to enjoy running his business through the press. `I would have thought, given the long-term relationship we have with these players, that there would be little difficulty renegotiating with them when the time comes.' 
6 Aug 1999,  Newcastle Herald  -  Joey Johns faces a few anxious weeks as he tries to play out the season with his injured groin. Joey was presented with a few options. He could have rested for a couple of weeks and tried to make it back for the semis, had an operation and missed the rest of the season, or battled on. Anyone who knows Joey would have realised there was only one choice: to hang in there. Joey is very resilient and one of the toughest players in the game and will still lead the side. 

Knights set two records -  8 Aug, 1999
Newcastle set two club records in this afternoon's 60-0 demolition of South Sydney at Marathon Stadium. The 60-point winning margin was the highest in Knights' history - beating the previous record of 44 points - and Andrew Johns bettered the club recordd of 24 points in a game, one point higher than the old mark. The loss sees the Rabbitohs bow out of finals contention after being in or near the top eight for much of the season. 

Class of his own - 19 Aug 1999,  Newcastle Herald 
Is Andrew Johns the best halfback ever to play rugby league? A poll taken from NRL players voted Joey as the best footballer going around in Australia's elite competition this year. I would think that was a formality and basically a past-the-post certainty. Obviously there are some fabulously gifted players going around this year, otherwise the games would not be as good as they have been. We have seen some absolute crackerjack matches. But looking at each team and the stars that provide the impetus, surely there can be little doubt that Joey Johns is above the rest. 
Everyone knows how great he is and it is a joy and a privilege to watch him in action. Okay, that is nothing new. He has been making the impossible look easy for yonks, but, the thing is, he just keeps getting better. But of all Joey's truly God-given gifts, the one amazing factor is his toughness. Johns has the genius of Sterling and the individual brilliance of Mortimer, yet he can still hit a bloke with a tackle that would do the tough men of the game proud.

Andrew Johns is Dally M Player of the Year -  2 Sept, 1999
Knights halfback Andrew Johns has won the coveted Dally M Player of the Year award for the second consecutive season. Johns is only the third player to win the award in successive seasons, and was also named halfback of the year. He also won the Provan-Summons medal, voted on by fellow NRL players.
`It's not something you aim at, it's just a bonus. I'm very honoured to win it.' Joey Johns after winning back-to-back Dally M Medals. `I told Renae if she hasn't had the baby by Saturday night to cross her legs while she's watching the game.' Andrew Johns. 

Champ pledges to lift himself; Joey forgets the fanfare to focus; Herald. Sep 4, 1999. 
GAME-BREAKING Knights halfback Andrew Johns is confident he can put the most stressful week of his life behind him to focus on winning tonight's sudden-death showdown with Parramatta at Parramatta Stadium. Impending fatherhood, a second successive Dally-M Medal as the game's best player and no training because of shoulder, sternum and groin injuries have put the 25-year-old playmaker under unprecedented pressure. But Johns thrives on the challenge of playing in big games, a character trait never more evident than when he climbed out of a hospital bed with broken ribs and a punctured lung to help the Knights win the 1997 ARL grand final. `I've never had to balance a week like this one but by Saturday night I'll be ready to play,' said Johns, whose partner Renae is three days overdue from giving birth to their first child. `I told Renae if she hasn't had the baby by Saturday night to cross her legs while she's watching the game.
`I know she won't have it on Saturday. I've asked her not to.'
Johns received a glowing reference from brother Matthew and coach Warren Ryan. `Warren says Joey's one of those rare blokes who can be a bit frivolous or even underdone but can switch on when the whistle blows regardless of the sort of preparation he's had,' Matthew said. Matthew was confident the Knights could cause an upset tonight. `We're not cocksure or getting carried away or anything but we feel like we've been a little bit underestimated,' he said. `But all the experiences you have through football, it really gets your juices flowing when no-one gives you a chance and '97 is a classic example of that. `We've worked on a few things at training this week and we know what we have to do. We've got to really wind ourselves up emotionally, play our best football and play like winners so at the end of the day we'll have no regrets and shed no tears about our performance.'

Sibling operatives -  06 Sep 1999,  Newcastle Herald
 NEWCASTLE'S brave Johns brothers will decide this week when to face the surgeon's knife for essential running repairs. The dynamic duo were among a host of Knights who played under severe duress in Saturday night's 30-16 loss to the Eels at Parramatta Stadium. Matthew needs a plate inserted in his fractured cheekbone and could have his operation before the end of the week but Andrew is weighing up his options before commiting himself to groin surgery. Andrew still has next month's proposed Tri-nations Test series against New Zealand and Great Britain to consider but does not want to be burnt out and under-prepared for Newcastle's 2000 premiership campaign. 
`Playing for your country is the pinnacle and I'd like to if I possibly can,' Andrew said. `I'll probably have a rest for 10 days and see how the body feels but I'll see (Knights medical specialist and leading groin surgeon) Dr Neil Halpin and see what he thinks. `I'd like to try to cement a spot in the Australian team now Alfie (Allan Langer) has retired but there's a lot of good players breathing down my neck. `But I've got to look at it from the Knights' point of view too. It's a short off-season and it's no use me playing wounded for another month and a half and being half fit and underdone next year, so I've got to weigh a few things up.' 
Knights medical officer Dr Peter McGeoch said Andrew could also need surgery on a torn AC joint in his shoulder, which required two cortisone injections last week and several pain-killing needles on Saturday night. Matthew has played in protective headgear for the past two matches since suffering a fractured zygomatic arch in a head clash with Auckland prop Joe Vagana. `Now the season's over I'll have a couple of beers with the boys but I'll get in as early as possible,' Matthew said. `They're going to cut me from ear to ear, pull my face down and put a couple of titanium plates in to pretty much rebuild my cheekbone. `For a bloke who doesn't like needles, I'm going to get plenty of them and I'm not looking forward to it.' 

Joey's good news - 25 Sep 1999,  Newcastle Herald
Knights halfback Andrew Johns is not expected to miss much of the team's off-season training after successful surgery on both sides of his groin during the week. Johns went under the knife last Wednesday to have torn tendons reattached by Knights medical surgeon Dr Neil Halpin. 
Knights medical officer Dr Peter McGeoch said Johns would need to rest for six to eight weeks, meaning he should be back when training starts on November 8. `It's a pretty routine procedure although I believe it was a fairly nasty tear on one side,' Dr McGeoch said. Johns ruled himself out of Australia's Tri-Nations Test campaign to have the operation. He was considered Newcastle's main hope of Test selection. 

Johns named World's best by English magazine -  2 Sep, 1999
Newcastle halfback Andrew Johns was named the best player in the world by English magazine Rugby League World in its December edition. The Golden Boot award, revived after 10 years, has been presented to players of the calibre of Ellery Hanley, Wally Lewis and Brett Kenny. Johns was the recipient of the Dally M Player of the Year award for the second consecutive year in 1999. He also won the Player's Player award and Rugby League Week's Player of the Year award. 

Joey the Wallaby  -  13 Nov 1999,  Newcastle Herald
CHAMPION Newcastle Knights halfback Andrew Johns has not ruled out a switch to rugby union if the opportunity arose and the timing was right. The NRL's premier player has denied rumours that the Australian Rugby Union has made him a `name your own price' offer to make the change after his contract with the Knights expires at the end of next season. Johns said he was more than happy playing rugby league with the Knights and could not imagine doing anything else in the foreseeable future. But the 25-year-old playmaker hopes to keep playing for another 10 years if his body and mind are willing and said union could provide a new and exciting challenge. Johns, who resumed training with the Knights this week after off-season groin surgery, said he enjoyed rugby union and was a keen spectator during Australia's successful World Cup campaign. 
Manager John Fordham said Johns would be a smash hit at union. `If they knew he was on the market, if I rang the ARU and said to Rod Macqueen that Andrew Johns is interested in playing rugby after 2000, they'd roll out the red carpet from Sydney to Newcastle for him,' Fordham said. Johns and brother Matthew can take some credit for Australia lifting the Webb Ellis Cup for the second time. In a Sydney Morning Herald article a fortnight ago, Wallabies coach Rod Macqueen said he studied tapes of them because they were experts at working angles and running across field to link with outside men. Macqueen classed the Johns brothers in the same category as former Wallaby halves Michael Lynagh and Nick Farr-Jones in terms of on-field vision and the decision-making process.