Andrew Johns
Encyclopedia
Andrew Gary "Joey" Johns (born 19 May 1974) is an Australian former professional rugby league
footballer of the 1990s and 2000s who is considered by many to be the greatest player of all time. He was heralded as the world's best halfback for a number of years. He captained the Newcastle Knights
in the National Rugby League
and participated in the team's first two premiership victories in 1997 and 2001, playing a club record 249 games for the Knights. Johns also represented his country at 2 World Cups
, and on 1 Kangaroo tour
, playing in total 21 Test matches for the national side
. He played in 23 games for New South Wales
in State of Origin
(captaining the side to a series win in 2003), and twice played for the Country Origin
side in 1995 and 1996.
Johns announced his retirement from rugby league on 10 April 2007 at the age of 32. This followed a long run of injuries, the last of which was a bulging disc in his neck which forced his retirement due to the risk of serious spinal injury from further heavy contact. In The Daily Telegraph
on 11 April 2007, one day after retiring, some of the game's greats, including other "Immortals
" called for him to be made an immortal of the game. Andrew Johns is one of only two players to have won the Golden Boot Award
more than once and is the only player to have won the Dally M Medal
for best player in the NRL three times. He finished his career as the highest points scorer in Australian first grade premiership history with 2,176 points.
In 2008 Johns was named as the 'Best Player of the Last 30 Years' by Rugby League Week
and was also named as halfback of the New South Wales and Australian teams of the century.
, New South Wales
. At an early age it was evident he had plenty of playing ability and Johns joined the Newcastle Knights
junior ranks at 15 years of age in 1989. Four years later, at 19 years of age, the opportunity at first grade presented itself to Johns as he was tested off the bench during the 1993 season
in a handful of games. The following year in the last pre-season trial for the 1994 season
, Matthew Rodwell
, Newcastle's then-regular halfback sustained a knee injury handing Johns his opportunity. Subsequently he was named in the starting line-up against the South Sydney Rabbitohs
and in his debut match made an immediate impact as he amassed 23 points and was awarded the 'Man-of-the-Match'. He soon formed a winning partnership with his older brother, Matthew Johns
, who had played five-eighth at the Knights since 1991.
saw prosperous times for Johns, as he was selected for the first time to represent New South Wales
in the 1995 State of Origin Series
. Encumbent New South Wales halfback Ricky Stuart
was not selected due to his club Canberra's affiliation with Super League
. Also that year he as able to make his debut for the Kangaroos in Australia's successful retention of the Rugby League World Cup
in England, being named the man-of-the-match in the decider against England. At the conclusion of the World Cup, Johns was awarded his first significant accolade winning the 'Most Valuable Player' of the tournament. The following year Johns was moved to hooker for the State of Origin, with New South Wales selectors favouring Geoff Toovey
in the halfback role. Since then, Johns was regularly chosen for state and national representaive sides when fit, only missing out on a Blues or Australian cap due to injury.
During the 1997 ARL season
Johns played a pivotal role in guiding the Knights to their first grand final
appearance against defending champions & '97 minor-premiers the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles
. There were grave concerns leading up to the match that Johns would be unable to play the game, as he had a received three broken ribs and a punctured lung only a fortnight earlier. However, Johns defied the odds to play, and with less than minute of the match to go with scores tied at 16-all Johns made what is now a famous play that has gone down in rugby league folklore. He went out of position unexpectedly and into dummy-half where he ran down a narrow blind-side before slipping a pass to Newcastle winger Darren Albert
for the match winning try, with only six seconds remaining in the game Newcastle had snatched victory and secured their first Premiership title.
The following year in the new National Rugby League
the Knights performed even better during the regular season than the previous year, losing only 5 matches and narrowly missing out on the Minor-Premiership due to points difference. Johns individually was brilliant and was awarded his first Player of the Year Dally M Medal
for the 1998 season
. Unfortunately for Johns and NSW fans he had one of his worst goal kicking games in game one of the 1998 State of Origin
as NSW lost by 1 point despite scoring more tries than QLD. His performances at club, state and national level were again awarded as he received his second Player of the Year Dally M Medal
, the first time a player had won the award consecutively since Parramatta Eels
great Michael Cronin in 1977 & 1978.
Despite initial concerns regarding the leadership of the Knights after the retirement of Paul Harragon
, and even more-so when Andrews brother Matthew joined European Super League
club the Wigan Warriors
, Johns was given the responsibility of captaining the Newcastle squad. The initial fears were blown out of the water as Johns lead Newcastle to another Grand Final victory, defeating the Parramatta Eels
30–24 in 2001
. He was awarded the Clive Churchill Medal
for 'Man-of-the-Match in a Grand Final' and at the end of the 2001 NRL season, he went on the 2001 Kangaroo tour
. Also that year he was awarded the Australian Sports Medal
for his contribution to Australia's international standing in the sport of rugby league.
, Johns was awarded the captaincy of both New South Wales
and Australia, going on to win the title of 'Player of the Series' against Great Britain
. At a club level Andrew Johns and the Newcastle Knights performed well, narrowly missing out on the Minor-Premiership due to points difference. Unfortunately the Knights finals campaign de-railed as Andrew broke a bone in his back in the first week of the finals, and the Knights without Johns ended up losing to eventual Premiers the Sydney Roosters
38–12 to be knocked out of the season. Before his unfortunate injury Johns season had been marvelous and despite his lack of involvement in the finals series he was awarded the Player of the Year Dally M Medal
for a record third time, a feat achieved by none other to-date.
Johns' back injury at the tail-end of 2002 was the first of what seemed like a plague of injuries over the next few seasons, he had a serious neck injury that threatened his career in 2003, sustained an ACL knee
injury which kept him out of most of the 2004 season
, and broke his jaw in early 2005.
Johns created a debate in 2004 after receiving a massive offer from rugby union
to switch codes. Numerous past legends of both codes expressed their opinions. There is great debate regarding the events that transpired during the negotiations with Rugby Union as the contractual offers were made by the Waratahs
without the salary top ups from the Australian Rugby Union
that had been common place in contractual negotiations with previous potential converts from Rugby League. The ARU's formal reasons for not supporting the Waratah's bid to secure Johns were his age (30) and injury history. These reasons were later retracted after the Ecstasy Controversy (see below).
Even without the additional monetary support from the ARU, the Waratahs were able to table an offer to Johns that was far larger than any Rugby League club could offer on their own. After David Gallop
, the CEO
of the NRL
, and Channel Nine
contributed money and a promise of a commentary position after his career finished, Johns finally decided to stay in league, ending months of speculation and debate. He says his decision was massively affected by his son, who wanted him to stay in league. He was also approached by the Welsh Rugby Union
due to his Welsh heritage.
As Game 2 of the 2005 State of Origin
series approached, the Blues were down 1–0 and Johns was selected to replace Brett Kimmorley
in the New South Wales
squad. The second game in the series was his first match since returning from a series of injuries that sidelined him for a number of weeks. Johns did not struggle to regain his form, receiving 'Man-of-the-Match' honours in the Blues 32–22 win over Queensland. He was again chosen as the first-choice halfback for Game 3 and performed well, sealing the series for the Blues with a strong 32–10 win, in what would be their last series win for a very long time.
In August 2005, it was announced that Johns would be joining the European Super League
side Warrington Wolves
on a short-term deal, playing in the final two games of the regular Super League season and any playoff games the Wolves might reach. The Knights only agreed to these terms after Johns first signed a new contract, making him available to captain the Knights until the end of 2008.
as he amassed 30 points against the Canberra Raiders
and in doing so claimed the point scoring record for a player at a single club, surpassing Mick Cronin's 1,971 points for Parramatta
.
Halfway through the year at the end of June, it was announced that Johns would play for the NSW cricket side
, while still playing rugby league, for their Twenty20
series. The announcement sparked a lot of media interest and many critics and the public suspected a public relations stunt as his first match would be played in Johns' home town of Newcastle
. Despite this, Johns still played for NSW and in his first match against South Australia, had a missed opportunity to take a wicket; a short-pitched delivery was pulled to the boundary but much to the dismay of the large Novocastrian crowd in attendance, the catch was put down by the outfielder. In his second match against Tasmania, Johns scored only nine runs and his cricket career was rather short lived.
Back in the NRL playing for Newcastle, during a Round 18 match against the Parramatta Eels, Johns name entered the NRL record books for the second time in the year. An Andrew Johns conversion of a Newcastle try put Johns as the highest point scorer in the 98-year history of first grade Rugby League in Australia, eclipsing Jason Taylor's
previous record of 2,107 points. He rather ironically scored the record-breaking conversion in a 46–12 loss to the Eels, who were coached at the time by Jason Taylor.
Things did not start well for Johns in the 2007 season
as he lasted only four minutes into Round 1. As Canterbury Bulldogs
forward Sonny Bill Williams
went to perform one of his trade mark hits on Johns, the tackle strayed high leaving Johns lying on the field concussed. Williams pleaded guilty at the judiciary for a reckless high-tackle, and received a two-week suspension for the hit. Johns missed the following match but returned in Round 3 against the Canberra Raiders
which would, unbeknownst to him, be his last career match in the NRL. The following Thursday after the Canberra match a tackle with Newcastle teammate Adam Woolnough
in a training session resulted in his referral to a specialist to examine the injury. It was revealed by Dr John Yeo that Johns had a bulging disc in his neck, it was confirmed that it had been present for some time and was not related to the training incident. All medical advice given to Johns was to retire from professional football as any further neck injury could prove life threatening and on 10 April 2007, Johns announced his retirement from rugby league.
The Newcastle Knights season would fall apart as they finished 15th from 16 teams on the ladder, narrowly missing out on the Wooden Spoon
due to a narrow 2 point victory in their last match of the season. Johns tried to soften the blow of his retirement by stating he was seriously considering retirement at the end of the 2007 season and was quoted in the press conference as saying "I knew this year would be my last year, it's just unfortunate it's stopped five months before the end of the season." Commenting on his teammates reaction to his retirement, Johns noted "They were sort of relieved I think, after a couple of injuries this year ... I think the time's right,"
Upon his retirement a chorus of past league greats called for Andrew Johns to be immediately honoured as an immortal of the game. In the preceding 13 years, the Cessnock junior had revolutionised the game like few others before him. On October 2008 Johns completed a walk from Newcastle to Sydney to raise funds for the Black Dog Institute.
in the original All Golds
tour, Andrew Johns had been invited to join the New Zealand team for the match against the Northern Union. However, due to his career ending neck injury, he was obviously unable to play with the squad. Queensland & Australian five-eighth Darren Lockyer
was invited to take John's place but ironically, Lockyer himself was ruled out after suffering a season ending knee injury. New Zealand Warriors
captain and Queensland front rower Steve Price was the eventual replacement for the match.
Andrew became a commentator for Fox Sports & Triple M radio.
He is a republican.
On 22 April in Round 6 of 2007, Newcastle held special farewall celebrations for Andrew Johns in the Knights home game against Brisbane. The Knights board re-named the new $30 million East grandstand of EnergyAustralia Stadium
the "Andrew Johns Stand". In addition, in a first for the NRL, his number 7 jersey was retired for the match with new young half back Jarrod Mullen
wearing number 18. Later in the year the Knights would name Johns as halfback and captain for their commemorative 'Team of the Era'.
In June 2007, in what would be the first of his involvement as a specialist part-time coach, rival code the Australian Rugby Union
hired Johns as the Wallabies
in-play kicking coach for the duration of the 2007 Tri Nations Series
. On 27 October 2007, Johns married his partner Cathrine Mahoney in a secret wedding on a Sydney island. When Johns returned from his honeymoon at the beginning of the 2008 Pre-season
, he began a part-time coaching role with the Parramatta Eels
, working one-on-one with Eels halves Brett Finch
& Tim Smith. In the same time-frame Johns worked with his old club the Newcastle Knights
in a similar skills specific coaching role. The third club to hire Johns for his coaching services was the Canterbury Bulldogs
, who signed Johns for the 2008 season. The role will involve him specifically working with the halves, hookers and backs.
In February 2008, a year after his retirement, Johns moved a step closer to becoming rugby league's next Immortal after being named the 'Best Player of the Last 30 Years' by major rugby league magazine Rugby League Week
. Johns was voted the top honour beating the likes of Queensland legend Wally Lewis
(voted #2), fellow NSW star Brad Fittler
(voted #3) and current Queensland & Australian captain Darren Lockyer
(voted #4). The judges for the poll included league historian David Middleton, former NSW and Test player Mark Geyer
and veteran sports journalist Tony Adams.
On 17 April 2008 he was named in Team of the Century
at halfback by a 28-man judging panel, who voted in a secret ballot and chose the team from an original list of the 100 Greatest Players named earlier in the year. Later, Johns stated he felt "the game has forgiven me".
On 9 September 2008 at the Dally M awards in Sydney, Johns and his wife Catherine announced they were expecting their first child in March 2009. Johns has a son from his previous marriage.
On 2 March 2009, Johns and wife Catherine welcomed their first child and son Louis Byron
, and subsequently found to be in possession of one ecstasy
tablet. He was cautioned and released with no further charges. Johns initially claimed that an unknown person had pushed the tablet into his pocket which he later forgot to remove before leaving the crowded venue. This initial statement was met with a great deal of cynicism from both the press and the public. On 30 August, Andrew Johns revealed, live on the Footy Show, that he had regularly taken ecstasy throughout his playing career, mainly during the off-season. He claimed he had suffered from depression and bi-polar disorder and the drugs helped him in dealing with the high level of psychological 'pressure' associated with his career as an elite sportsman. Not long after the incident he released his 'tell-all' autobiography that went into further details regarding his depression and drug use
while playing in the NRL.
The ARU
released a press statement shortly after the controversy arose stating that Johns' drug use was known to them and played a key factor in their decision to not proceed with contractual negotiations in 2004. Brett Robinson was the High Performance Unit Manager at the time and has stated that in addition to the reasons that had been stated at the time of Johns' age and injury history, the knowledge of his drug taking had been influential in making their final decision.
When Johns was named the Best Player of the Last 30 Years in early 2008, the accolade allayed concern that Johns' shock drug admission the year before had tarnished his remarkable efforts on the field for Newcastle, NSW and Australia. On receiving the award he was quoted as saying his health was now in great shape. "I'm at the best place I have been in a long time," he said. "It's not until you step away that I realise all the pressure I was under, I'm not going to miss playing at all."
withdrew mid-week from the NSW squad following reports Johns referred to Queensland player Greg Inglis
as a "black cunt" during a training session. Johns was subsequently fired from his role as NSW assistant coach. Though he apologised for the incident on Tuesday 15 June, it is alleged it was not the first time Johns had used racist language in a football environment. Inglis has since demanded Johns be barred from any involvement in rugby league in the future.
and ARL
to
celebrate the code's centenary year in Australia. Johns went on to be named as halfback in Australian rugby league's Team of the Century
. Announced on 17 April 2008, the team is the panel's majority choice for each of the thirteen starting positions and four interchange players. In 2008 New South Wales announced their rugby league team of the century also and Johns was again named at halfback.
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
footballer of the 1990s and 2000s who is considered by many to be the greatest player of all time. He was heralded as the world's best halfback for a number of years. He captained the Newcastle Knights
Newcastle Knights
The Newcastle Knights are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Newcastle, New South Wales. They compete in Australasia's premier rugby league competition, the National Rugby League premiership...
in the National Rugby League
National Rugby League
The National Rugby League is the top league of professional rugby league football clubs in Australasia. The NRL's main competition, called the Telstra Premiership , is contested by sixteen teams, fifteen of which are based in Australia with one based in New Zealand...
and participated in the team's first two premiership victories in 1997 and 2001, playing a club record 249 games for the Knights. Johns also represented his country at 2 World Cups
Rugby League World Cup
The Rugby League World Cup is an international rugby league competition contested by members of the Rugby League International Federation . It has been held nearly once every 4 years on average since its inaugural tournament in France in 1954...
, and on 1 Kangaroo tour
Kangaroo Tour
Kangaroo Tour is the name given to Australian national rugby league team tours of Great Britain and France. The first Kangaroo Tour was in 1908. Traditionally, Kangaroo Tours took place every four years and involved a three-Test Ashes series against Great Britain and a number of tour matches...
, playing in total 21 Test matches for the national side
Australian national rugby league team
The Australian national rugby league team have represented Australia in senior men's rugby league football competition since the establishment of the game in Australia in 1908. Administered by the Australian Rugby League, the Kangaroos' are ranked number one in the RLIF World Rankings...
. He played in 23 games for New South Wales
New South Wales Rugby League
The New South Wales Rugby League is the governing body of rugby league in New South Wales and is a member of the Australian Rugby League. It was formed in Sydney on 8 August 1907 and was known as the New South Wales Rugby Football League until 1984 when forward thinking marketing managers decided...
in State of Origin
Rugby League State of Origin
State of Origin is an annual best of three series of rugby league football matches contested by the Maroons and the Blues, who represent the Australian states of Queensland and New South Wales respectively...
(captaining the side to a series win in 2003), and twice played for the Country Origin
New South Wales Country Rugby League
-2011 Tier 2 Championships:-History:Newcastle was the first city outside Sydney to start a league competition, being involved in the Sydney Premiership in 1908-09 and then starting their own competition in 1910....
side in 1995 and 1996.
Johns announced his retirement from rugby league on 10 April 2007 at the age of 32. This followed a long run of injuries, the last of which was a bulging disc in his neck which forced his retirement due to the risk of serious spinal injury from further heavy contact. In The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph (Australia)
The Daily Telegraph is an Australian tabloid newspaper published in Sydney, New South Wales, by Nationwide News, part of News Corporation.The Tele, as it is also known, was founded in 1879. From 1936 to 1972, it was owned by Frank Packer's Australian Consolidated Press. That year it was sold to...
on 11 April 2007, one day after retiring, some of the game's greats, including other "Immortals
The Immortals (rugby league)
A major Australian rugby league magazine Rugby League Week in 1981 selected an exclusive group of players dubbed "The Immortals". The group consisted of Clive Churchill, Bob Fulton, Reg Gasnier, and Johnny Raper...
" called for him to be made an immortal of the game. Andrew Johns is one of only two players to have won the Golden Boot Award
Rugby League World Golden Boot Award
The Rugby League World Golden Boot Award is a rugby league award handed out annually for achievements in rugby league by Rugby League World magazine...
more than once and is the only player to have won the Dally M Medal
Dally M Medal
The Dally M Medal is the premier individual award in the Australian rugby league competition, which is given to the player voted by sports commentators as the best and fairest in the competition for that year....
for best player in the NRL three times. He finished his career as the highest points scorer in Australian first grade premiership history with 2,176 points.
In 2008 Johns was named as the 'Best Player of the Last 30 Years' by Rugby League Week
Rugby League Week
Rugby League Week is the second highest selling Australian rugby league magazine, behind major competitor Big League...
and was also named as halfback of the New South Wales and Australian teams of the century.
Early Days
Andrew Johns began playing junior rugby league in his home town of CessnockCessnock, New South Wales
Cessnock is a city in the Hunter Region of New South Wales, Australia, about by road west of Newcastle. It is the administrative centre of the Cessnock City Council LGA and was named after an 1826 grant of land called Cessnock Estate, which was owned by John Campbell...
, New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
. At an early age it was evident he had plenty of playing ability and Johns joined the Newcastle Knights
Newcastle Knights
The Newcastle Knights are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Newcastle, New South Wales. They compete in Australasia's premier rugby league competition, the National Rugby League premiership...
junior ranks at 15 years of age in 1989. Four years later, at 19 years of age, the opportunity at first grade presented itself to Johns as he was tested off the bench during the 1993 season
New South Wales Rugby League season 1993
The 1993 NSWRL season was the eighty-sixth season of professional rugby league football in Australia. The New South Wales Rugby League's sixteen teams competed for the J. J...
in a handful of games. The following year in the last pre-season trial for the 1994 season
New South Wales Rugby League season 1994
The 1994 New South Wales Rugby League season was the eighty-seventh season of professional rugby league football in Australia...
, Matthew Rodwell
Matthew Rodwell
Matthew Rodwell is a former rugby league player. He played for the Newcastle Knights, Western Reds, St. George Dragons, St. George Illawarra Dragons, Penrith Panthers and the Warrington Wolves as a half-back....
, Newcastle's then-regular halfback sustained a knee injury handing Johns his opportunity. Subsequently he was named in the starting line-up against the South Sydney Rabbitohs
South Sydney Rabbitohs
The South Sydney Rabbitohs are an Australian professional rugby league football team based in Redfern, a suburb of South-central Sydney, New South Wales. They participate in the National Rugby League premiership and are one of nine existing teams from the state capital...
and in his debut match made an immediate impact as he amassed 23 points and was awarded the 'Man-of-the-Match'. He soon formed a winning partnership with his older brother, Matthew Johns
Matthew Johns
Matthew Johns is an Australian rugby league football commentator and former professional player...
, who had played five-eighth at the Knights since 1991.
1995–2001
The 1995 seasonAustralian Rugby League season 1995
The 1995 ARL premiership was the 88th season of professional rugby league football in Australia, and the first to be run by the Australian Rugby League. For the first time since 1988, the League expanded again, with the addition of four new clubs from North Queensland, Western Australia, South...
saw prosperous times for Johns, as he was selected for the first time to represent New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
in the 1995 State of Origin Series
Rugby League State of Origin
State of Origin is an annual best of three series of rugby league football matches contested by the Maroons and the Blues, who represent the Australian states of Queensland and New South Wales respectively...
. Encumbent New South Wales halfback Ricky Stuart
Ricky Stuart
Ricky Stuart is an Australian rugby league football coach and former player of the 1980s and 90s. He is currently the head coach of the New South Wales State of Origin team, having replaced Craig Bellamy following a fifth consecutive failure in the 2010 series...
was not selected due to his club Canberra's affiliation with Super League
Super League (Australia)
Super League was an Australian rugby league football administrative body that conducted professional competition in Australasia for one season in 1997. Along with Super League of Europe, it was created by News Corporation during the Super League war which arose following an unsuccessful attempt to...
. Also that year he as able to make his debut for the Kangaroos in Australia's successful retention of the Rugby League World Cup
Rugby League World Cup
The Rugby League World Cup is an international rugby league competition contested by members of the Rugby League International Federation . It has been held nearly once every 4 years on average since its inaugural tournament in France in 1954...
in England, being named the man-of-the-match in the decider against England. At the conclusion of the World Cup, Johns was awarded his first significant accolade winning the 'Most Valuable Player' of the tournament. The following year Johns was moved to hooker for the State of Origin, with New South Wales selectors favouring Geoff Toovey
Geoff Toovey
Geoffrey "Geoff" Toovey is an Australian rugby league coach and former professional player of the late 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s. He was educated at Davidson High School...
in the halfback role. Since then, Johns was regularly chosen for state and national representaive sides when fit, only missing out on a Blues or Australian cap due to injury.
During the 1997 ARL season
Australian Rugby League season 1997
The 1997 Australian Rugby League season was the 90th season of professional rugby league football in Australia, and the third season run by the Australian Rugby League...
Johns played a pivotal role in guiding the Knights to their first grand final
Grand Final
Grand Final is a predominantly Australian sport term used to describe a match that decides a league champion.It originated in Victoria and South Australia and has become specifically significant Australian culture...
appearance against defending champions & '97 minor-premiers the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles
Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles
The Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles are an Australian professional rugby league club based on the Northern Beaches of Sydney. They compete in the National Rugby League's Telstra Premiership, the premier rugby league competition of Australasia...
. There were grave concerns leading up to the match that Johns would be unable to play the game, as he had a received three broken ribs and a punctured lung only a fortnight earlier. However, Johns defied the odds to play, and with less than minute of the match to go with scores tied at 16-all Johns made what is now a famous play that has gone down in rugby league folklore. He went out of position unexpectedly and into dummy-half where he ran down a narrow blind-side before slipping a pass to Newcastle winger Darren Albert
Darren Albert
Darren Albert is an Australian former rugby league footballer of the 1990s and 2000s. A New South Wales State of Origin representative winger, he played his club football for the Newcastle Knights , St...
for the match winning try, with only six seconds remaining in the game Newcastle had snatched victory and secured their first Premiership title.
The following year in the new National Rugby League
National Rugby League
The National Rugby League is the top league of professional rugby league football clubs in Australasia. The NRL's main competition, called the Telstra Premiership , is contested by sixteen teams, fifteen of which are based in Australia with one based in New Zealand...
the Knights performed even better during the regular season than the previous year, losing only 5 matches and narrowly missing out on the Minor-Premiership due to points difference. Johns individually was brilliant and was awarded his first Player of the Year Dally M Medal
Dally M Medal
The Dally M Medal is the premier individual award in the Australian rugby league competition, which is given to the player voted by sports commentators as the best and fairest in the competition for that year....
for the 1998 season
National Rugby League season 1998
The 1998 NRL season was the 91st season of professional rugby league football in Australia, and the inaugural season of the newly formed National Rugby League. After the Australian Rugby League and Super League organisations ran separate competitions parallel to each other in 1997, they joined to...
. Unfortunately for Johns and NSW fans he had one of his worst goal kicking games in game one of the 1998 State of Origin
1998 Rugby League State of Origin series
The 1998 Rugby league State of Origin series was the 17th year that the annual best-of-three series of interstate rugby league football matches contested between the Queensland and New South Wales representative teams was played under 'State of Origin' selection rules...
as NSW lost by 1 point despite scoring more tries than QLD. His performances at club, state and national level were again awarded as he received his second Player of the Year Dally M Medal
Dally M Medal
The Dally M Medal is the premier individual award in the Australian rugby league competition, which is given to the player voted by sports commentators as the best and fairest in the competition for that year....
, the first time a player had won the award consecutively since Parramatta Eels
Parramatta Eels
The Parramatta Eels are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the Sydney suburb of Parramatta. The Parramatta District Rugby League Football Club was formed in 1947, with their First Grade side playing their first season in the New South Wales Rugby Football League...
great Michael Cronin in 1977 & 1978.
Despite initial concerns regarding the leadership of the Knights after the retirement of Paul Harragon
Paul Harragon
Paul "The Chief" Harragon OAM is an Australian rugby league football identity. A retired Australian international and New South Wales State of Origin representative forward, he played his club football for the Newcastle Knights whom he captained to the 1997 ARL premiership...
, and even more-so when Andrews brother Matthew joined European Super League
Super League
Super League is the top-level professional rugby league football club competition in Europe. As a result of sponsorship from engage Mutual Assurance the competition is currently officially known as the engage Super League. The League features fourteen teams: thirteen from England and one from...
club the Wigan Warriors
Wigan Warriors
Wigan Warriors is an English rugby league club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester. The club's first team squad competes in the engage Super League and the team are the current Challenge Cup holders as of the 27th August 2011....
, Johns was given the responsibility of captaining the Newcastle squad. The initial fears were blown out of the water as Johns lead Newcastle to another Grand Final victory, defeating the Parramatta Eels
Parramatta Eels
The Parramatta Eels are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the Sydney suburb of Parramatta. The Parramatta District Rugby League Football Club was formed in 1947, with their First Grade side playing their first season in the New South Wales Rugby Football League...
30–24 in 2001
National Rugby League season 2001
The 2001 NRL season was the 94th season of professional rugby league football in Australia and the fourth run by the National Rugby League. The Newcastle Knights claimed their second premiership in five seasons, defeating minor premiers Parramatta Eels in the first ever night-time grand...
. He was awarded the Clive Churchill Medal
Clive Churchill Medal
The Clive Churchill Medal has been presented to the man-of-the-match of the National Rugby League's annual Grand Final match ever since the 1986 season. The award was created to honour Clive Churchill, one of the greatest rugby league players in Australian history, following his death in 1985...
for 'Man-of-the-Match in a Grand Final' and at the end of the 2001 NRL season, he went on the 2001 Kangaroo tour
2001 Kangaroo Tour
The 2001 Kangaroo Tour was almost abandoned due to the events of September 11, 2001. The tour was initially cancelled by the ARL but after strong public opinion in both Great Britain and Australia, it went ahead, though the only games played were the three tests, marking the first Kangaroo Tour to...
. Also that year he was awarded the Australian Sports Medal
Australian Sports Medal
The Australian Sports Medal was an award given during 2000 to recognise achievements in Australian sport.Recipients of the award included competitors, coaches, sports scientists, office holders, and people who maintained sporting facilities and services. Over 18,000 Medals were...
for his contribution to Australia's international standing in the sport of rugby league.
2002–2005
In 2002National Rugby League season 2002
The 2002 NRL season was the 95th season of professional rugby league football in Australia and the fifth to be run by the National Rugby League...
, Johns was awarded the captaincy of both New South Wales
New South Wales rugby league team
The New South Wales rugby league team has represented the Australian state of New South Wales in rugby league football since the sport's beginnings there in 1907. Administered by the New South Wales Rugby League, the team competes in the annual State of Origin series against arch-rivals, the...
and Australia, going on to win the title of 'Player of the Series' against Great Britain
Great Britain national rugby league team
The Great Britain national rugby league team represents the United Kingdom in rugby league football. Administered by the Rugby Football League , the team is nicknamed "The Lions" or "Great Britain Lions"....
. At a club level Andrew Johns and the Newcastle Knights performed well, narrowly missing out on the Minor-Premiership due to points difference. Unfortunately the Knights finals campaign de-railed as Andrew broke a bone in his back in the first week of the finals, and the Knights without Johns ended up losing to eventual Premiers the Sydney Roosters
Sydney Roosters
The Sydney Roosters are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney. The club competes in the National Rugby League and is one of the oldest and most successful clubs in Australian rugby league history, having won twelve New South Wales Rugby League...
38–12 to be knocked out of the season. Before his unfortunate injury Johns season had been marvelous and despite his lack of involvement in the finals series he was awarded the Player of the Year Dally M Medal
Dally M Medal
The Dally M Medal is the premier individual award in the Australian rugby league competition, which is given to the player voted by sports commentators as the best and fairest in the competition for that year....
for a record third time, a feat achieved by none other to-date.
Johns' back injury at the tail-end of 2002 was the first of what seemed like a plague of injuries over the next few seasons, he had a serious neck injury that threatened his career in 2003, sustained an ACL knee
Anterior cruciate ligament
The anterior cruciate ligament is a cruciate ligament which is one of the four major ligaments of the human knee. In the quadruped stifle , based on its anatomical position, it is referred to as the cranial cruciate ligament.The ACL originates from deep within the notch of the distal femur...
injury which kept him out of most of the 2004 season
National Rugby League season 2004
The year 2004 NRL season was the 97th season of professional rugby league football in Australia, and the seventh run by the National Rugby League. Fifteen clubs competed for the Telstra Premiership...
, and broke his jaw in early 2005.
Johns created a debate in 2004 after receiving a massive offer from rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
to switch codes. Numerous past legends of both codes expressed their opinions. There is great debate regarding the events that transpired during the negotiations with Rugby Union as the contractual offers were made by the Waratahs
New South Wales Waratahs
The New South Wales Waratahs are an Australian rugby union football team, representing the majority of New South Wales in the Super 15 Super Rugby competition...
without the salary top ups from the Australian Rugby Union
Australian Rugby Union
The Australian Rugby Union is the governing body of rugby union in Australia. It was founded in 1949 and is a member of the International Rugby Board the sport's governing body. It consists of eight member unions, representing each state and territory...
that had been common place in contractual negotiations with previous potential converts from Rugby League. The ARU's formal reasons for not supporting the Waratah's bid to secure Johns were his age (30) and injury history. These reasons were later retracted after the Ecstasy Controversy (see below).
Even without the additional monetary support from the ARU, the Waratahs were able to table an offer to Johns that was far larger than any Rugby League club could offer on their own. After David Gallop
David Gallop
David Gallop is an Australian sports administrator who has been the Chief Executive Officer of the National Rugby League since February 2002. He has also been the Secretary of the Rugby League International Federation since its inception in 1998.-Early life:...
, the CEO
Chief executive officer
A chief executive officer , managing director , Executive Director for non-profit organizations, or chief executive is the highest-ranking corporate officer or administrator in charge of total management of an organization...
of the NRL
National Rugby League
The National Rugby League is the top league of professional rugby league football clubs in Australasia. The NRL's main competition, called the Telstra Premiership , is contested by sixteen teams, fifteen of which are based in Australia with one based in New Zealand...
, and Channel Nine
Nine Network
The Nine Network , is an Australian television network with headquarters based in Willoughby, a suburb located on the North Shore of Sydney. For 50 years since television's inception in Australia, between 1956 and 2006, it was the most watched television network in Australia...
contributed money and a promise of a commentary position after his career finished, Johns finally decided to stay in league, ending months of speculation and debate. He says his decision was massively affected by his son, who wanted him to stay in league. He was also approached by the Welsh Rugby Union
Welsh Rugby Union
The Welsh Rugby Union is the governing body of rugby union in Wales, recognised by the International Rugby Board.The union's patron is Queen Elizabeth II, and her grandson Prince William of Wales became the Vice Royal Patron of the Welsh Rugby Union as of February 2007.-History:The roots of the...
due to his Welsh heritage.
As Game 2 of the 2005 State of Origin
Rugby League State of Origin
State of Origin is an annual best of three series of rugby league football matches contested by the Maroons and the Blues, who represent the Australian states of Queensland and New South Wales respectively...
series approached, the Blues were down 1–0 and Johns was selected to replace Brett Kimmorley
Brett Kimmorley
Brett "Noddy" Kimmorley was an Australian professional rugby league footballer for the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs of the NRL. He has previously played for five other clubs and has also represented his country and state on several occasions...
in the New South Wales
New South Wales Rugby League
The New South Wales Rugby League is the governing body of rugby league in New South Wales and is a member of the Australian Rugby League. It was formed in Sydney on 8 August 1907 and was known as the New South Wales Rugby Football League until 1984 when forward thinking marketing managers decided...
squad. The second game in the series was his first match since returning from a series of injuries that sidelined him for a number of weeks. Johns did not struggle to regain his form, receiving 'Man-of-the-Match' honours in the Blues 32–22 win over Queensland. He was again chosen as the first-choice halfback for Game 3 and performed well, sealing the series for the Blues with a strong 32–10 win, in what would be their last series win for a very long time.
In August 2005, it was announced that Johns would be joining the European Super League
Super League
Super League is the top-level professional rugby league football club competition in Europe. As a result of sponsorship from engage Mutual Assurance the competition is currently officially known as the engage Super League. The League features fourteen teams: thirteen from England and one from...
side Warrington Wolves
Warrington Wolves
Warrington Wolves are a professional rugby league football club based in Warrington, England that competes in Super League. They play at the Halliwell Jones Stadium, having moved there from Wilderspool in 2003....
on a short-term deal, playing in the final two games of the regular Super League season and any playoff games the Wolves might reach. The Knights only agreed to these terms after Johns first signed a new contract, making him available to captain the Knights until the end of 2008.
2006–2007
Andrew Johns broke one of the longest-standing records in Round 2 of the 2006 seasonNational Rugby League season 2006
The 2006 NRL season was the 99th season of professional rugby league football in Australia and the ninth run by the National Rugby League. The lineup of teams remained unchanged from the previous year, with fifteen clubs competing for the 2006 Telstra Premiership...
as he amassed 30 points against the Canberra Raiders
Canberra Raiders
The Canberra Raiders are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the national capital city of Canberra, Australian Capital Territory. They have competed in Australasia's elite rugby league competition, the National Rugby League premiership since 1982...
and in doing so claimed the point scoring record for a player at a single club, surpassing Mick Cronin's 1,971 points for Parramatta
Parramatta Eels
The Parramatta Eels are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the Sydney suburb of Parramatta. The Parramatta District Rugby League Football Club was formed in 1947, with their First Grade side playing their first season in the New South Wales Rugby Football League...
.
Halfway through the year at the end of June, it was announced that Johns would play for the NSW cricket side
New South Wales Blues
The New South Wales cricket team are an Australian first class cricket team based in Sydney, New South Wales...
, while still playing rugby league, for their Twenty20
Twenty20
Twenty20 is a form of cricket, originally introduced in England for professional inter-county competition by the England and Wales Cricket Board , in 2003. A Twenty20 game involves two teams, each has a single innings, batting for a maximum of 20 overs. Twenty20 cricket is also known as T20 cricket...
series. The announcement sparked a lot of media interest and many critics and the public suspected a public relations stunt as his first match would be played in Johns' home town of Newcastle
Newcastle, New South Wales
The Newcastle metropolitan area is the second most populated area in the Australian state of New South Wales and includes most of the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie Local Government Areas...
. Despite this, Johns still played for NSW and in his first match against South Australia, had a missed opportunity to take a wicket; a short-pitched delivery was pulled to the boundary but much to the dismay of the large Novocastrian crowd in attendance, the catch was put down by the outfielder. In his second match against Tasmania, Johns scored only nine runs and his cricket career was rather short lived.
Back in the NRL playing for Newcastle, during a Round 18 match against the Parramatta Eels, Johns name entered the NRL record books for the second time in the year. An Andrew Johns conversion of a Newcastle try put Johns as the highest point scorer in the 98-year history of first grade Rugby League in Australia, eclipsing Jason Taylor's
Jason Taylor (rugby league footballer)
Jason Taylor is an Australian professional rugby league football coach and former player, currently working at the Sydney Roosters of the NRL. He formerly coached the Parramatta Eels and South Sydney Rabbitohs clubs...
previous record of 2,107 points. He rather ironically scored the record-breaking conversion in a 46–12 loss to the Eels, who were coached at the time by Jason Taylor.
Things did not start well for Johns in the 2007 season
National Rugby League season 2007
The 2007 NRL season was the one hundredth season of professional rugby league football club competition in Australia, and the tenth run by the National Rugby League...
as he lasted only four minutes into Round 1. As Canterbury Bulldogs
Canterbury Bulldogs
The Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Belmore, a suburb in the Canterbury-Bankstown region of Sydney. They compete in the National Rugby League premiership, as well as New South Wales Rugby League junior competitions...
forward Sonny Bill Williams
Sonny Bill Williams
Sonny William 'Sonny Bill' Williams is a New Zealand rugby union player and former rugby league player. He is only the second person to represent New Zealand in rugby union after first playing for the country in rugby league. In rugby union he usually plays as a centre...
went to perform one of his trade mark hits on Johns, the tackle strayed high leaving Johns lying on the field concussed. Williams pleaded guilty at the judiciary for a reckless high-tackle, and received a two-week suspension for the hit. Johns missed the following match but returned in Round 3 against the Canberra Raiders
Canberra Raiders
The Canberra Raiders are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the national capital city of Canberra, Australian Capital Territory. They have competed in Australasia's elite rugby league competition, the National Rugby League premiership since 1982...
which would, unbeknownst to him, be his last career match in the NRL. The following Thursday after the Canberra match a tackle with Newcastle teammate Adam Woolnough
Adam Woolnough
Adam Woolnough is an Australian professional rugby league player who currently plays for the Melbourne Storm in the NRL. His position is prop. He has previously played for the Penrith Panthers and the Newcastle Knights...
in a training session resulted in his referral to a specialist to examine the injury. It was revealed by Dr John Yeo that Johns had a bulging disc in his neck, it was confirmed that it had been present for some time and was not related to the training incident. All medical advice given to Johns was to retire from professional football as any further neck injury could prove life threatening and on 10 April 2007, Johns announced his retirement from rugby league.
The Newcastle Knights season would fall apart as they finished 15th from 16 teams on the ladder, narrowly missing out on the Wooden Spoon
Wooden spoon (award)
A wooden spoon is a mock or real award, usually given to an individual or team which has come last in a competition, but sometimes also to runners-up. Examples range from the academic to sporting and more frivolous events...
due to a narrow 2 point victory in their last match of the season. Johns tried to soften the blow of his retirement by stating he was seriously considering retirement at the end of the 2007 season and was quoted in the press conference as saying "I knew this year would be my last year, it's just unfortunate it's stopped five months before the end of the season." Commenting on his teammates reaction to his retirement, Johns noted "They were sort of relieved I think, after a couple of injuries this year ... I think the time's right,"
Upon his retirement a chorus of past league greats called for Andrew Johns to be immediately honoured as an immortal of the game. In the preceding 13 years, the Cessnock junior had revolutionised the game like few others before him. On October 2008 Johns completed a walk from Newcastle to Sydney to raise funds for the Black Dog Institute.
After retirement
Johns sought to celebrate the inclusion of Australia's Dally MessengerDally Messenger
Herbert Henry "Dally" Messenger was an Australian rugby union and rugby league footballer, recognised as one of the greatest ever players in either code. Messenger, or 'The Master' as he was dubbed, represented his country in both rugby football codes, playing two rugby union tests and seven...
in the original All Golds
2007 All Golds Tour
The 2007 All Golds Tour was conducted as part of the celebrations of a century of rugby league in New Zealand. It was a re-creation of the original New Zealand rugby league tour of Great Britain in 1907. The New Zealand Kiwis toured Great Britain and France playing four test matches. They lost the...
tour, Andrew Johns had been invited to join the New Zealand team for the match against the Northern Union. However, due to his career ending neck injury, he was obviously unable to play with the squad. Queensland & Australian five-eighth Darren Lockyer
Darren Lockyer
Darren Lockyer is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer. He was the captain of the Australian national team, the Queensland State of Origin team and his National Rugby League club, the Brisbane Broncos. His professional career spanned between 1995 and 2011...
was invited to take John's place but ironically, Lockyer himself was ruled out after suffering a season ending knee injury. New Zealand Warriors
New Zealand Warriors
The New Zealand Warriors are a professional rugby league football club based in Auckland, New Zealand. They compete in the National Rugby League premiership and are the League's only team from outside Australia...
captain and Queensland front rower Steve Price was the eventual replacement for the match.
Andrew became a commentator for Fox Sports & Triple M radio.
He is a republican.
On 22 April in Round 6 of 2007, Newcastle held special farewall celebrations for Andrew Johns in the Knights home game against Brisbane. The Knights board re-named the new $30 million East grandstand of EnergyAustralia Stadium
EnergyAustralia Stadium
Newcastle International Sports Centre is a multi-purpose sports stadium located in Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia. It is the home ground of the Newcastle Knights and the Newcastle United Jets teams. It is owned by the New South Wales government and administered by the Hunter Region...
the "Andrew Johns Stand". In addition, in a first for the NRL, his number 7 jersey was retired for the match with new young half back Jarrod Mullen
Jarrod Mullen
Jarrod Stephen Mullen is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who currently plays for the Newcastle Knights of the National Rugby League . A New South Wales State of Origin representative half, he has played his entire career to date with the Knights.Born in Singleton in Northern...
wearing number 18. Later in the year the Knights would name Johns as halfback and captain for their commemorative 'Team of the Era'.
In June 2007, in what would be the first of his involvement as a specialist part-time coach, rival code the Australian Rugby Union
Australian Rugby Union
The Australian Rugby Union is the governing body of rugby union in Australia. It was founded in 1949 and is a member of the International Rugby Board the sport's governing body. It consists of eight member unions, representing each state and territory...
hired Johns as the Wallabies
Australia national rugby union team
The Australian national rugby union team is the representative side of Australia in rugby union. The national team is nicknamed the Wallabies and competes annually with New Zealand and South Africa in the Tri-Nations Series, in which they also contest the Bledisloe Cup with New Zealand and the...
in-play kicking coach for the duration of the 2007 Tri Nations Series
2007 Tri Nations Series
The 2007 Tri Nations Series was an annual rugby union competition between the national teams of Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. The series began in South Africa on 16 June, with a Test between South Africa and Australia at Newlands, Cape Town and ended on 21 July in Eden Park, Auckland...
. On 27 October 2007, Johns married his partner Cathrine Mahoney in a secret wedding on a Sydney island. When Johns returned from his honeymoon at the beginning of the 2008 Pre-season
National Rugby League season 2008
The 2008 NRL season was the 101st season of professional rugby league club competition in Australia, and the eleventh run by the National Rugby League. For the second year, sixteen teams competed for the 2008 Telstra Premiership title. The season commenced with the first matches played on 14 March...
, he began a part-time coaching role with the Parramatta Eels
Parramatta Eels
The Parramatta Eels are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the Sydney suburb of Parramatta. The Parramatta District Rugby League Football Club was formed in 1947, with their First Grade side playing their first season in the New South Wales Rugby Football League...
, working one-on-one with Eels halves Brett Finch
Brett Finch
Brett Finch is an Australian professional rugby league footballer for the Wigan Warriors of the Super League...
& Tim Smith. In the same time-frame Johns worked with his old club the Newcastle Knights
Newcastle Knights
The Newcastle Knights are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Newcastle, New South Wales. They compete in Australasia's premier rugby league competition, the National Rugby League premiership...
in a similar skills specific coaching role. The third club to hire Johns for his coaching services was the Canterbury Bulldogs
Canterbury Bulldogs
The Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Belmore, a suburb in the Canterbury-Bankstown region of Sydney. They compete in the National Rugby League premiership, as well as New South Wales Rugby League junior competitions...
, who signed Johns for the 2008 season. The role will involve him specifically working with the halves, hookers and backs.
In February 2008, a year after his retirement, Johns moved a step closer to becoming rugby league's next Immortal after being named the 'Best Player of the Last 30 Years' by major rugby league magazine Rugby League Week
Rugby League Week
Rugby League Week is the second highest selling Australian rugby league magazine, behind major competitor Big League...
. Johns was voted the top honour beating the likes of Queensland legend Wally Lewis
Wally Lewis
Walter James "Wally" Lewis AM is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer and coach. Currently a commentator of the sport, he is widely regarded as the greatest rugby league player of all time...
(voted #2), fellow NSW star Brad Fittler
Brad Fittler
Bradley Scott "Freddie" Fittler AM is an Australian professional rugby league football coach and former player. The current coach of NSW City team in the City vs. Country clash, he coached in the NRL for the Sydney Roosters between 2007 and 2009. As a player, Fittler captained both New South Wales...
(voted #3) and current Queensland & Australian captain Darren Lockyer
Darren Lockyer
Darren Lockyer is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer. He was the captain of the Australian national team, the Queensland State of Origin team and his National Rugby League club, the Brisbane Broncos. His professional career spanned between 1995 and 2011...
(voted #4). The judges for the poll included league historian David Middleton, former NSW and Test player Mark Geyer
Mark Geyer
Mark Geyer , is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer of the 1980s and '90s. An Australian international and New South Wales State of Origin representative second-rower, he is currently a rugby league media identity...
and veteran sports journalist Tony Adams.
On 17 April 2008 he was named in Team of the Century
Australian Rugby League's Team of the Century
In late 2007, the Australian Rugby League and National Rugby League commissioned a college of 130 experts to select the 100 best rugby league players in the game's 100-year history in Australia...
at halfback by a 28-man judging panel, who voted in a secret ballot and chose the team from an original list of the 100 Greatest Players named earlier in the year. Later, Johns stated he felt "the game has forgiven me".
On 9 September 2008 at the Dally M awards in Sydney, Johns and his wife Catherine announced they were expecting their first child in March 2009. Johns has a son from his previous marriage.
On 2 March 2009, Johns and wife Catherine welcomed their first child and son Louis Byron
Ecstasy use controversy
On 26 August 2007 Johns was arrested for fare evasion on the London UndergroundLondon Underground
The London Underground is a rapid transit system serving a large part of Greater London and some parts of Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Essex in England...
, and subsequently found to be in possession of one ecstasy
Methylenedioxymethamphetamine
MDMA is an entactogenic drug of the phenethylamine and amphetamine class of drugs. In popular culture, MDMA has become widely known as "ecstasy" , usually referring to its street pill form, although this term may also include the presence of possible adulterants...
tablet. He was cautioned and released with no further charges. Johns initially claimed that an unknown person had pushed the tablet into his pocket which he later forgot to remove before leaving the crowded venue. This initial statement was met with a great deal of cynicism from both the press and the public. On 30 August, Andrew Johns revealed, live on the Footy Show, that he had regularly taken ecstasy throughout his playing career, mainly during the off-season. He claimed he had suffered from depression and bi-polar disorder and the drugs helped him in dealing with the high level of psychological 'pressure' associated with his career as an elite sportsman. Not long after the incident he released his 'tell-all' autobiography that went into further details regarding his depression and drug use
Recreational drug use
Recreational drug use is the use of a drug, usually psychoactive, with the intention of creating or enhancing recreational experience. Such use is controversial, however, often being considered to be also drug abuse, and it is often illegal...
while playing in the NRL.
The ARU
Aru
Aru and ARU may refer to:Aru* Name of Lady in India* Aru Islands, a group of islands in the Moluccas* Sultanate of Deli , an early Islamic polity in northeast Sumatra* Aru, Democratic Republic of Congo, a town in Ituri province...
released a press statement shortly after the controversy arose stating that Johns' drug use was known to them and played a key factor in their decision to not proceed with contractual negotiations in 2004. Brett Robinson was the High Performance Unit Manager at the time and has stated that in addition to the reasons that had been stated at the time of Johns' age and injury history, the knowledge of his drug taking had been influential in making their final decision.
When Johns was named the Best Player of the Last 30 Years in early 2008, the accolade allayed concern that Johns' shock drug admission the year before had tarnished his remarkable efforts on the field for Newcastle, NSW and Australia. On receiving the award he was quoted as saying his health was now in great shape. "I'm at the best place I have been in a long time," he said. "It's not until you step away that I realise all the pressure I was under, I'm not going to miss playing at all."
Racism controversy
In June 2010 during the lead-up to Origin II, New South Wales centre Timana TahuTimana Tahu
Timana James Aporo Tahu is an Australian professional rugby league footballer and former rugby union player, a dual-code international, currently playing for the Newcastle Knights in the National Rugby League. He formerly played for the New South Wales Waratahs in the Super 14 competition...
withdrew mid-week from the NSW squad following reports Johns referred to Queensland player Greg Inglis
Greg Inglis
Greg Inglis is an Australian professional rugby league player for the South Sydney Rabbitohs. A Queensland State of Origin and Australian international representative outside back, Inglis joined the Rabbitohs in 2011 after much controversy.Inglis is a versatile back, having played in several...
as a "black cunt" during a training session. Johns was subsequently fired from his role as NSW assistant coach. Though he apologised for the incident on Tuesday 15 June, it is alleged it was not the first time Johns had used racist language in a football environment. Inglis has since demanded Johns be barred from any involvement in rugby league in the future.
Club career
| Team | Matches | Tries | Goals | Field Goals | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Newcastle Knights Newcastle Knights The Newcastle Knights are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Newcastle, New South Wales. They compete in Australasia's premier rugby league competition, the National Rugby League premiership... 1993–2007 |
249 | 80 | 917 | 22 | 2,176 |
| World Club Challenge World Club Challenge The World Club Challenge is an annual rugby league football match held between the champions of the Australasian National Rugby League and the European Super League competitions to determine the world's best rugby league club... 2002 |
1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 14 |
| Warrington Wolves Warrington Wolves Warrington Wolves are a professional rugby league football club based in Warrington, England that competes in Super League. They play at the Halliwell Jones Stadium, having moved there from Wilderspool in 2003.... 2005 |
3 | 1 | 12 | 1 | 29 |
Representative career
| Team | Matches | Tries | Goals | Field Goals | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Country Origin 1995–1996, 2003 | 3 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 18 |
| New South Wales 1995–2000, 2002–2003, 2005 | 23 | 4 | 37 | 4 | 94 |
| Australia 1995–2003, 2005–2006 | 27 | 12 | 90 | 0 | 228 |
Achievements, Awards & Accolades
In February 2008, Johns was named in the list of Australia's 100 Greatest Players (1908–2007) which was commissioned by the NRLNational Rugby League
The National Rugby League is the top league of professional rugby league football clubs in Australasia. The NRL's main competition, called the Telstra Premiership , is contested by sixteen teams, fifteen of which are based in Australia with one based in New Zealand...
and ARL
Australian Rugby League
The Australian Rugby League is the governing body for the sport of rugby league in Australia. It is made up of state bodies, including the New South Wales Rugby League and the Queensland Rugby League...
to
celebrate the code's centenary year in Australia. Johns went on to be named as halfback in Australian rugby league's Team of the Century
Australian Rugby League's Team of the Century
In late 2007, the Australian Rugby League and National Rugby League commissioned a college of 130 experts to select the 100 best rugby league players in the game's 100-year history in Australia...
. Announced on 17 April 2008, the team is the panel's majority choice for each of the thirteen starting positions and four interchange players. In 2008 New South Wales announced their rugby league team of the century also and Johns was again named at halfback.
Newcastle Knights Records
- Most points in a match: 34 (v Canberra, 29 July 2001)
- Most tries in a match: 4 (v Canberra, 29 July 2001 – record shared with Darren AlbertDarren AlbertDarren Albert is an Australian former rugby league footballer of the 1990s and 2000s. A New South Wales State of Origin representative winger, he played his club football for the Newcastle Knights , St...
, Adam MacDougallAdam MacDougallAdam "Mad Dog" MacDougall is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer of the 1990s and 2000s. A New South Wales State of Origin and Australian international representative centre, he has spent the majority of his career at the Newcastle Knights, with whom he won the 1997 and 2001...
, Cooper VunaCooper VunaKerry Cooper Vuna is a professional rugby union player. He played league, on the wing for the Newcastle Knights , before switching to rugby union to play wing for the Melbourne Rebels.-Early years:...
& Akuila UateAkuila UateAkuila Uate ' is a professional rugby league footballer for the Newcastle Knights of the National Rugby League...
) - Most goals in a match: 11 (v Canberra, 19 March 2006)
- Most points in a season: 279 (2001 National Rugby League Season)
- Most first grade appearances: 249
- Most points for the club: 2,176
Australian Premiership Records
- Retired as highest individual point scorer in premiership history: 2,176 (eclipsing Jason TaylorJason Taylor (rugby league footballer)Jason Taylor is an Australian professional rugby league football coach and former player, currently working at the Sydney Roosters of the NRL. He formerly coached the Parramatta Eels and South Sydney Rabbitohs clubs...
's previous record of 2,107 (now himself eclipsed by Hazem El Masri). - The competition's leading point scorer in 2001National Rugby League season 2001The 2001 NRL season was the 94th season of professional rugby league football in Australia and the fourth run by the National Rugby League. The Newcastle Knights claimed their second premiership in five seasons, defeating minor premiers Parramatta Eels in the first ever night-time grand...
: 279 points. - Most ever points scored by a halfback in a single National Rugby LeagueNational Rugby LeagueThe National Rugby League is the top league of professional rugby league football clubs in Australasia. The NRL's main competition, called the Telstra Premiership , is contested by sixteen teams, fifteen of which are based in Australia with one based in New Zealand...
season (279 in 2001).
International Records
- Most points scored on international debut: 30 (v South Africa at the 1995 World Cup)
- Most points scored in a test match: 32 (v Fiji in 1996)
- Most goals in a test match: 12 (v Fiji in 1996)
Awards
- Dally M MedalDally M AwardsThe Dally M Awards are the official annual player awards for the National Rugby League competition. The most prestigious of these awards is the Dally M Medal which is only ever awarded to Australian born Players...
(best player in the NRL competition): 3 (1998, 1999 and 2002) - Provan-Summons Medal (fans' favourite player): 5 (1998, 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2002)
- Golden BootRugby League World Golden Boot AwardThe Rugby League World Golden Boot Award is a rugby league award handed out annually for achievements in rugby league by Rugby League World magazine...
(best player in the world): 2 (1999 and 2001) - Clive Churchill MedalClive Churchill MedalThe Clive Churchill Medal has been presented to the man-of-the-match of the National Rugby League's annual Grand Final match ever since the 1986 season. The award was created to honour Clive Churchill, one of the greatest rugby league players in Australian history, following his death in 1985...
(man-of-the-match in the grand final): 1 (2001) - Dally MDally M AwardsThe Dally M Awards are the official annual player awards for the National Rugby League competition. The most prestigious of these awards is the Dally M Medal which is only ever awarded to Australian born Players...
'Representative Player of the Year' Award: 1 (2005) - Player of the Series — Australia v Great Britain: 2001
- Most Valuable Player of the Tournament at the 1995 World Cup in England
- State of Origin man-of-the-match: 4 (Game 2, 1996; Game 1, 2002; Game 2, 2003 and Game 2, 2005)
- Voted #1 in the 'Modern Masters Top 30 Players of the Past 30 Years' poll (Rugby League WeekRugby League WeekRugby League Week is the second highest selling Australian rugby league magazine, behind major competitor Big League...
)