Andrew Johns was one of the best footballers, if not the best, I have ever seen.
 Johns is the highest points scorer in NRL history with 2,176 |
There are obviously great players like Wally Lewis, Peter Sterling, Alfie Langer, Brett Kenny, Mal Meninga and Ellery Hanley but, for me, Johns was more talented than them.
That is some list but it shows how good he was. When he played he was THE player.
His skills were phenomenal, he could win games on his own and would make the right decisions nine times out of 10.
His kicking and passing games were superb.
Andrew's basic skill levels were very high but what put him above the rest was his ability to read a situation and deliver the right pass or kick - he was a master of it.
Everyone can read the game at different levels but to do it when you are at the coal face is very, very difficult.
 | 606: DEBATE |
So many people have run onto the end of an Andrew Johns pass. If you were running a line he would find you.
He knew what to do at a particular time of the game. If something needed to be done, he was the one that did it.
Whether it was a kick, pass, break or a try, once he was in the opposition's half he could do anything.
| Andrew Johns never got carried away with his success |
He could also put in some big hits when he needed to.
Johns wasn't the quickest guy in the world but his positional sense was absolutely fantastic. He was the complete player.
A lot of what he had was natural ability and instinct but he also reaped the rewards of some hard work.
To play so well at that level for so long shows that there was something special about him.
He has had a lot of injuries but his value to a side was immeasurable.
Off the field I met him a few times and he is a lovely bloke and a great character.
He never got carried away with his success and he enjoyed the team spirit which Newcastle always had. He is one of the boys.
Australian sport will miss him. We did not see a lot of him in Britain but the Aussies know how good he was.
E-mail this to a friend 
Printable version 
