Warriors send clear message
There is a new sheriff in town at Mt Smart Stadium and nobody is safe, not even the enigmatic face of the club. News that the Warriors agreed to part ways, rather unceremoniously, with superstar playmaker Shaun Johnson has come as a shock to many.
But this is not the first, nor will it be the last, big call made by chief executive Cameron George and his staff.
That was the narrative the boss hammered home in front of the flashing cameras yesterday.
It was a clear message to the Warriors locker room. It was one George continued to circle back to throughout the some 15 minutes of questioning: ‘‘We are not afraid to make the big calls.’’
Now if you hear that and think it sounds familiar, it’s because we have heard it before.
From the same man. Standing in the same place. This year. Just ask Issac Luke.
George and the Warriors spent the best part of the 2018 season in a similar, though less heated, contract standoff with the former Kiwis hooker, refusing to budge on a reduced offer.
Rumours swirled that Luke was fielding interest from rival clubs. But still, the Warriors didn’t budge.
Eventually George’s strongarm tactic paid off and Luke was re-signed on a one-year deal much to his and the club’s delight.
Though the Johnson saga was similar in that both parties clashed at the negotiation table, this relationship quickly turned sour.
It left George, together with recruitment manager Peter O’Sullivan and coach Stephen Kearney, with a decision to make.
And, in a matter of hours, the trio made perhaps the biggest decision in the club’s history – letting go of a marquee player, who is a walking marketing machine to boot.
And while the fans and media are left reeling, or revelling, depending on how you view the man, it’s a call that will be felt in that Warriors locker room more so than anywhere else.
Johnson has been a staple at Penrose since bursting onto the scene in 2011.
If the 2014 golden boot winner and club’s highest point scorer isn’t safe, is anyone?
Ruling with an iron fist can go one of two ways and we are about to see what it means for the Warriors.
Letting go of such a polarising player will either galvanise or shatter the current group – it’s that simple.
Johnson has shouldered plenty of blame when things went badly.
Sometimes the criticism was justified but much was due to the prodigious talent that was obvious to fans.
It’s cruel that a player who gave fans so much to cheer about finished with a performance that will go down as one of his biggest failures in the jersey.
Johnson was in arguably his best season in 2018 – which only serves to add to the agony of his departure for some – when the Warriors clashed with the Panthers in round one of this year’s NRL playoffs.
It was the club’s first trip back to the promised land of finals footy in seven years.
Tragedy struck late in the first half when captain Roger TuivasaSheck left the field with a knee injury.
You could almost sense all eyes turn to Johnson at once. This was his moment, his time to grab the big game by the scruff and power the Warriors to a famous victory. But alas, he faded, as has been an all-to common theme throughout his career.
The stage was set and magic Johnson produced another vanishing act.
It’s something his next club will hope they can turn around to harness Johnson’s undoubted ability.
The quick divorce has left plenty of questions but one thing is for sure – 2019 looms as one of the more interesting NRL seasons in recent memory – for Johnson, his next port of call and his now former club.