Johnson back for Warriors but he needs some help
Shaun Johnson is back for the Warriors today, and the NRL club have a new plan to get the best out of the veteran playmaker.
Assistant coach Stacey Jones confirmed Johnson will start against the Brisbane Broncos today at 5pm, after taking a full part in training this week.
The 31-year-old suffered a pectoral muscle injury in round one but has made an earlier-than-expected return at Redcliffe.
“Shaun’s good to go,” said Jones. “He’s experienced, knows his body and is professional around his rehab, so it’s great for the team.”
Chanel Harris-Tavita will partner Johnson in the halves, with Kodi Nikorima moved to the bench, where he will provide cover in the halves and at dummy half.
It continues the halves rotation this season, the fourth different pairing used in 2022. Harris-Tavita and Nikorima have had sweet and sour moments this year, with Nikorima poor in the round-one defeat to the Dragons and Harris-Tavita struggling last Friday in Sydney.
Jones said Nikorima deserved to keep his spot in the 17, after an encouraging performance against the Wests Tigers.
The assistant coach also expects Johnson to make a considerable difference, after long periods of poor game management last week.
“He’s got a strong voice and he gets himself into the right positions to attack and gets players around him into good positions,” said Jones.
However, the Warriors also want the rest of the spine to be more involved, reducing the Johnson focus.
“What we learned from the first game, when we had Shaun there, we had too much pressure on him,” said Jones. “Other players need to take that off him. We will look for an improvement in that area, with other players in key positions stepping up.”
Jones, who looks after he offensive side of game under Nathan Brown, admitted the team’s attack remains a work in progress, after positive signs against the Titans in round two were followed by a blunt effort at Campbelltown Stadium.
“We are a fair way off of where we want to be,” said Jones. “But we know we’ll get to where we want to be fairly soon. Our big focus is making sure we [are] able to build pressure and get to our last plays. If you sustain that against any opposition, you’ll score points, and that’s probably what has let us down.”
There have been no further Covid cases among the first-grade squad since Bayley Sironen tested positive this week, though some development players are in isolation. Rocco Berry is an unlikely starter today after being unable to train this week due to illness, though Jones said it was not Covid.
● The Penrith Panthers maintained their winning start to the season by beating South Sydney 26-12 in a replay of last season’s grand final. The Panthers took the lead in the second minute and never trailed, with Jarome Luai impressing and Taylan May scoring another two tries.
Aiden Tolman celebrated his 300th NRL game with a rare try as the Cronulla Sharks beat the Newcastle Knights 18-0 last night. Tolman, who averages around a try a season, opened the scoring from close range in the 28th minute as the Sharks scored two tries in each half in windy conditions. The win was Cronulla’s third in a row and the first time they had kept an opponent scoreless since 2016.