JOHNS HEADING BACK TO HOME TURF

RUGBY league immortal Andrew Johns is on the verge of quitting the Parramatta Eels to return home to the Newcastle Knights to help solve the club’s halfback crisis.

Johns is poised to join the Knights as an assistant coach and will throw most of his time at mentoring the halves.

It follows the decision by veteran halfback Mitchell Pearce to walk out on the final years of his contract to play for French club Catalans in the

UK Super League. This is a huge blow for the Eels because Johns has played a significant role in helping turn Mitchell Moses from a good halfback to a great one in the past 12 months as Parramatta’s specialist halves coach.

Johns has been considering the offer from Newcastle for a number of weeks.

He will replace former Broncos and South Sydney coach Anthony Seibold on Adam O’Brien’s coaching staff and begin work next month.

With Pearce leaving, the Knights will be heavily relying on Johns to work with Jake Clifford, who signed from the Cowboys last season, and Adam Clune, who recently left St George-Illawarra after 25 NRL games.

Johns is Newcastle’s alltime greatest player who played 249 games for the club and won two premierships.

He will spend two days each week with the Knights.