Kearney says team have moved on
WARRIORS coach Stephen Kearney says he holds no lingering resentment towards Shaun Johnson following the star playmaker’s abrupt departure from the Auckland club.
Johnson is set to face the Warriors in Wellington on Friday for the first time since he was released early from his contract to join the Sharks at the end of last year.
It was a messy split which turned the Warriors’ preparations for 2019 upside down. While rookies Adam Keighran and Chanel Harris-Tavita were given the first shot at filling the sizeable void left in the halves, it wasn’t until Kodi Nikorima joined the club from the Broncos in May that the coach settled on a long-term replacement.
Apart from a brief exchange when Kearney visited the Kiwis camp ahead of last month’s test against Tonga, the pair haven’t had any contact since Johnson left.
But Kearney insists there is no bad blood between the pair and praised his contribution to the Warriors.
“I went and had dinner with them when the Kiwis were here and watched them train a couple of times. We said ‘hello, how are things going’ and exchanged pleasantries then.
“He’s played over 150 games for our footy club and he was an integral part of the club.
“We’ve moved forward and he’s playing for the opposition this weekend. We’ve got a job to do and so does he. So we just move on.”
Johnson suffered an ankle injury during last week’s defeat to the Storm but will start in the No 6 jersey provided he comes through training this week.
As the face of the Warriors for the majority of his eight seasons at Mt Smart, his return was always going to be the story this week.
However, up against a Sharks side featuring experienced campaigners such as Andrew Fifita, Paul Gallen, Aaron Woods and Matt Moylan, who are desperate to snap a four-game losing streak, the Warriors can’t afford to focus on one player.