Foran’s presence to boost Johnson’s output: Freeman
For so long the focal point of the Warriors’ chances, Shaun Johnson will get to share the burden this season.
And it could not have come at a better time.
Of all the areas where Kieran Foran’s arrival could potentially improve the club, no-one is expected to benefit more from his presence than his Kiwis halves partner.
The Warriors have been far too reliant on Johnson in recent years to carry the team’s attack. Clearly, he has struggled for consistency under the weight of such pressure but, in fairness to the 26-year-old, he has not received enough help.
Various factors conspired against him in 2016 – from Roger TuivasaSheck’s season-ending injury and niggles of his own to an underperforming forward pack.
But with so much of the on-field organisation of the team falling on the halves, it is Foran’s proven ability to control the attack that will bring the best out of Johnson, according to former Kiwis captain and halfback Gary Freeman.
‘‘I think what you’re going to find is that with the leadership Kieran Foran brings to the team, it takes the pressure off Shaun,’’ Freeman said. ‘‘And having both of them on the right side and the left side is going to play more into the hands of Shaun Johnson to be able to play his natural running game and that’s what we need to see more of.
‘‘[Foran’s] played in those sides that have that killer instinct and I’m pretty sure that’s what he’ll bring to the Warriors, especially in that five-eighth role now that’s Shaun’s not trying to run the team by himself.’’
Entering his seventh season in the NRL, Johnson, who is off contract at the end of the year, is at a crucial stage of his career.
He is at the point when the great playmakers separate themselves from the rest of the field, when the years of training and experience of playing in such a demanding position comes to the fore.
Johnson’s development cannot have been helped by the carousel of coaching changes at the Warriors – Stephen Kearney is his fifth firstgrade coach since he made his debut in 2011.
But Kearney at least brings some familiarity from their time together in the Kiwis.
Combined with the players he now has around him, Freeman believes it is all set up for Johnson to take the next step.
‘‘As you get older you understand the game better and I think that’s what’s the key for Shaun coming into this season, he understands the game a lot better and he understands he has to run the ball a lot more,’’ he said.
‘‘If you look at some of the games they played last year and the tries that he scored and set up, he’s in that elite bunch of players who are very creative.
‘‘The Warriors just need consistency across the park. Once they get that then you’ve got a force to be reckoned with.’’
That is certainly the approach for Kearney, who agreed that too much had been expected of Johnson in the past.
Kearney is a firm believer that if everyone takes care of their own role the results will follow. And it is no different for Johnson. ‘‘We know what he can do when he’s playing well but I just need him to do his job. I’m pretty happy with where he’s at with that,’’ Kearney said.