Johnson steps in for absent captain
Sport
Shaun Johnson is used to carrying expectation of Warriors fans on shoulders. Just as well.
As he returns from an ankle injury for the Warriors round 14 clash against Manly in Christchurch today, his captain Roger Tuivasa-Sheck will miss the match with an ankle complaint of his own.
Any hope that Johnson – the club’s star halfback and poster boy – had of returning from injury without a mountain of pressure on him evaporated when Tuivasa-Sheck did not board the flight south.
Warriors coach Stephen Kearney confirmed Tuivasa-Sheck had been ruled out when the Warriors arrived in Christchurch yesterday afternoon.
Tuivasa-Sheck has been struggling with the injury he suffered late in the 10-30 loss to the Rabbitohs two weeks ago.
‘‘It was a pretty significant twist of the ankle that he had,’’ said Kearney, who was optimistic Tuivasa-Sheck would be fit for Friday week’s match against the Cowboys.
Johnson, who returns for his first match since the round nine victory over the Wests Tigers, will be forced to hit the ground running with his attacking game to make up for the monumental loss of Tuivasa-Sheck.
Kearney backed his squad’s new found depth in 2018 to cover the loss of his captain.
‘‘One thing that I think we’ve coped with over the course of the first half of the year is when we’ve had players who have been unavailable through injury, guys have come in and done a wonderful job,’’ Kearney said.
Peta Hiku, who replaced Tuivasa-Sheck in the 24-10 victory over the Eels last month, starts at fullback with Gerard Beale moving into the match day 17 to start at centre.
Johnson, who will pull on the Warriors jersey for the 150th time, will need to pick up much of the attacking flair lost without Tuivasa-Sheck in the side.
Warriors lock Adam Blair is backing Johnson to step up in his milestone match despite not taking the field in more than a month.
‘‘He brings another dimension to our squad and it’s good to have him back around because it builds confidence in our group,’’ Blair said.
Following a week off with a bye, the Warriors will be searching for more consistency in the second half of the season and to the his