How the Warriors set up shock Johnson U-turn
Around 9pm last Friday, Warriors chief executive Cameron George received a simple but succinct message on his phone.
“Mate, what about Shaun Johnson?” read the text from the club’s recruitment manager Peter O’Sullivan.
O’Sullivan, who had just watched another impressive display from the Kiwis halfback in the Sharks’ 26-24 win over the Cowboys, Cronulla’s fourth successive victory, had been monitoring Johnson for a few weeks.
O’Sullivan decided he’d seen enough and George approved the next step.
“I support that. Go through the process and let me know,” replied George.
That began a chain of events which has culminated in Johnson’s shock return to the club, with a two-year deal finalised yesterday.
The news will be well received by most of the club’s fanbase.
Johnson left in difficult circumstances in November 2018 — after a sequence of events that reflected badly on all parties — and it was felt his ship had sailed, after 162 Warriors appearances over eight seasons.
But he’s back after a process that was remarkably swift. O’Sullivan instigated discussions with Johnson’s manager Peter Brown last weekend, which confirmed the 30-year-old’s interest in coming home.
Warriors owner Mark Robinson and consultant Phil Gould met Johnson on Wednesday in Auckland.
“That wasn’t really planned, we just realised that everyone was in New Zealand,” said George. “They were really impressed with Shaun and what his plans were, how much it meant to him.”
George and Johnson then had a long phone conversation on Thursday morning — partly to “clear the air” over his 2018 exit — before a group Zoom call was set up for that afternoon.
That conversation, which included Johnson, George, Warriors coach Nathan Brown and O’Sullivan, nutted out the details of the offer, which was agreed by yesterday morning.
The process was quick — “Shaun expressed interest in returning home and we seized on the opportunity,” said George — but needed to be, with at least two other clubs interested in Johnson.
The Warriors have been looking for an experienced half for some time. They made a big play for Jahrome Hughes in March and recently expressed interest in Gareth Widdop.
Johnson was told this month by incoming Sharks coach Craig Fitzgibbon that he wasn’t part of his plans for 2022, which then saw him linked to several Sydney clubs, as well as the Broncos and Raiders.
But the Warriors hierarchy had been impressed with his form since his return from an Achilles tendon injury and quickly decided he was the best available playmaker.
“The footy guys have been keeping an eye on Shaun’s return to play,” said George. “Shaun kept ticking the right boxes for us, plus he has had a huge association with our club. We looked at what was in the market for this kind of role and we kept coming back to Shaun.”
George insisted any mutual acrimony around Johnson’s 2018 departure, when he sought a release with a year left on his contract, after the club had said publicly he was free to test the market, was “all in the past”.
“We are professionals,” said George. “There was nothing to sort out. We’ve cleared the air in our own way and that is a discussion that Shaun and I had.
“We are very much on the same page. We care about the club and care about what we’re doing over the next couple of years. I am 200 per cent behind Shaun coming back.
“Time helps everything but we are not looking back. Those decisions were made at the time, and it was what it was, everyone has learnt something and I’m equal to anyone else in that situation.
“Shaun and I are very excited about working together again. Probably the last thing I said to him on the phone was ‘let’s do this thing together and take this club to a space it has never been to’.
George revealed Johnson couldn’t conceal his excitement during their phone call.
“He said ‘I can’t believe I’m having this conversation with you — I never thought I’d be back at the club’,” said George.
“His passion and desire for the Warriors has never wavered. Even when he was away, he had a connection with the club.”