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Thread: NRL urged to retain Johns

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    NRL urged to retain Johns

    Mungos' really are a simple bunch

    NRL urged to retain Johns

    By James Phelps
    June 29, 2007


    LEAGUE greats yesterday urged the NRL to step in and prevent rugby union's latest attempt to poach Andrew Johns's services - fearing the game's next immortal could be lost to the rival code.

    Parramatta legend Brett Kenny said the NRL should take a hardline approach on Johns should he link with Australia (the Wallabies) as a kicking coach for the World Cup in France.

    "If he takes up a role with the ARU, maybe they have to strike his name off the list with rugby league," Kenny said.

    Other greats said Johns was well within his right to take up a role with the Wallabies but called on the NRL to make him a counter offer and keep him in league.

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    Champion Skiza's Avatar
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    Can't he help both codes?...........sheesh let the man live his own life.

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    Possibly the years worst/lamest headline

    Joey out of pouch for Boks Test

    By Peter Jenkins
    July 02, 2007


    AUSTRALIA will have its new secret weapon back in harness this week with Andrew Johns to play a key role in the preparation for Saturday night's Tri-Nations Test against South Africa.

    Johns flew to Melbourne for the Australian side's lead-in to the Bledisloe Cup clash with New Zealand and the kicking insights he passed on to five-eighth Stephen Larkham were dramatically evident.

    Larkham had All Blacks winger Rico Gear turning in circles before butchering an attempt to catch an early torpedo bomb.

    Later in the first half a Larkham grubber behind an onrushing defence almost led to a try for skipper Stirling Mortlock.

    But the Johns influence has already extended well beyond passing on to the Wallabies his tricks of the trade with the boot.

    Dual international Lote Tuqiri revealed to The Daily Telegraph last week that the Johns genius is also being tapped in other important areas.

    "There were different things he was talking to the boys about ... other parts of the game," said Tuqiri. "Little things to tweak a bit, like having your hips square on when you're taking the line on in defence.

    "There's also what you can learn from him and different people about what they do in certain pressure situations."

    The Daily Telegraph understands there is an eagerness on both sides to have Johns involved on a full-time basis for the Wallabies World Cup campaign in France in September-October.

    But the retired rugby league great's contractual ties to the Newcastle Knights and Channel Nine have prevented the Australian Rugby Union from openly declaring what is a massive interest in having Johns on board.

    Wallabies coach John Connolly refused last night to even confirm that Johns would be attending training this week.

    "I haven't got a clue if he'll be there," said Connolly.

    "There's nothing planned for it.

    "He's still contracted to the Knights until the end of the season and he has a deal with Nine as well.

    "Now and then when he's got a free moment he likes knocking around with the boys.

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    Legend Contributor Flamethrower's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Burgs
    "Now and then when he's got a free moment he likes knocking around with the boys".
    Until anyone can prove that the ARU are paying some sort of fee to Johns what is the problem.

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    Immortal Contributor shasta's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Burgs
    Mungos' really are a simple bunch
    Oi! Nice troll Burgs. So I'll bite

    Are you usually prone to such outrageous generalisations? Brett Kenny, genious as he was with the ball in his hands, is not one of the country's leading orators.

    Also begs the question - are Rugby coaches so simple that they need to hire RL coaches to build an effective defense and RL kicking coaches to break them down??

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    Champion Contributor jazza93's Avatar
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    whats wrong with him helping a couple of union players kicking at the world cup?

    every time union comes anywere near something of theirs they start this huge thing about union taking all the players and coaches.

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    Senior Player Contributor hopep's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by shasta
    Oi! Nice troll Burgs. So I'll bite

    Also begs the question - are Rugby coaches so simple that they need to hire RL coaches to build an effective defense and RL kicking coaches to break them down??
    No Shasta, only some coaches who have no 'ideas' of their own - no names mentioned.

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    Champion prop53's Avatar
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    What is our beloved game turning into eh, if these players were at all interested in our game. Then they would be playing it at a early level progressing through the ranks like we all had to do. For the love of the game. Not the money as an incentive. Wake up and send them all packing back, Union the game they play in Heaven. League the game they play in the East, so endeth the lesson.

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    Champion Contributor chook's Avatar
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    West Coast Bias is a terrible thing. Make Joey Johns the attack coach, he has a better head than S Johnston.

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    Somehow I'm not sure if Joey could teach others how he played...

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    Immortal Contributor shasta's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Burgs
    Somehow I'm not sure if Joey could teach others how he played...

    Jarrod Mullen.

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    You don't think that was more from observation and absorption than teaching shasta? Joey would have been a bit busy playing and appearing on the Footy Show to do much Coaching surely...

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    Champion Contributor chook's Avatar
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    Luke Walsh too. Champion in the making. Great combo, Walsh and Mullen. Sign them up for Union now, right now, this instant. Maybe later.

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    Immortal Contributor shasta's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Burgs
    You don't think that was more from observation and absorption than teaching shasta?
    No doubt the Knights halves, including Kurt Gidley and Walsh are good learners and players in their own right. Don't know about Walsh but I'd be surprised if Gidley didn't learn from Joey's instructions. Mullen has been his understudy for a few years and he credits Joey as his teacher.

    Whatever, the bloke is being credited as the best RL player ever and among the best of either code by many on either side. I'm not certain of that myself, still lean towards John Raper in RL and Catchpole in RU in my time. They reckon Dally Messenger went OK too. But for mine definitely he's tactically the best reader of the game and the best calculating playmaker I've seen. Defensively the best half in my time.

    If he can help the Wallabies, Kangaroos, Blues let him do it. No hope of him telling the Canetoads anything. Their doing OK anyway. Well up until tonight.

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    Wallabies haven't asked Joey

    By Darren Walton
    July 05, 2007


    STEPHEN Larkham has urged the Australian Rugby Union to step up its pursuit of Andrew Johns, declaring the master kicker and tactician's presence to be the last piece in the Australia Rugby World Cup jigsaw.

    Johns has been mentoring the Wallabies on a casual basis during the Tri-Nations series, and Larkham admits the retired rugby league legend helped to plot the stunning defeat of New Zealand last Saturday night.

    Yet the ARU has not yet made a formal approach to the former Australia rugby league captain for the Rugby World Cup.

    The major sticking point for a Rugby World Cup union between Johns and the Wallabies is his contracts with the Newcastle NRL club and league braodcaster Channel 9, which may be reluctant to free the dual premiership winner to help a rival football code.

    The Knights are honouring Johns's contract until October 31, even though NRL clubs are not obliged to continue to pay injured players once they have retired.

    Johns meanwhile has league commentary commitments with Nine until the NRL grand final on September 30.

    "If the ARU want to have a chat with us about involving Andrew in the World Cup, we can have a chat," Johns's manager, John Fordham, said.

    "But, at this stage, the ARU have not made any approach."

    Johns has attended two Wallabies training sessions - one in Melbourne before the 20-15 victory over New Zealand and another this week in Sydney ahead of the Test against South Africa on Saturday night.

    Fordham said that Johns had also locked in a third session, next Friday, before the Wallabies departed for Auckland for the Bledisloe Cup decider against the All Blacks on July 21.

    "So unless the ARU make a formal approach, his final appearance at Wallabies training will be on July 13," Fordham said.

    Fordham said that Johns had visited the Wallabies training sessions primarily because of his friendship with Larkham and George Gregan, but also because he wanted to gain an insight into the coaching set-up.

    Johns is keen to do some skills training across both rugby codes next year.

    Wallabies coach John Connolly said that Johns simply dropped in for a kick and pass whenever he could, but Larkham was eager for the 33 year old to continue the association on a more permanent basis.

    "He's had a big influence on our whole kicking philosophy," Larkham said, revealing that his grubber behind the New Zealand defensive line that almost led to a Stirling Mortlock try was a direct result of Johns's coaching.

    "That was Joey's influence.

    "He'd watched some tapes of New Zealand and he identified their potential set-up in that area and spoke to us about it being a viable option, and got it into our thought processes before the game.

    "And the fact that it wasn't just me who identified the option. Everyone in the backline saw it as well."

    Larkham said the Wallabies had more of Johns's tricks in store for the Springboks.

    "The work he did this week was even better than than the work he did last week," Larkham said.

    "So each week we get to work with him, we're improving and we're getting more benefits.

    "Having Joey there has been fantastic.

    "I think across the board, we're placing more emphasis on getting a better kicking game on the paddock.

    "So I can conceivably see that as being the last piece of the puzzle."

    AAP

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