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Andrew Johns return
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By Brian Toohey
December 04, 2007 12:00am
AT 8am today, league legend Andrew Johns will turn up at Parramatta training ready to get on with the rest of his life.
After coming through the most tumultuous period of his 33 years, Johns said yesterday he was looking forward, not back.
The former champion Newcastle halfback will be at Parramatta's training session for the first time to start working one-on-one with Eels halves Tim Smith and Brett Finch.
It's one of three part-time roles he expects to have with NRL clubs next season.
And so confident about his future, Johns said he had not ruled out a career as a fulltime coach.
Johns believes his now well-documented drug saga and the revelations that he suffers from depression have been talked about enough. The controversy initially took its toll on Johns.
He laid low for a couple of weeks fearing a public backlash if he stepped back into the limelight.
But he has put it well and truly behind him and now that everything is out in the open, close friends say he has never been in a better space, with his marriage to Cathrine Mahony in late October a massive positive.
"Enough has been said already - it would only be going over old ground," Johns said.
"People are probably sick of hearing about it. I've done the book and the promotions and now I just want to get on with what lies ahead.
"Life is really good at the moment. I'm feeling great and I'm just excited about the future."
So positive about what lies ahead, Johns has even refused to rule out taking on a senior NRL coaching job in the future.
While he will be at Parramatta today, Johns will travel to Newcastle later this week, taking on a similar skills role with the Knights.
And he's expected to announce today he'll also be working with a third NRL club after finalising negotiations overnight.
Just back from an overseas honeymoon following his wedding more than a month ago, Johns said he was thrilled to be starting the "next stage of my life".
"I'm pumped," Johns said.
"I've been counting down the days and really looking forward to getting back out there on the footy field again.
"I've had a massive break from the game and I'm feeling great.
"It's not playing but it's the next best thing. I want to get back involved - I love the game and I want to give as much back as I can."
Asked whether the future may include a head coach's job in the NRL, Johns would not completely rule it out. In the past, he has maintained that coaching at the elite level did not interest him. But he has had a change of heart.
"Look, if it happened, it would be a long way down the track," he said.
"I've only just finished playing and individual coaching with players is what excites me the most at the moment.
"That is sort of what I have wanted to do after I stopped playing for a fair while now.
"But as I've got older, things have changed and I'm probably not as against the idea of club coaching as I once was."
Johns said the thought of coaching at clubs other than the Knights after playing his whole career in Newcastle did not worry him.
"I don't really look at it as coaching at other clubs," he said.
"It's more about coaching individuals and trying to pass on what I have learnt to other players.
"I've been doing it at Newcastle for a few years now anyway and its good to be able to get to different players at other clubs.
"I'll just be doing what I can to fast-track the players I'm involved with in the halves and put some polish on their games if I can."
http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegrap...006066,00.html
Article from:
</IMG>By Brian Toohey
December 04, 2007 12:00am
AT 8am today, league legend Andrew Johns will turn up at Parramatta training ready to get on with the rest of his life.
After coming through the most tumultuous period of his 33 years, Johns said yesterday he was looking forward, not back.
The former champion Newcastle halfback will be at Parramatta's training session for the first time to start working one-on-one with Eels halves Tim Smith and Brett Finch.
It's one of three part-time roles he expects to have with NRL clubs next season.
And so confident about his future, Johns said he had not ruled out a career as a fulltime coach.
Johns believes his now well-documented drug saga and the revelations that he suffers from depression have been talked about enough. The controversy initially took its toll on Johns.
He laid low for a couple of weeks fearing a public backlash if he stepped back into the limelight.
But he has put it well and truly behind him and now that everything is out in the open, close friends say he has never been in a better space, with his marriage to Cathrine Mahony in late October a massive positive.
"Enough has been said already - it would only be going over old ground," Johns said.
"People are probably sick of hearing about it. I've done the book and the promotions and now I just want to get on with what lies ahead.
"Life is really good at the moment. I'm feeling great and I'm just excited about the future."
So positive about what lies ahead, Johns has even refused to rule out taking on a senior NRL coaching job in the future.
While he will be at Parramatta today, Johns will travel to Newcastle later this week, taking on a similar skills role with the Knights.
And he's expected to announce today he'll also be working with a third NRL club after finalising negotiations overnight.
Just back from an overseas honeymoon following his wedding more than a month ago, Johns said he was thrilled to be starting the "next stage of my life".
"I'm pumped," Johns said.
"I've been counting down the days and really looking forward to getting back out there on the footy field again.
"I've had a massive break from the game and I'm feeling great.
"It's not playing but it's the next best thing. I want to get back involved - I love the game and I want to give as much back as I can."
Asked whether the future may include a head coach's job in the NRL, Johns would not completely rule it out. In the past, he has maintained that coaching at the elite level did not interest him. But he has had a change of heart.
"Look, if it happened, it would be a long way down the track," he said.
"I've only just finished playing and individual coaching with players is what excites me the most at the moment.
"That is sort of what I have wanted to do after I stopped playing for a fair while now.
"But as I've got older, things have changed and I'm probably not as against the idea of club coaching as I once was."
Johns said the thought of coaching at clubs other than the Knights after playing his whole career in Newcastle did not worry him.
"I don't really look at it as coaching at other clubs," he said.
"It's more about coaching individuals and trying to pass on what I have learnt to other players.
"I've been doing it at Newcastle for a few years now anyway and its good to be able to get to different players at other clubs.
"I'll just be doing what I can to fast-track the players I'm involved with in the halves and put some polish on their games if I can."
http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegrap...006066,00.html
