Channel 9 Commentators on Shaun Johnson

[souths_pride]

I can understand inconsistent... But limited??

He's not limited... He's got speed and footwork... he can pass long and short... He can kick long and short as well as bomb... He's not a spot in the defensive line anymore... And he's brilliant cover defender also.

And he certainly has vision... Proof of which is the amount of intercepts he gets.

The guy isn't limited... He's just inconsistent...

He is limited in that he only really excels in one aspect of the way a half needs to play. You've mentioned it - his speed and footwork. He has no organisational abilities and his vision and decision making at times this year hasn't been that good. I do agree that he can be a good player but he has a long way to go.

 

[souths_pride]

I wouldn't even call him inconsistent. He always does his job. He's just spectacular when those around them do their job as well. He's also proven he can do the job of both halves, as long as the 5/8 stays out of the way and lets Johnson do his work.

Watch a heap of the Warriors games from the last couple of seasons and you will see why he and the Warriors and inconsistent. He is one of the main reasons why the Warriors are so hot and cold. He is not the only reason but he sure is one of them.

 

[souths_pride]

Joey likes to think he discovered Johnson so will talk him up all day. Rabs mentions anyone with an Anglo name 57% more often because it saves doing a bit of research. The less said about Wally the better.

He deserves the hyperbole around him because when he does something good it's very very good and fantastic to watch. Kicking a bomb? The way Johns was going on you'd think Johnson was the first person in history to kick a football.

I agree with what you say. I think Joey tends to go over the top as well. I feel he does the same with Matt Moylan as well. I agree that Moylan is a very talented player, but the way Joey carries on you'd think Moylan was an immortal or something. The same could be said of the way he and the other commentators have carried on about Dylan Walker this season. I agree that these days Channel 9 have to try and sell the game and get people excited, but you'd think they could do that without going over the top.

 

[DIMEAST]

Limited? Do you even watch rugby league? Johnson has more to his game than any other half in the NRL.

He was consistently good for the Warriors all year, even behind a weak pack that had nearly the worst total run metres in the competion, and a messy change of coach mid season.

He also showed he can now lead and organise a team. Next year he is only going to be even better with more stability around him.

Reynolds is the definition of limited, he couldn't dream of doing a quarter of the things Johnson can do, and Johnson can easily do anything Reynolds can do.

 

[shiznit]

He is limited in that he only really excels in one aspect of the way a half needs to play. You've mentioned it - his speed and footwork. He has no organisational abilities and his vision and decision making at times this year hasn't been that good. I do agree that he can be a good player but he has a long way to go.

You obviously don't understand football... He's fine as an organiser....

Case in point...

http://youtu.be/0Ite9U8Nxas

 

[Bobby DIGital]

Limited lol...he has the rarest skill set of any halfback in history. What other halfback has ever had that type of speed/footwork coupled with a kicking game like that?

 

[souths_pride]

You obviously don't understand football... He's fine as an organiser....

Case in point...

http://youtu.be/0Ite9U8Nxas

Organisation is more than just high fiving your team mate and giving them a pat on the back. When I said he had no organisational abilities, I didn't mean he stands there all game and says nothing. In those videos, he does no more or less than what he should be doing as a halfback! If you don't believe me have a look at the videos where they had Peter Wallace and Thurston mic'd up. Organisation revolves around setting up you team to execute the right play at the right time. There is more to it, but that's the basis of it. I just feel he lacks that ability. If you watch the video, there is one example where he messes up the last play completely. In any case, those videos are a poor example because all they do is show you what he is saying; they don't show you the game situation, what is going on around him or the actual play unfolding. In other words, all we're hearing is a few meaningless words.

 

[souths_pride]

Limited lol...he has the rarest skill set of any halfback in history. What other halfback has ever had that type of speed/footwork coupled with a kicking game like that?

His kicking game has been far from impressive in 2014. I can think of a quite a few halves that have a far superior kicking game to Johnson; he is nothing special in that department. As for his speed and footwork, I agree he has that in abundance but the halfback role requires far more vital attributes that speed and footwork.

 

[souths_pride]

Limited? Do you even watch rugby league? Johnson has more to his game than any other half in the NRL.

He was consistently good for the Warriors all year, even behind a weak pack that had nearly the worst total run metres in the competion, and a messy change of coach mid season.

He also showed he can now lead and organise a team. Next year he is only going to be even better with more stability around him.

Reynolds is the definition of limited, he couldn't dream of doing a quarter of the things Johnson can do, and Johnson can easily do anything Reynolds can do.

Don't turn this into a Souths vs Warriors debate. I'm not comparing him to Adam Reynolds and if I was, I'd point to the fact that he is a far more consistent player than Johnson. Reynolds isn't a match winner but we're not expecting him to win matches. In any case, that's another debate.

How has he shown that he can lead an organise a team? The Warriors are not exactly known for their structured style of play and executing appropriate plays - the last game of the season against Penrith springs to mind! Even last night, Johnson was playing ad-lib footy. He just got away with it because New Zealand dominated in the forwards and Tim Sheens didn't devise an appropriate plan to stop him.

 

[strong_latte]

Did anyone else feel that the Channel 9 commentators, in particular Andrew Johns and Ray Warren were getting carried away with Shaun Johnson. I found it hard to believe that they were using words like 'superstar' in relation to arguably one of the most inconsistent and limited halves in the NRL. Its almost as if they had forgotten all of his mediocre performances over the past couple of seasons and how he only produces his best footy every now and then. Even at his best, I feel that he lacks the structure and vision in his game to be a top class half. I just feel that tonight was an example of an average player having a really good game.

Yeah, it was a bit much wasn't it. He had a great couple games against Australia, but in a lot of ways was made to look better by a very very poor DCE and a Kangaroos side that had spent a week being sick.

 

[souths_pride]

Yeah, it was a bit much wasn't it. He had a great couple games against Australia, but in a lot of ways was made to look better by a very very poor DCE and a Kangaroos side that had spent a week being sick.

Agreed! I got the feeling that a fair few of the Australian players didn't want to be there and were dying for a rest. In saying that, I didn't think Tim Sheens made best use of the players around him either; you'd think that Australian team, although depleted, could come up with alot better in attack than what they did.

 

[strong_latte]

Agreed! I got the feeling that a fair few of the Australian players didn't want to be there and were dying for a rest. In saying that, I didn't think Tim Sheens made best use of the players around him either; you'd think that Australian team, although depleted, could come up with alot better in attack than what they did.

There were some poor selections from the get go I thought - out back apart from DCE, both Tupou and Walker were worse than useless in the first game, and he managed to pick a forward pack that had no props, with the result being we got smashed up front. I know there were like 20 guys who irritatingly made themselves unavailable, but I reckon a better coach would have still managed to win the thing.

 

[souths_pride]

There were some poor selections from the get go I thought - out back apart from DCE, both Tupou and Walker were worse than useless in the first game, and he managed to pick a forward pack that had no props, with the result being we got smashed up front. I know there were like 20 guys who irritatingly made themselves unavailable, but I reckon a better coach would have still managed to win the thing.

I agree about Tupou. I sort of feel sorry for Walker. In the first game he was forced to full back so it'd be harsh to criticise him when playing him out of position. I thought Tim Sheens really stifled his creativity by playing in a more conventional role and not letting him drift infield and pop up everywhere. Sheens should have looked at how Maguire uses him at Souths and played him in a free roaming role. Defensively though he is very inconsistent.

I agree with about the lack of front rowers. I can't believe Brenton Lawrence wasn't picked. I also thought picking an experienced prop like Willie Mason wouldn't have been a bad selection. I don't care about his age. He is still playing decent footy and his physicality and go-forward would have been extremely useful.

 

[typicalfan]

Johnson was man of the match in the final, arguably player of the tournament, was instrumental in getting NZ to the World Cup final and he helped the Warriors to a grand final in 2011.

How old is the kid again? How is it over the top to call him a superstar?

 

[souths_pride]

Johnson was man of the match in the final, arguably player of the tournament, was instrumental in getting NZ to the World Cup final and he helped the Warriors to a grand final in 2011.

How old is the kid again? How is it over the top to call him a superstar?

Because superstars perform week in and week out for their clubs and are complete players. I would also dispute that he's a 'kid'. If your implying that he is inexperienced, remember he has been around since 2011; its not as if he is a rookie.

 

[Bobby DIGital]

He's a superstar who smoked Greg Inglis.

 

[deluded pom?]

I agree about Tupou. I sort of feel sorry for Walker. In the first game he was forced to full back so it'd be harsh to criticise him when playing him out of position.

Inglis was dodgy before kick off and there was a good chance he wouldn't see the end of the game. Walker must have put his hand up to be GI's replacement at FB. He wasn't up to the task and has been poor in his preferred position. Not international class at this stage of his career. He may be SoO class though.

 

[typicalfan]

Because superstars perform week in and week out for their clubs and are complete players. I would also dispute that he's a 'kid'. If your implying that he is inexperienced, remember he has been around since 2011; its not as if he is a rookie.

Superstars lift in the big games and on the big stage. And there aren't many bigger stages than winning a major competition for your country.

 

[thorson1987]

He's a superstar who smoked Greg Inglis.

Mitchell Pearce has smoked Inglis so that makes that point moot.

 

[flamin]

Speaking of which, does anyone know where I can watch a replay of the game with channel nine commentary? I can find the NZ, English and French commentary.