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Shaun Johnson is a once-in-a-generation player but Warriors and rugby league fans are wondering if the mercurial playmaker can get back to his best in the 2016 NRL season.
The halfback broke his ankle in the act of scoring a try against the Sea Eagles on July 25, which the Warriors lost 32-12, and from there the club lost their final eight games of the season to finish the season in 13th place. It was later confirmed after scans that he had fractured his fibula and suffered ligament damage while dislocating his ankle.
Johnson famously set the goal of being back for next month's Nines a tournament that he has made his own in the past two years with his jinking unstoppable runs at the heart of the Warriors attack but coach Andrew McFadden has said he will only play if he is ready. It seems he is.
At a hot and humid Warriors training this week, Johnson was running the show and looked comfortable with ball in hand but a bit hesitant taking the ball into contact in the restrained session.
"A lot of people were buzzing about seeing me run and step and stuff, but the bone has healed so I should be able to run. It is more up here now [he taps on his head]," he said.
"Getting tackled [is the big challenge]. Making tackles is all right but it is about trying to get your timing back and the techniques that you forget when you have had a lay-off. I am taking it slowly."
McFadden said their priority for Johnson was getting him back to full mobility.
"Shaun is feeling pretty good at the moment," said the head coach. "He is tracking well. He hasn't hit the top speeds that he has [in the past] consistently but he is pretty close."
Johnson's speed off the mark is his biggest asset. In a competition known for tight, uncompromising defence, the No 7 has made a knack of producing something out of nothing and is the club's most important player.
"No-one is like Shaun so things change," McFadden said of the team coping without him at the back end of 2015 when things unravelled following a spate of injuries to senior players.
Nicholas Gill, the All Blacks strength and conditioning coach, who worked with Daniel Carter in his rehabilitation from his Achilles injury and then a broken leg, said it was always unknown if great players could rediscover their peak form.
"It is always a big question mark whether these guys will get back to their best," he said.
Gill said the bone would have healed within two months and will be strong, it will be the tissues, the muscles and ligaments that need conditioning. It was unlikely a repeat injury would occur.
The ability to do everything right in rehabilitation, all the little things, determines the success of the recovery.
"You are always trying to get back to where you were or greater levels," he said.
"I think the good players often come back better because they have had more time to get in better shape and are refreshed mentally so there are positives."
Johnson, never one to lack in belief in his own ability, said he was feeling good.
"I am not as sharp as I was before the injury just yet but I don't see any reason why I can't be better than I was before."
Gill stressed that Warriors fans need to be patient with Johnson. He said the difficulty with an injury like he suffered is the significant amount of time off his feet.
"When you have a severe injury to one side of your body, you have detrained and deconditioned it so the hardest thing with Shaun is coming back balanced, not having lost conditioning on one side," he said.
Typically another injury occurs if the player is not balanced it was common for players who have suffered severe trauma to one leg to pull a hamstring or another muscle on the other leg early in their comeback.
Gill said the Warriors support staff had done a great job with Johnson. The typical progression is getting back into contact slowly.
"And then it is a matter of him playing ball. Often the expectation is really difficult for a player. People can't expect him to be playing out of his skin after a significant layoff very rarely can players do that. Some do but that is the hardest thing, the pressure to be at your best when you all you need is some time out on the field."
If Johnson is named in the Warriors Nines squad he will be the captain and spend the weekend in the spotlight at the heart of everything the team does.
The pin-up boy for the competition, who features in all the Nines promotional videos, knows there is huge pressure on him and the team to deliver.
"It is obviously a tournament that I love being a part of," he said. "It is important having it in Auckland, that the Warriors do well in it. We saw last year when we lost in the quarter that the stadium just empties when we lose. As a club we want to do well and put on a show. Hopefully I can be there."
http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/league...hnson-get-back-to-his-best-in-2016-nrl-season
The halfback broke his ankle in the act of scoring a try against the Sea Eagles on July 25, which the Warriors lost 32-12, and from there the club lost their final eight games of the season to finish the season in 13th place. It was later confirmed after scans that he had fractured his fibula and suffered ligament damage while dislocating his ankle.
Johnson famously set the goal of being back for next month's Nines a tournament that he has made his own in the past two years with his jinking unstoppable runs at the heart of the Warriors attack but coach Andrew McFadden has said he will only play if he is ready. It seems he is.
At a hot and humid Warriors training this week, Johnson was running the show and looked comfortable with ball in hand but a bit hesitant taking the ball into contact in the restrained session.
"A lot of people were buzzing about seeing me run and step and stuff, but the bone has healed so I should be able to run. It is more up here now [he taps on his head]," he said.
"Getting tackled [is the big challenge]. Making tackles is all right but it is about trying to get your timing back and the techniques that you forget when you have had a lay-off. I am taking it slowly."
McFadden said their priority for Johnson was getting him back to full mobility.
"Shaun is feeling pretty good at the moment," said the head coach. "He is tracking well. He hasn't hit the top speeds that he has [in the past] consistently but he is pretty close."
Johnson's speed off the mark is his biggest asset. In a competition known for tight, uncompromising defence, the No 7 has made a knack of producing something out of nothing and is the club's most important player.
"No-one is like Shaun so things change," McFadden said of the team coping without him at the back end of 2015 when things unravelled following a spate of injuries to senior players.
Nicholas Gill, the All Blacks strength and conditioning coach, who worked with Daniel Carter in his rehabilitation from his Achilles injury and then a broken leg, said it was always unknown if great players could rediscover their peak form.
"It is always a big question mark whether these guys will get back to their best," he said.
Gill said the bone would have healed within two months and will be strong, it will be the tissues, the muscles and ligaments that need conditioning. It was unlikely a repeat injury would occur.
The ability to do everything right in rehabilitation, all the little things, determines the success of the recovery.
"You are always trying to get back to where you were or greater levels," he said.
"I think the good players often come back better because they have had more time to get in better shape and are refreshed mentally so there are positives."
Johnson, never one to lack in belief in his own ability, said he was feeling good.
"I am not as sharp as I was before the injury just yet but I don't see any reason why I can't be better than I was before."
Gill stressed that Warriors fans need to be patient with Johnson. He said the difficulty with an injury like he suffered is the significant amount of time off his feet.
"When you have a severe injury to one side of your body, you have detrained and deconditioned it so the hardest thing with Shaun is coming back balanced, not having lost conditioning on one side," he said.
Typically another injury occurs if the player is not balanced it was common for players who have suffered severe trauma to one leg to pull a hamstring or another muscle on the other leg early in their comeback.
Gill said the Warriors support staff had done a great job with Johnson. The typical progression is getting back into contact slowly.
"And then it is a matter of him playing ball. Often the expectation is really difficult for a player. People can't expect him to be playing out of his skin after a significant layoff very rarely can players do that. Some do but that is the hardest thing, the pressure to be at your best when you all you need is some time out on the field."
If Johnson is named in the Warriors Nines squad he will be the captain and spend the weekend in the spotlight at the heart of everything the team does.
The pin-up boy for the competition, who features in all the Nines promotional videos, knows there is huge pressure on him and the team to deliver.
"It is obviously a tournament that I love being a part of," he said. "It is important having it in Auckland, that the Warriors do well in it. We saw last year when we lost in the quarter that the stadium just empties when we lose. As a club we want to do well and put on a show. Hopefully I can be there."
http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/league...hnson-get-back-to-his-best-in-2016-nrl-season
