NSW need Joey to make leap forwards
By Greg Growden
Tuesday, May 18, 2004
NSW desperately want Kangaroos captain Andrew Johns in the Waratahs No.10 jersey next season. NSW Rugby Union officials told the Herald last night their No.1 objective was to convince Johns to cross codes and play for the Waratahs in next year's Super 12, proving he can be the world's best ball player at both league and union.
The Waratahs believe the pursuit of Johns is not a fruitless exercise after being told Johns had expressed an interest in joining fellow Kangaroos Mat Rogers and Lote Tuqiri at NSW.
NSW know they cannot afford Johns on their own and would have to rely on the Australian Rugby Union to provide a considerable top-up to make a financial package that could lure the Newcastle league halfback to the Waratahs.
After yet again missing out on the finals this season, NSW have realised they will continue to go nowhere in the tournament until they find a world-class five-eighth. And they know there is no better playmaker than Johns, widely regarded as one of the greatest league players.
Johns, 29, is sidelined with a knee reconstruction and will not play again until next year.
NSWRU officials, with some justification, believe the attacking combination of Johns, Tuqiri and Rogers would be near impossible to stop and, when working behind a dominant Waratahs pack, could easily turn the flops of the Super 12 into the winners.
It is no coincidence that every Super 12 winner has had a top-quality five-eighth in its squad, starting with Carlos Spencer with Auckland in 1996, Andrew Mehrtens during Canterbury's long reign and Stephen Larkham for the Brumbies.
In contrast, NSW have struggled for years to find a consistent five-eighth and have used an endless stream of pivots.
Eastwood pivot Tim Donnelly began the Super 12 season well at No.10 but was surprisingly overlooked for the starting XV from round seven, when the selectors preferred Randwick's Shaun Berne. However, Berne failed to provide NSW with the required midfield kicking game, prompting calls for Donnelly to be given a second chance.
Waratahs officials were concerned that the team's poor midfield kicking performance put undue pressure on the defence, forcing them to endlessly tackle opposing players who had regathered wayward kicks. Officials believe the recruitment of Johns would change that, as well as giving the Waratahs incredible midfield authority.
NSW are also interested in Reds five-eighth Julian Huxley, who missed this season through injury, but the signing of Johns remains their chief objective.
