Shaun Johnson is returning to New Zealand in a moonboot after helping the Warriors to an extraordinary 32-30 victory over the Cronulla Sharks last night, but has allayed fears of a serious injury.
“It’s just precautionary,” he told reporters at Sydney Airport this morning before the team flew back to Auckland.
“I’ve got a cork on my calf. It feels a bit extra to wear a moonboot with a corked calf but with the flight and stuff the physio prefers it that way. It will be all right.”
The Warriors playmaker still appeared to be on a high from the night before - and his form is a big part of why his side is performing so well this season.
Second on the NRL table behind the unbeaten Brisbane Broncos, the Warriors have lost only one match in five and are currently on track to make the top eight for the first time since 2018.
Johnson, who kicked a long-range penalty in the final minute to edge his side ahead after they trailed by 20-0 at the end of the first quarter and 26-12 at halftime, said there was no one thing behind the Warriors’ resurgence beyond an improved resilience and coach Andrew Webster’s leadership.
“It’s certainly going to be a performance that we’ll remember for a long time,” Johnson said. “We’ve already done a little snapshot review and have seen areas we can improve on, but certainly we’re enjoying the moment of being able to come back in that sort of manner.
“I thought the messaging from the coaching staff, Andrew Webster in particular [was key], I felt it instilled confidence that we could actually turn the game around and come away with the points
“I don’t think I could pinpoint one thing that is different. Obviously, what stands out is the resilience and that attitude that we’re never out of a contest. That dates back to our pre-season and all the hard work that we’ve done.
“There’s no way we saw that start coming – we didn’t see us getting jumped like that – it wasn’t ideal.
“At one point we felt like an avalanche was coming at us. The Sharks were playing that well, that hot, and to be able to turn that around is very special and it happens very rarely.”
Making it extra special will be the fact that Johnson played for the Sharks for three seasons before returning to Auckland last year. In his post-match interview he spoke about practising his kicking at PointsBet Stadium after training, a routine that helped his confidence last night.
“There’s an enjoyment there,” he said of the Warriors this season.
“We’re loving being home. People would have heard that line 1000 times but people won’t understand what that was actually like [having a base in Australia due to Covid] – not having family and friends and all the familiarities that probably everyone takes for granted.
“We’re loving training and playing at Mt Smart in front of our own fans, we’re loving going home to our own families and friends. And we come to an environment that’s fun to be around. We work hard and everyone’s on the same page as to what’s required to perform.”
Johnson said the Warriors celebrated their victory in a low-key manner at the team hotel and praised the coaching ability and style of coach Webster.
“Success starts at the top and it flows down. He’s the head of the spear essentially and it’s a true reflection of what he’s doing with the group and the support he’s got with the staff. The playing group fully believes in what he’s trying to deliver and instil in us. We’ve got to hold on to that… he knows what success looks like.”
Asked how his side could maintain their momentum, Johnson added: “By not being satisfied. It’s round five. People may be getting carried away and bouncing into work today saying ‘it’s our year’ but we know what’s required, we know we weren’t at our best last night.”
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