Apart from these two reports, the other news is Clint Newton will probably play against the Dragons! Yay!
Johns injury shakes Knights and bookies
By Glenn Jackson and Greg Prichard
April 7, 2006
NEWCASTLE are sweating on the fitness of halfback Andrew Johns for the second time in a week after the Knights star was involved in another health scare over his injured neck.
Knights coach Michael Hagan said last night he was confident Johns would play against St George Illawarra tomorrow night despite his skipper travelling to Sydney yesterday to visit a spinal specialist.
Bookmakers, severely burnt last week after the 31-year-old pulled out against the Warriors just hours before kick-off, shut down markets as Joey hysteria struck again, sending Johns's management into damage control.
But Hagan said Johns would play provided he was cleared by team doctor Neil Halpin at a training session today.
"It was nothing too serious provided he gets through the training session," Hagan said. "If he does, I'll be happy for him to play."
Johns was due to train with his teammates at 9.30 this morning and Hagan said he would play "if he gets through without any discomfort". But, he added, Johns would not play unless he was "100 per cent" fit.
"He trained on Wednesday pretty well and without any real discomfort," Hagan said. "The signs are that it's settling down."
The frenzy started early yesterday when he visited spinal specialist Professor John Yeo - the doctor who treated Johns after a serious neck injury three years ago.
Johns took the results of an MRI scan he underwent on Wednesday to Yeo at Royal North Shore Hospital and was told his current injury was not related to the protruding disc that had threatened his career. At one stage yesterday there were concerns Johns could miss up to a month of football. But Hagan insisted the visit was precautionary.
"We already had one player booked in to see him [Yeo] - Dustin Cooper," Hagan said. "Andrew got his scan done on Wednesday and as a precaution Neil Halpin thought he should take it to see Professor Yeo. It was just to get a bit of insurance that it wasn't the old injury. There were concerns from last week. But this is a relief to Andrew. I'm informed that the results of his scan were quite positive."
Johns's manager, John Fordham, yesterday released a statement from the Knights captain to allay concerns about his health. "Professor Yeo satisfied me the problem is muscle related only and that subject to a training session [today] I'll be playing against the Dragons on Saturday night," Johns said. "Today's examination was precautionary only to satisfy myself that the problem was unrelated to what occurred three years ago."
Only last week, keen punters wagered huge money on the Warriors to beat the Knights with the handicap after word started to spread that Johns was in serious doubt for the game. Johns officially pulled out on the Sunday morning. The Warriors cleaned up on the field and the smart punters cleaned up off it.
Gun-shy bookmakers suspended betting on tomorrow night's game yesterday morning after hearing Johns was in doubt again. Despite the positive report on Johns later in the day, bookies were not prepared to open the game for betting again until they heard something definitive on whether he would play.
"We'll look at it again in the morning," TAB Sportsbet spokesman Glenn Munsie said. "We may put it back up then or we may wait a bit longer."
Sportsbook.com.au spokesman Larry Hawke said they were prepared to keep the game off until the teams were finalised one hour before the game if there was nothing definite in the meantime.
"We'll see what happens tomorrow," Hawke said. "We'll leave it off until there is something more concrete."
Halpin said yesterday he was very optimistic Johns would come through the next couple of days well and play tomorrow night.
"We have been down to see Professor Yeo today and he said that if Joey stays pain-free from this point he is 80 per cent likely to play," Halpin said. "The MRI scan we had done on Joey's neck on Wednesday came back good. The results showed there was no new damage to the area in which he had a major problem a few years ago.
"It's more soft-tissue damage and he feels a lot better today than he did last weekend. He'll train with the team and I'll have a look at him again after that. There's still no guarantee he'll play at this stage, but we're pretty confident."
From: http://www.smh.com.au/news/league/j...hts-and-bookies/2006/04/06/1143916655300.html
Joey won't put neck on the line in surf tribute
WHILE Andrew Johns is still hopeful of playing against St George Illawarra tomorrow night, the Newcastle captain has canned plans to surf in the Luke Egan Tribute Expression Session at Newcastle Beach on Sunday.
Johns had been looking forward to hitting the forecast three-metre waves with the likes of Egan and fellow surfing greats Kelly Slater, Mark Richards and Mark Occhilupo, but he advised organisers yesterday of his withdrawal after undergoing an MRI scan on his injured neck. The rumour doing the rounds since Johns suffered the injury last week is that Joey first felt a twinge in his neck after surfing the big waves generated along the east coast by Cyclone Larry and aggravated it doing weights.
From: http://blogs.smh.com.au/sport/archives/2006/04/joey_wont_put_n.html