The Andrew Johns thread

The only performance that matches his 2001 GF performance, always saved his best performances for a lot of big games.

Interesting that that jersey from G2 2005 is still in his possession, and according to him is to be 'never ever sold' by his family or estate. Knowing how much it meant to him to be called back in I understand the significance of that jersey.
To think he almost didn't play if Barrett didn't get injured.

I think the backend of that Knights season, looking like a top 4 team despite some of the scrubs playing around him is a result of that Game, and Origin Series win in G3.

I actually thought quite a lot of players were outstanding in that game, Buderus, Anasta, King but it was all tied to Joey steering them all around.
 
Defence wins games said:
I’ve watched football for over 65 years and he is the best player I have ever seen, without a doubt.
Just a master in every aspect of the game.
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There's plenty of players about whom people will say "he has the ball on a string" re: their kicking game. But with Joey you legit wondered if it was true. Some of the kicks he put in, it really did look like he had some preternatural ability to control how the ball bounced. Plenty of other very good kickers of a football over the years, but he's still easily #1.

He was also better than everyone else at pretty much everything you could want your halfback to do, except arguably Thurston's reaction time to exploit a defender making a poor read or getting in a bad position was a bit better. That's about it.
 
I can watch most playmakers and have a fair idea what they are about to do.
I never knew what Joey was going to do next. Neither did the opposition.
With Joey, you had to watch the slow motion replays to work out what he actually did sometimes.
 
HarVeeGee13 said:
There's plenty of players about whom people will say "he has the ball on a string" re: their kicking game. But with Joey you legit wondered if it was true. Some of the kicks he put in, it really did look like he had some preternatural ability to control how the ball bounced. Plenty of other very good kickers of a football over the years, but he's still easily #1.

He was also better than everyone else at pretty much everything you could want your halfback to do, except arguably Thurston's reaction time to exploit a defender making a poor read or getting in a bad position was a bit better. That's about it.
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Ball on a string you say…..

 
I’m obviously biased but I’ve never seen a player close to Johns. Guys like Lockyer and JT had some brilliant moments bit were nowhere near as dominant on a week to week basis. Smith and Cleary when he’s finished will have better stats but they aren’t on the same planet as Johns ability wise.

The sheer difference in the side when he was out to when he was playing was truely insane. Especially considering some of the great players we had.

His selective passing, the variety of his kicking game and his running threat close to the line is so far ahead of any halfback I’ve seen and added to that he was a truely great defender it’s hard to see another player getting close to him.
 
Joey was in a tier of his own. Of all the players I’ve seen, ever, he’s the clear #1.

I always like to envision these things as tier lists. “S tier” reserved for guys where, basically, you maybe see one player like them who’s about as good as them every ten-twenty years or so.

I try not to be scared of putting current players up there if I think they live up to it:

SSS: Andrew Johns
SS: Johnathan Thurston, Cameron Smith
S: Darren Lockyer, Jason Taumalolo, Greg Inglis, Sonny Bill Williams, Brad Fittler, Payne Haas, Nathan Cleary, Isaah Yeo, James Tedesco.

Then there’d be a huge, huge list of players in the A’s. Guys who just fall a little bit short of being special on the level of the players above, for whatever reason. Danny Buderus, Cooper Cronk, James Fisher-Harris & James Maloney are the poster boy ‘A+’ tier players for me, just below that generational S tier.

Obviously this gives an idea of my age, but these to me are the “special”, “generational” players I’ve seen (sort of mentally combining how good they were and how long they played when I rank them. Sonny Bill is SS tier if he plays twice as much NRL).
 
HarVeeGee13 said:
Joey was in a tier of his own. Of all the players I’ve seen, ever, he’s the clear #1.

I always like to envision these things as tier lists. “S tier” reserved for guys where, basically, you maybe see one player like them who’s about as good as them every ten-twenty years or so.

I try not to be scared of putting current players up there if I think they live up to it:

SSS: Andrew Johns
SS: Johnathan Thurston, Cameron Smith
S: Darren Lockyer, Jason Taumalolo, Greg Inglis, Sonny Bill Williams, Brad Fittler, Payne Haas, Nathan Cleary, Isaah Yeo, James Tedesco.

Then there’d be a huge, huge list of players in the A’s. Guys who just fall a little bit short of being special on the level of the players above, for whatever reason. Danny Buderus, Cooper Cronk, James Fisher-Harris & James Maloney are the poster boy ‘A+’ tier players for me, just below that generational S tier.

Obviously this gives an idea of my age, but these to me are the “special”, “generational” players I’ve seen (sort of mentally combining how good they were and how long they played when I rank them. Sonny Bill is SS tier if he plays twice as much NRL).
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Agree with your list, and the stated belief that Joey is #1 greatest player also.
I am probably a bit older and saw the likes of Wally Lewis, Kenny, Sterling, Daley, Bradley Clyde ,Steve Rogers, Alfie Langer, Steve Mortimer and even Bob Fulton. IMO Joey shades them all in virtually every aspect of the game
His most unrecognised talent for mine was his defensive strength. I saw him sit most of the games best forwards on their backsides with a front on ,one on one tackle. One memorable game against the Broncos he hammered Webke, Civonoseva, Tallis and Andrew Gee in fairly quick succession as they tried to target him , and tire him out and isolate him defensively . Joey won that battle.
My only regret for his career is that I reckon he could have played many more games than he did , if not for injuries that were a result of the way he played the game. He certainly didn’t play in a dinner suit , as they say.
3 bad neck injuries, broken jaw, an ACL, ribs etc probably cost him 50-60 games overall, so the greatest could have been even greater.
 
Burgess made too many errors for me. Today with the captains challenge he’d of had a bunch more because plenty of them got called strips.

SBW didn’t have enough time in the game to be considered as a great imo. Especially considering most of his career at the Dogs he was injury prone. His first season at the Roosters was amazing though, he was a truely complete player by then. But then after 2 years he buggered off to the inferior code again.

I have Taumalolo ahead of both of the them. He was amazing in his prime.
 
The Gidley flick said:
I disagree with Sonny being so high talented player but was always in strong sides and when things started to go south for the dogs he left I'd take Sam Burgess over him every day of the week
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I was at the RWC England v New Zealand semi final at Wembley in 2013. The clash between SBW and Sam was absolutely immense!
 
The Gidley flick said:
I disagree with Sonny being so high talented player but was always in strong sides and when things started to go south for the dogs he left I'd take Sam Burgess over him every day of the week
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Agree, excellent athlete but too small of a sample size and really was a shade of what he once was in that 2020 season. Also the benefit in playing under the sombrero Roosters.
 
Don’t have any beef with people saying SBW didn’t play league long enough. I’ve got Radradra right up there too so arguably I don’t value longevity enough lol.

But on the flip side… Cam Smith played almost twice as much footy as Joey. If they kept a stat like NBA “win shares”, Cam probably has a higher number.

But if the space aliens were challenging us to a game of footy to save the planet, and they have a machine to restore the prime version of any player I choose, who am I picking first?

No contest. Prime Joey.

Is there another back rower I’d take over prime SBW? I don’t think so. He was just different.
 
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Funny people were speculating about Ponga still despite that stuff in Vegas, just funny...

Happy that Joey continues to be passionate about the Knights

And to continue to Joey circle jerk, comparing him to others...put him in some of those late 90s, early 2000s Broncos teams instead of Alfie or Lockyer...they're making Grand Finals every year. Put him in some of those Cowboys teams instead of JT 2010-2017 ish, they're making Grand Finals every year, Put him in the Storm dynasty instead of Cronk 2006-2012...not one, not two not three premierships but probably more....

You can't say the same vice versa

Not even an exaggeration.
 
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