By Mr Sports -
November 13th 2009 @ 2:28am
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Johnson’s departure a Storm in a tea cup
Dallas Johnson from the Storm is spear tackled in the NRL by Gold Coast Titans players AAP Image/Action Photographics/Jeff Crow
The Melbourne Storm have just lost their second most important player. Dallas Johnson has left the Storm to join fellow Australians, Clint Greenshieds and Steven Bell, in Perpignan for what is generally described as a truck load of cash.
Now, let me be clear. I said second most important player, not second best player.
On sheer talent and ability, it is clear that phenoms such as Billy Slater and Greg Inglis are operating on a different level to the rest of the Storm team, if not the NRL in general.
However, aside from Cameron Smith, there is no player more important to the Storm than Dallas Johnson. Long undersold as simply a ‘tackle machine’ or ‘hard man’, Johnson is, in fact, pivotal to not only the defence of the Storm, but also their offence.
Sure, Johnson makes a zillion tackles a game and would no doubt play on after losing a limb or two. However, it is the organisation that the Storm will miss most.
Along with Cameron Smith, Johnson helps direct the other Storm big men around the field in defence and ensures that their sliding defensive line stays as impassable as the Redhorn Gate on Caradhras.
For all that, though, it is in attack that the Storm will miss Johnson the most.
Not all that surprisingly, in a team with such weapons as Slater and Inglis, the crucial link role played by Johnson is often overlooked.
However, if you watch closely, you will notice that Johnson handles the ball an awful lot for guy who is not one of the halves. And, indeed, when the Storm run one of their patented ‘overload then wrap-around’ plays with Billy the Kid joining the line at speed, it is often Johnson that starts the move by becoming an extra passer on that side of the field.
This year Johnson even started attacking the line with ball in hand or running decoys.
So whether it is that marauding beast known only as ‘salary cap’ that is to blame, or whether the Storm simply have Johnson’s best wishes at heart, it’s hard not to predict that sometime next year, Craig Bellamy will lose sleep over allowing Dallas to leave.
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(26)
Mr cheese said | November 13th 2009 @ 3:00am | Report comment
Am I missing something here ? How is it possible for a team like the Catalan Dragons to pay more money than Melbourne Storm or anyone else in the NRL ????
The NRL is a bigger and better competition than our Super League. It has a higher profile, and its sport is bigger than RL over here.
In the south of France, RL has a great deal of competition from Rugby Union and Football.
I can see the appeal in playing at the Dragons: Perpignan is a nice place and the south of France in general is cool.
However, if this Dallas bloke wants to leave for France, why doesn’t he try to get a job as a Union player ? There’s more money to be made from Union than from League.
So what’s going on ???
JE NE COMPRENDS RIEN !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Paley said | November 13th 2009 @ 3:14am | Report comment
The salary cap in european rugby is different from the salary cap in australian rugby and each club manages it differently so the money available will differ.
He is a rugby player and presumably he enjoys palying rugby so why wouldn’t he continue to be a rugby player? You might as well ask why union players don’t get jobs as soccer players given the amount of money in soccer dwarfs that in union.
josh said | November 13th 2009 @ 9:24am | Report comment
He is a LEAGUE player, not rugby, get it right Victorians.
Firestarter Bob said | November 13th 2009 @ 9:54am | Report comment
He is a RUGBY LEAGUE player, he is a RUGBY player, he is not a RUGBY UNION player, get it right josh.
Tom said | November 14th 2009 @ 8:22pm | Report comment
‘Rugby’ refers to rugby union. ‘League’ refers to rugby league.
He is either a rugby league player or a league player; rugby union players can either be rugby or rugby union players. Its really not that hard to understand.
Firestarter Bob said | November 15th 2009 @ 8:21am | Report comment
Really? Where can I find the rules for this sport called “league”?
I tried the “league” website but it was no help. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/league
Firestarter Bob said | November 13th 2009 @ 6:39am | Report comment
The NRL salary cap is killing the game.
The cap is meant to spread the talent amongst the NRL teams.
The cap does create level NRL teams but it also dumbs them down too.
The best NRL talent isn’t being shared amongst the NRL clubs, they are leaving the NRL for better money elsewhere.
The salary cap works in the AFL as the players are slaves and there is no other AFL competition.
The NRL needs to relax the salary cap rules or it will keep losing its top stars.
Mushi said | November 13th 2009 @ 9:07am | Report comment
So you think we should be paying the players more than the league actually makes is better for the game…
Firestarter Bob said | November 13th 2009 @ 9:13am | Report comment
Yes. The top stars should be free to source income from sponsors and others without any restrictions. The NRL itself would be worth more money if the NRL stars now in Super League or rugby union were still in the NRL. The cap is making teams level but at the same time it is reducing the star power of the competition.
Is the dominace of Tiger Woods good or bad for golf? Should golf handicap Woods to make tournaments more competitive? All I see is one helluva star and fans rushing to see him play and kids wanting to take up the sport.
The first priority of the NRL should be to keep the game’s stars. That is far more important that having a level competition or Cronulla going broke.
Mick from Giralang said | November 13th 2009 @ 2:26pm | Report comment
Not a bad idea FB for players to be able to source third party income (it happens to a limited extent) but it should not be a free for all as the clubs with rich backers will buy competitions, a return to the bad old days. Since 1998 the salary cap has certainly levelled the competition with seven different premiers since. I don’t think star retention has been nearly as big an issue as the row caused by a few high profile defections to rugby. Has anyone really missed SBW or Gasnier? Certainly not The Doggies or the Saints, going by their recent results. Their places have been filled by an exciting crop of new faces — the ability of rugby league to keep producing amazing young talent is unrivalled.
Mushi said | November 13th 2009 @ 4:45pm | Report comment
Yes? You answered yes to “so you think we should pay the players more than the game itself makes” pure. Genius.
Why is the first priority to keep the games stars? As Mick points out where are the detrimental e of the star drain
Should the first priority be ensuring the longevity of the league and that every year the NRL can put out a quality entertaining product for the fans?
The salary cap has little to do with parity, without a draft and a real PPP cap it is parity placebo. What it is there for is to ensure that the madness of a few individuals with thought processes like your own don’t sodomise the future of the entire sport
With men like you in charge of one or two clubs the NRL would be a park competition within 10 years
Firestarter Bob said | November 13th 2009 @ 4:52pm | Report comment
Yes. I said yes.
The salary cap is a sham. It is a restriction on the money a club can pay to players.
Meanwhile each club is free to spend whatever $ amount it wants on anything else it wants.
So the cap doesn’t stop clubs from going broke at all. It stops them from going broke from spending on players.
Sooner or later the NRL players will wake up.
Paul J said | November 13th 2009 @ 7:17am | Report comment
The NRL will raise the salary cap when it can afford to which will be after the next tv broadcast deal. The NRL will then be able to retain more players than it does now.
Dallas will be sorely missed by the Maroons as well.
Firestarter Bob said | November 13th 2009 @ 8:31am | Report comment
The top NRL players should be free to earn and be paid by club and sponsors whatever money they can from whatever source, not just money doled out to the clubs by the NRL.
oikee said | November 13th 2009 @ 8:32am | Report comment
The Stowm have lost the glue, i expect them to lose more than they win this year, now Johnno is gone. Great player not only for the Storm, Qld also.
Mick from Giralang said | November 13th 2009 @ 2:28pm | Report comment
Oikee: I feel NSW firming for the SOS as we speak…go the Blues!
alan nicolea said | November 13th 2009 @ 9:06am | Report comment
Mr Sports
Johnson is a huge loss for Melbourne but the club has shown enough to suggest it will fill the void. It will be a difficult task though to find a player that constantly makes 70 odd tackles a game, among them the odd trysaver. A terrific character of the NRL that will be missed no doubt.
Luke Weno said | November 13th 2009 @ 10:09am | Report comment
Well if the idiot national selectors actually picked him in the Australian side he may have stayed… I think he’s played one game for Oz when in reality he has been the best back rower in the land for the past 4 seasons. Has to start getting a bloke down after a while. But as usual they keep picking Hoffman and Gallen, and they get smashed, and give away ridiculous penalties respectively.
MyGeneration said | November 13th 2009 @ 11:23am | Report comment
Johnson and Hoffman complement each other and work well together. Gallen is a good footballer and can be a hard worker, but he undoes it all with his penchant for cheap shots and indiscipline. Sometimes he just plays with the red mist in his eyes. Would love to see the back of him.
Mick from Giralang said | November 13th 2009 @ 2:31pm | Report comment
MG: Gallen is a hard player to like. Very frustrating, particularly when he such a talented footballer ( though prone to the occasional handling error). I put in him the same category as Justin Hodges, Micahel Ennis and Wade McKinnon — grat players but prone ot the niggle.
MattRusty said | November 13th 2009 @ 10:37am | Report comment
A massive loss…hopefully Dallas will be inducted into the Melbourne Storm Hall of Fame at some point in the future (I don’t think he’s already there is he…?).
GaryGnu said | November 13th 2009 @ 10:53am | Report comment
The Storm don’t have Peter O’Sullivan providing them with a production line of ridiculous talent any more so it will be interesting to see how they handle this departure. O’Sullivan’s absence was felt earlier this year when they had trouble finding a suitable No. 6 until Daniel Anderson did them a favour and Brett FInch came on the market. However, they do have the U/20 Champions so they might find a ready replacement right there.
Of course there is the other important string to Melbourne’s bow. Craig Bellamy has an uncanny ability to bring players to his club that others thought not up to the grade or were unwanted and turn them into crucial parts of a highly competitive team (Matt King, Michael Crocker, Ryan Tandy!).
Somehow I think the Storm will be just fine.
Chop said | November 13th 2009 @ 11:15am | Report comment
Johnson and Hoffman are the reasons the Storm didn’t leak points, they were on either side of the ruck and did all the dirty defensive work.
I agree with you Mr Sports, he’s one of the most important players in the storm a massive loss.
The Storm have done well dealing with losing people and bringing in replacements and continuing to operate without missing a beat over the last 4 years, this will be a big test….I’m not sure they’ll go as far as Oikee is suggesting but they won’t be the same without him.
sledgeross said | November 13th 2009 @ 2:48pm | Report comment
Best backrower for 4 seasons?
Are you taking the piss?
Look, hes a good tackler, and tenacious, hes like the Axe Gillmeister. Hes the glue to the Storm and Qld.
But best backrower? Youre telling me that if a coach could pick one backrower, they would pick Dallas????
Mushi said | November 13th 2009 @ 4:48pm | Report comment
One of Melbourne’s best assets was that it got the scraps from the broncos junior catchment giving them better quality cheap talent – which in a salary cap environment gives them a decided advantage – than almsot every other club .
ScottWoodward.me said | November 15th 2009 @ 10:28am | Report comment
Mr. Sports you have made some rash statements. Allow me to challenge some of them.
1. “Dallas Johnson is the Storm’s second most important player”
MEANING WHO IS THE HARDEST TO REPLACE. YOU ARE CORRECT THAT CAM SMITH TOPS THE LIST BUT COOPER CRONK IS A CLEAR SECOND, THAT IS NOT ONLY MY OPINION BUT THE COACHING PANELS. VIEW.
2. “it is in attack that the Storm will miss Johnson the most.”
DALLAS IS LIKELY TO BE REPLACED BY SIKA MANU, WHO NOT ONLY MAKES BREAKS BUT UNLIKE DJ IS HAS A NATURAL OFFLOAD.
DJ is an excellent defender and did a g8 job on Moi Moi in the GF, but he is one dimensional and does not scare opposition when he has the ball.
Having said that, I would love to go to war with him.