Transfers are being confirmed by the day as 2017 line-ups start to take shape. With each passing week we can be more confident in our predictions for next season.
Of course plenty will change before Round 1 kicks off next year, but with the way things look right now, I believe it will be the year we finally see the best of Shaun Johnson.
Since debuting for the New Zealand Warriors in 2011 as a fresh faced 20-year-old, Johnson has given us many glimpses of what he has the potential to be. Shaun Johnson’s highlights reel is sure to be one of the best in modern day rugby league, with his electrifying speed and footwork headlining his classy skills. But the problem with Johnson, as is the problem with the Warriors side in general, is his consistency.
After the New Zealand-based side failed to qualify for finals football again in 2016, questions are being asked surrounding the capability of the coaching staff, the playing group, and Shaun Johnson himself. A host of superstars in the Warriors line-up have not provided the results to the hype they have been getting.
They will head into the 2017 season with possibly the best spine in he competition on paper. Roger Tuivasa-Sheck is a game breaking, premiership-winning fullback, who has the footwork and speed to match that of Johnson. Kieran Foran will join the club and most likely wear the number six jersey alongside Johnson in the halves, while Issac Luke remains in the hooking role, where he has excelled for a number of years at both South Sydney and more recently the Warriors.
It’s the addition of the former Manly Sea Eagles and Parramatta Eels half that I believe will improve Johnson’s form. Even after a short stint with the Eels, Foran showed what a cool head can do for a team.
Former halves partner Corey Norman was able to play his natural running game while Foran played the role of the organising half. There’s no doubting that, while his passing and kicking games are both up to standard, Johnson’s running game is the pinnacle of his abilities.
Johnson was partnering Jeff Robson in the halves for a portion of this season, and to make it worse they had him wearing the six jumper. How can you expect to get the best of Johnson when he is given a majority of the responsibility in terms of ordering the team and being the key playmaker? This isn’t saying he couldn’t handle the role, but taking the pressure off of his shoulders should really open up his natural game.
The closest Johnson has come to the Dally M medal is the Golden Boot award in 2014, which in itself is prestigious, but he can and should go one better in 2017. It’s a big claim and it’s also a risky one but we know what Johnson can do, and we know what Foran can do for a team, so if there was any year that Warriors fans should be getting excited about, it’s 2017.
What do you think about the idea of Johnson being the best player of 2017?
Do you agree or disagree with this article? If you disagree, who’s your early tip for the 2017 Dally M Medal?
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