Shaun Johnson has never been hungrier to succeed in the NRL.
That’s quite something, on the eve of his 14th year in first grade and coming off a stellar season, where the Warriors reached the preliminary final and he scooped plenty of individual awards, including the Dally M halfback of the year.
His renaissance was one of the NRL’s biggest stories of 2023, after he had been largely written off, following a difficult 2022 season. Johnson has nothing to prove – having cemented his status as a Warriors’ legend during this second chapter – but that hasn’t sated the appetite.
It’s a different mindset. Instead of proving they belonged – and trying to scale the mountain – Johnson and the team now want to stay near the summit.
“The hunger comes from being so close and getting a little sniff of what could have been,” Johnson tells the Big League Podcast. “And realising that we are a good team that can really achieve something.”
“It’s funny. [I’m] so used to trying to prove people wrong, chip on the [shoulder], they are writing us off, it’s been that story for so long. [Now] I don’t think I’ve ever been hungrier - and the narrative [has] changed.”
“You just want it so bad when you know you are good enough to get it. It’s not as far-fetched as what it once was and that’s where the hunger is.”
Johnson’s state of mind – and body – also means that he isn’t ruling out playing on in 2025. That’s quite a shift. This is already a bonus year – he was expected to retire at the end of 2023 – but the 33 year-old is keeping an open mind on the future.
“I’m not saying that’s not a possibility,” says Johnson. “I’m saying if this is my last year, this is my last year. Regardless of what happens beyond, I’m going all out and giving all I’ve got. And if there’s an opportunity to play again next year, there’s an opportunity and if not I’ve got a few ideas I’m pretty excited about.”
At the moment it seems unlikely, given the club have invested in other halves’ options but never say never. Johnson has continued to evolve and adapt and his form could prove impossible to ignore, like it was last year.
By any measure, his 2023 season was extraordinary. He helped the Warriors to 17 wins, with a career high 29 try assists. He led the NRL in kicking metres, chipped in eight tries (a total he has exceeded only twice before), 10 line breaks, 24 line break assists and exhibited a new defensive edge. Johnson was both the conductor and the spark with the feeling that if he was on the field, anything was possible.
He agrees it was the best season of his life but isn’t looking back.
“It was a year I’m very proud of but I have moved on and ready to build it from the ground up again,” says Johnson.
That won’t be easy but he is embracing the challenge. Like many athletes, his goals are more process than outcome focused.
“Mine are all about continued improvement,” says Johnson. “It’s a real achievement to be able to come in here – when you have done something for that length of time – and want to learn and want to be better every day. There has been times throughout my career when I haven’t done that, I’ve been complacent, taken things for granted.”
Johnson is in a good place. It’s hard for older players – with the accumulation of wear and tear, where bouncing back from training and games takes longer and longer. But he has always been disciplined and diligent with stretching and recovery and added another layer last season, with extra core and strength work.
“Some of the stuff I’ve been able to do throughout my career has allowed me to feel pretty good [now],” said Johnson. “Certainly not 100 per cent or amazing but good enough and happy all things considered.”
Just as importantly, he has a more balanced life. That’s mainly due to the perspective that comes from marriage and fatherhood (Johnson has two daughters with wife Kayla) while regularly hitting the fairway has become an important way to switch off.
“I love golf,” says Johnson. “Having that complete outlet mentally, I’m a lot fresher coming into this place. Probably one thing I would knock myself on as a young fella was that I found it hard to escape, or I didn’t want to escape. If I played a good game I’d want to hear all the stuff being said, I’ll roll in that but it just does you no good.”
Despite the grind, in one of the world’s toughest competitions, it’s obvious Johnson still enjoys the sport as much as he did as a jet-heeled teenager from Whangaparāoa. The pace may have diminished, the style changed but his enthusiasm and approach has not dimmed.
“I love everything,” said Johnson. “The teammates, the hard work, wanting to achieve a common goal and everyone is on the same page, everyone here is working towards the same thing, and I love being a part of that. The winning, the outcomes, that’s the creme on the top but the day to day, continued improvement, that’s the stuff I really value.”
Michael Burgess has been a sports journalist since 2005, winning several national awards and covering Olympics, Fifa World Cups and America’s Cup campaigns. He has also reported on the Warriors and NRL for more than a decade.