NRL: Johnson hits a magic milestone

Shaun Johnson showed against the Melbourne Storm last Sunday that he has taken his game to another level in recent weeks. Photo / Getty Images

No matter what happens in the rest of Shaun Johnson's career, few will forget his first season in 2011.

He had an amazing introduction to the NRL, where almost everything he touched turned to gold. At times it looked like he was still playing touch football, as he bamboozled defences with ease.

In little more than half a season, he scored six tries, many of them stunning. There was a 60m effort against the Cowboys in Townsville and another saw him outsprint Greg Inglis from long range. He ran 90m to score against the Panthers and managed a goose-stepping effort against the Tigers. The best of them — beating seven Broncos in a mazy 70m run to the line — was voted try of the season.

But he was also a creator. In 16 games he clocked up 18 try assists, including 11 in the last eight matches of the season. He peaked for the playoffs, setting up two tries in the wins over the Tigers and Storm as well as both tries in the grand final loss to Manly.

Here are three memorable moments from the 2011 season:

Warriors v Roosters

Round 13, 2011
After months of hype, Ivan Cleary gave Johnson his NRL debut against the Roosters in Sydney after Brett Seymour was injured. He ran for 44 metres and his grubber kick set up the only Warriors try in a solid debut.

"It was a wet night and I was really nervous but excited — I didn't know what to expect," remembers Johnson. "You always perceive the NRL as a place where people with special powers or abilities play but when you are out there playing, it's just another game, though on another level. There had been a bit of hype about me coming into first grade ... just with what 'Joey' Johns had been saying when I was playing NYC.

"I was just doing the basics. I didn't want to do anything flashy, didn't want to make any mistakes. I remember thinking 'just make my tackles and and if I have to kick, kick well'. I did one little off-the-cuff thing and we almost scored a try off it."

Warriors v Broncos

Round 22, 2011
It was one of those moments where you couldn't quite believe what you had just seen. Playing in his eighth NRL game, a 19-year-old Johnson stepped through half the Broncos team, including Darren Lockyer and Sam Thaiday, to score one of the best tries seen in the Queensland capital.

"That was unreal," says Johnson. "It was my first game at Suncorp and I had grown up thinking I'd love to play there. When I was 16, my mate was playing for the New Zealand under-16s and he got to play at Suncorp and I remember asking him 'what's it like? How big is it? What's the field like?'

"So to do a play like that, there, with those players ... amazing. I've got a picture at home of me going around [Josh] Hoffman which was given to me by the club when I won Junior Player of the Year. In the picture, there is Hoff diving for me and guys like Sam Thaiday and Darren Lockyer in the background. That's on my wall ... it's crazy."

Warriors v Storm

Preliminary final, 2011
Probably the most important Warriors play since Stacey Jones' grubber for John Carlaw against the Sharks in 2002. In the 76th minute, with the Warriors leading 14-12, a long Kevin Locke pass found Johnson 20m out, near the goalposts.

He sprinted across the field, before two huge dummies then a burst of acceleration took Kevin Proctor and Cooper Cronk out of the play and a one-handed pass put Lewis Brown over to seal the Warriors' second grand final appearance.

"Shaun Johnson, take a bow" said an awestruck Peter Sterling, commentating for Channel Nine.

"It was instinctive more than anything and it worked out." says Johnson. "But, yes, it was unreal. I get excited just thinking about that night."