NRL: Shaun Johnson praised after Warriors’ win over Bulldogs

Shaun Johnson scored the match-winning try for the Warriors against the Bulldogs. Photo / Photosport

When asked what the difference was between the two sides in the Warriors’ 16-14 win over the Bulldogs on Sunday, Bulldogs coach Cameron Ciraldo gave a simple answer.

“Shaun Johnson.”

“Shaun Johnson’s playing some really good footy and he was the difference,” he later added during his post-match press conference. “His control over the game, the try he scored at the end, I thought he was outstanding. Whatever they’re doing with him is working, and good luck to them.”

In a game of fine margins, it was Johnson converting his own try that gave the Warriors their first lead in the 67th minute, but that was simply the highlight in a strong all-round performance from the veteran half.

Warriors coach Andrew Webster has often spoken about the belief he has in Johnson’s game and his potential to be a game-changer, and that confidence seems to have filtered into Johnson’s play.

“The clarity that the coaching staff and the belief that the coaching staff have instilled in me gives me the confidence to execute in those moments,” Johnson said of his match-winning try.

Playing behind a workhorse forward pack against the Bulldogs, Johnson was active throughout as he put teammates into gaps and challenged the line.

The game was the first time since round 16 last year that Johnson carried the ball for 80m, and you have to go back to before his return to the Warriors to find a game in which he last ran the ball 15 times.

His defensive work was strong too, making 20 tackles without a miss.

“I thought he owned the moments today,” Webster said of Johnson. “Defensively I thought he was great; he took the moments and he won us the game.

“Shaun’s toughness is the most important thing for us. The way he’s tackling, the way he handled [Viliame] Kikau I thought was unbelievable. His marker work — him going to chase people, if there’s a loose ball, he’s fighting for it — and his kicking game was the difference.

“I’m going to say it was a team effort, still, because we give Shaun the opportunity to do that. We’re certainly proud of how tough he was, but I thought our forwards gave him an opportunity to win us the game there.”

The result saw the Warriors continue their re-branding as a team who don’t lose their cool when things aren’t going their way, with several moments in the game where they had their composure tested.

But while it was a good result, Webster admitted there was one area of the game he did not know how to tidy up.

The Warriors have conceded the first try of the game in all four of the meetings this season – all four of those tries coming inside the opening 10 minutes.

Asked what could be done outside of gameday to ensure that trend doesn’t continue, Webster was baffled.

“I actually don’t know. I’ve addressed it every week, the boys have addressed it, and they’ve got a positive attitude, but it’s going to have to click.

“We put ourselves in scenarios every week like ‘we’re about to practice the start of a game, here it comes, let’s nail it’ and we’ve been doing it really well in training, but we’ve got to get it done in the game.

“If you don’t laugh you cry, because it’s killing us. We’ve got to fix it quickly because you just can’t compete like that. There’s going to be one day where it’s going to nip us in the bud hard, and I hope that doesn’t come soon.”