Shaun Johnson book extract: The inside story of his shock return to the Warriors in 2022

Shaun Johnson, who played 268 matches in the NRL, sheds light on his career in a new book. Photo / Photosport

On May 30, 2021, Shaun Johnson celebrated his 200th NRL game in style, playing a starring role in Cronulla’s 38-10 win over the Gold Coast Titans in Coffs Harbour. However, a little over a week later, Johnson was informed by the Sydney club they wouldn’t be renewing his contract for the 2022 season and beyond.

Below is an extract from his new book Perspective, released Tuesday, September 30.

Coming home and a homecoming

I would love to say I expected a call from the Warriors after the Sharks made it clear they were moving on, but I really didn’t. As much as we were pining for life back home – family, support, friends and a belief that there would be a return to normal while we were in the middle of a pandemic – when Cam George’s name came up on my phone, I didn’t know what to think. I was hopeful, naturally, that my form the previous season and the fact my return to the Sharks after the injury hiatus had coincided with a rekindling of our season’s fortunes would have attracted some interest from other clubs.

There had been some from the Bulldogs already, and joining them would have meant Kayla and I could avoid another move. We could have kept our place and carried on with life in much the same way as we had when I was with Cronulla. The Brisbane Broncos entered the picture, too, and I loved everything about the club and the facility on my visit there. The Broncos organisation has always meant something to New Zealanders, and they were a huge deal when I was growing up. I was pretty keen to hear more, but they were always upfront about the fact they were also looking at Adam Reynolds in the halves, and ultimately that’s what played out.

So in my head I was preparing to go to the Bulldogs, and very happy with that prospect. There was a contract all but ready for me to sign when I decided to jump on a flight to head home and catch up with family and friends. I thought I’d sound them out, say hello, then when I returned I’d seal the deal. But on my first night back in New Zealand I got a call from my friend Danielle Robinson, who coincidentally is also the daughter of Mark Robinson of Autex Industries. While I’d been away at Cronulla, Autex had taken full ownership of the Warriors, so when Danielle said, “Would you mind if I pass on my dad’s number? He wants to talk to you about something,” my ears pricked up. What’s this about?

Mark invited me to join him for a round of golf, along with a couple of others, including my best mate (and Danielle’s husband) Logan. The whole round, we were exchanging “Nice approach shot, mate”, and “Good drive”, while Mark was telling me in general terms about the passion he had for the Warriors and what was changing at the club. I could see how much he meant it, but I also couldn’t stop thinking: Okay mate, is this leading up to something? And then right as we were leaving, he dropped it. “Could we catch up again sometime over the next day or two, but this time with Gus Gould?”

For anyone who doesn’t know, Gus is a big name in rugby league, and at the time he had a consultancy role at the Warriors. When Mark and Gus and I sat down together, Gus started saying things like: “The guys here are in meetings talking about needing an experienced halfback. Shaun, you’re an experienced halfback. You clearly love the place. Why wouldn’t they get Shaun Johnson back to the Warriors?”

Shaun Johnson celebrates after scoring for the Warriors against Cronulla. Photo / Photosport

“Don’t you know how things unfolded here?” I asked Gus.

“Yeah I do,” he quickly replied, “but are you prepared to put water under the bridge?” “I can get there,” I said, “but I think I’d need to have a conversation first with Cam George.”

As I’ve said, I was hopeful when Cam’s number came up on my phone, but I didn’t want to get my hopes too high about a return home. I’d long thought the way I left Auckland was akin to shutting the door on that option. Thankfully, that’s not how Cam saw it.

I don’t know how I would have dealt with the Covid situation the way the boys in that club did over that time. Sure, we all had our challenges, but no club did it tougher than the Warriors, and every player in the NRL had enormous respect for the way those boys had handled everything that had been thrown at them. I knew this: nothing in the world mattered more to them than the connection with family and community, and that had been torn apart by the lockdowns and travel bans and the club’s commitment to levelling up across the ditch. I knew there were players in that squad who were struggling almost beyond belief. I tried to imagine my feet in their shoes. I’m not sure I’d have coped as well as they did.

Unlike me, Cam was hugely optimistic and could see a time when the Covid nightmare would all be over. During that call, he asked me the same question Gus had: Did I want to come back and be a part of the club again? That blew me away. The fact Cam called me personally meant everything. I knew, and he knew, that we hadn’t ended on good terms, and that the frantic few weeks leading to my departure had not been either of our finest hours. We spent time digging back into that period. Cam admitted that the way he’d handled things in the media was not ideal, and I admitted my response had been both impulsive and unfair on the management. It was an incredible conversation during which we both agreed that we only wanted what was best for the club.

Shaun Johnson's new book Perspective is available from Tuesday, September 30.

I could tell the rough waters of that time had well and truly flowed under the bridge and that Cam saw me as someone who carried the kind of Warriors DNA that he desperately wanted to see back in club colours. Before everything had gone down at the end of that 2018 season, Cam and I had enjoyed a great relationship, and it was one I had missed. After that call, you’ve never seen Pete Brown and I move quicker. I had no doubts about where I wanted to be. Pete spoke to Peter O’Sullivan at the Warriors, and within 24 hours the deal was done.

I felt bad that things had got so close with the Bulldogs, but when I made the tough phone call to explain my decision, I was essentially told that the club was happy for me on a personal level that this opportunity had come up. If I wasn’t going to be joining them, then there’s no other place they’d rather see me play. I was grateful for that gesture, and it felt like another positive sign that I was making the right decision. Two and a half years after I had left, I was going to be a Warrior again.

What pleased me most was that the club saw me as someone who could help their young players. I was chuffed that Cam and the others could see that I had grown as a leader in my time at the Sharks, and that I was the kind of guy they could trust to take on that mentoring role for them. Given how far out of favour I had felt in that department before I left, it was a clear sign that I had matured as much as a person as I had as a player. I told Cam during our call that I was thankful he had let me take up the opportunity with the Sharks because it had allowed me to grow in a way I might not have if I had stayed with the Warriors. There had been too much going on for me there, too much history and expectation to contend with, and that had impacted on my ability to realise my potential. All I wanted to do from that point was finish the year on a high with the Sharks and then get back to my roots.

Perspective ($40), published by Penguin is available in stores and as an ebook from Tuesday, September 30.

You can meet Shaun Johnson and get your book signed on the following days:

Saturday, October 18

Paper Plus Whangaparoa, 10-10.45am

Whitcoulls Albany, 11.30am-12.15pm

The Warehouse Westgate, 12.45-1.30pm

Sunday, October 19

Whitcoulls Manukau, 10-10.45am

The Warehouse Sylvia Park, 11.15am-noon

Paper Plus Howick, 12.30-1.15pm