Joey wants shot at Jonny's crown

[Clayton]

It seems that Andy Johns has been harbouring secret desires to play on rugby's biggest superstar Jonny Wilkinson and is considering switching codes at the end of this NRL season.


Johns would not have a problem in mastering rugby, even though he would play in the crucial position of five-eighth, according to Wallabies fullback Mat Rogers.

"He'd kill it in rugby," Rogers said. "It would probably take him six months to get his head around the game, but after that he would be great. When he plays league he plays a different game to most blokes.

"He is at another level and that would be the same in rugby. We certainly wouldn't mind a bloke like Joey at the Waratahs."

Another convert from league, former Waratahs five-eighth Duncan McRae, also has no doubts Johns would be a smash hit.

"He'd walk into the Wallaby side and dominate," McRae said.

"No one plays football like Joey. Jonny Wilkinson has a great kicking game, but Joey would dominate general play like no one else.

"He'd be the best five-eighth in the game in a hurry."


What a coup that would be for the Wallabies he'll be 33 in 2007 but i doubt he'd of lost any of that magic

 

[jeka]

Johns is a great player but at his age, is it too late to make a successful conversion to Union?

Old dogs and new tricks, springs to mind (IMO). In 2007 the best Johns could hope for would be an Indian Summer where as Wilkinson will be 27/28 and in his pomp.

I know who I'd rather have.

Anyway a 30 something from a different code walking into your national side and keeping his place for that long would be a damming inditment of the youth coming through. (IMO)

 

[jeka]

It looks like your not the only ones after Johns

From the bbc website

The Welsh Rugby Union is poised to make an audacious bid for Australia rugby league star Andrew Johns.
Johns, who has expressed in interest in switching codes, qualifies for Wales through his Rhondda-born grandfather.

WRU chief executive David Moffett has strong links with the player since his days at the Australian Rugby League.

"It seems logical that we should explore the possibility of getting him to play for and in Wales," said Moffett.

"His brother, Matthew, considered playing for Wales in the 2000 Rugby League World Cup and Andrew actually spoke to the Welsh team when they were in Australia a few months ago for the Rugby Union World Cup.

"He talked then about his Welsh links, which go back to his grandfather. He was a miner in the Rhondda Valley who emigrated to Newcastle, Australia last century."

Johns, who is out of contract with the Newcastle Knights and is being touted around by his manager John Fordham, is considering a move to union for the 2007 World Cup.

The 29-year-old scrum-half has told friends and family he wants to go head-to-head against World Cup winners England.

That would probably come in the green and gold colours of Australia rather than in the red of Wales, but Moffett has once again shown he will leave no stone unturned in his quest to strengthen Welsh rugby.

My initial post still stands though.

 

[melbournestorm]

lol Oh, Moffo, will you ever learn?
Real good story though.

 

[Dipper]

The thing with transfering from league to Union is that certain positions are much easier than others.

It seems obvious to me that wing & fullback are the easiest roles to transfer over, the fullback has to get to grips with the high ball, but apart from that all they really need to learn is to recycle the ball.

If Johns comes over it's clear that he sees himself playing as the pivot but that's just about the hardest one to crack, the options that need to be taken at 10 are immense & it takes years for them to come naturally, any hesiataion & the flankers are gonna nail you.

We've had a couple of league converts try it over here, Iestyn Harris & Henry Paul & they've both struggled.

In the end Henry Paul has found his niche playing the second 5/8th roel at 12 & looks a decent player but he'll never maange to boss the game from 10.I think Harris has found the same sort of problems & has struggled with playing 10.

It might seem like a great challenge to Johns but I wouldn't advise it.

 

[Kurt Angle ©]

Originally posted by DIPPER
The thing with transfering from league to Union is that certain positions are much easier than others.

......

We've had a couple of league converts try it over here, Iestyn Harris & Henry Paul & they've both struggled.

In the end Henry Paul has found his niche playing the second 5/8th roel at 12 & looks a decent player but he'll never maange to boss the game from 10.I think Harris has found the same sort of problems & has struggled with playing 10.

That's because people involved with the transfer of Harris and Paul thought that because the name is the same, the role is the same.

A 1/2 back in RU has the job of retrieving the ball from the ruck and passing it to either a one-out forward hit-up or the first receiver (mainly the fly-half).

In RL, this job is the hooker.

George Gregan is more akin to Brad Drew and Danny Buderus than Andrew Johns.

The RU Flay-Half is the first receiver from the ruck, he decides either to pass it to a wider running forward, to unleash the backs, or to kick it downfield, which is primarily the role of the RL 1/2 back... one receiver of the ruck.

Harris and Paul were not RL 1/2 backs.

In RU, the inside centre or 2nd 5/8 has the job of being the 2nd receiver off the ruck. If the ball gets to him, he is either a secondary option to kick the ball, or has the running and passing game to unleash the rest of the backs.

2nd receiver off the ruck, which is the RL 5/8. These were the roles mainly of Paul and Harris. Now that they have moved to inside centres in their respective teams, you see their passing games are especially what sets them apart.

Andrew Johns by all means would be a RU number 10. Stephen Larkham can carry hig bag for him.

 

[Iverson]

Joey should forget about it. He is to old now, if he made the switch in 2000 he could have played in last years world cup.

Money can be spent better else where, namely the youth already playing the game.

 

[LebaneseForces]

Originally posted by Iverson
Joey should forget about it. He is to old now, if he made the switch in 2000 he could have played in last years world cup.

Money can be spent better else where, namely the youth already playing the game.

True that! Take Willie Mason Thou!!!!!

 

[dr nick]

Originally posted by Iverson
Joey should forget about it. He is to old now, if he made the switch in 2000 he could have played in last years world cup.

Money can be spent better else where, namely the youth already playing the game.

that aside it would be a publicity bonanza for the rugby union and the S12 competition if he goes out for the waratahs and especially the wallabies. Wendell Sailor was by no means a stand out player but he didnt have to be. The intrigue into how he'd perform and the massive publicity created from a league superstar ditching the code and playing for the rebels improved unions awareness throughought the community.

Even if Johns was too old to be a decent player, the ARU would surely reap in millions from the spinoffs associated with the publicity and ratings etc just to see how he goes. Like Wendell, forests will be cut down to fill the newsprint.