3 minute read
This time last year Shaun Johnson's NRL future was clouded, but the halfback is now poised to become the second Warrior in history to clinch the Dally M Medal.
Shaun Johnson is expected to make the trip from Auckland for the Dally M Medal ceremony, where he is tipped to become only the second Warrior to clinch the top prize.
The Warriors' season ended with a hefty loss to Brisbane in Saturday night's preliminary final, but not before Johnson enjoyed a resurgent campaign in the halves.
This time last year the 33-year-old's future had appeared clouded by injury and form concerns.
But under rookie coach Andrew Webster, Johnson stormed into career-best form in 2023 and hoisted the Warriors to a surprise top-four finish.
In 28 previous seasons, the Warriors have only had one other Dally M-winning player - fullback Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, who clinched the award in 2018.
The Warriors returned to Auckland following Saturday's loss in Brisbane.
But the club told AAP Johnson was expected to make the trip over for Wednesday night's ceremony at Randwick Racecourse in Sydney.
There were six players ahead of Johnson on the Dally M leaderboard when voting went behind closed doors at the end of round 12, with Brisbane prop Payne Haas leading the polls on 30 votes.
Johnson, who had 22 votes, has played 14 of a possible 16 games since then. The Warriors only lost three times in that period when Johnson played.
The New Zealand international recorded 29 try assists and 20 line-break involvements this season, more than any other player.
Johnson's game-management abilities were only matched by his reputation for icing games with clutch individual efforts.
He scored the winning try and conversion against Canterbury in round four, memorably kicked a long-range penalty goal to seal the game against Cronulla a week later, then snatched victory over Canberra in round 21 with a field goal in extra time.
In the finals, Johnson shook off a calf injury and set the Warriors on the path to their biggest play-offs victory in club history - a 40-10 thrashing of Newcastle in week two.
Fullback Kalyn Ponga finished the season in supreme form on the Knights' 10-game winning streak, but a six-week concussion lay-off early in the season will hurt his Dally M chances.
Brisbane wunderkind Reece Walsh would also be in the frame if not for the three-game suspension he incurred for swearing at a referee in round 17.
Haas, another contender, has plenty of star teammates to compete with for points, as do Penrith's premiership-winning contingent.
"Shaun Johnson is my pick," the Warriors' inaugural halfback Greg Alexander told AAP.
"I don't think he's played as good as he has this year, including those brilliant years when he first started.
"The Warriors have been a major talking point right throughout the year and their success and all the things that have gone with that.
"Johnson has been the main man for the Warriors, and it's been great to watch his revival."
