Shaun Johnson
Encyclopedia
Shaun Johnson is a New Zealand
rugby league
player who currently plays for the New Zealand Warriors
.
NRL commentator Phil Gould
has described him as the "New Benji Marshall
".
and mainly played touch rugby
at High School before a switching to rugby league
. He has represented New Zealand in both touch and Aussie Rules and played first XV rugby union
for his school.
His mother is Laotian
and his father is a Pākehā
.
and Northcote Tigers
in the Auckland Rugby League
competition before being signed by the New Zealand Warriors
in 2009.
Johnson started his professional career playing for the Junior Warriors in the Toyota Cup. Johnson spent the 2009 and 2010 seasons with the Junior Warriors and played 45 matches, scoring 25 tries, 159 goals and 4 field goals to finish his Toyota Cup career with 422 points. It was during this time that Andrew Johns
commented that he had not been this excited about a player since Stacey Jones
. He made his NSW Cup debut for the Auckland Vulcans
in 2010 and also represented the Junior Kiwis
that year. His final Toyota Cup match was being part of the Junior Warriors winning the 2010 Grand Final
.
After suffering an injury at in the pre-season, Johnson spent the start of the 2011 season with the Auckland Vulcans before making his National Rugby League
debut on 4 June 2011 against the Sydney Roosters
due to an injury to Brett Seymour
.
In the 2011 Preliminary Final against the Melbourne Storm
, after his team played a flawless second half, Johnson set up a mesmorizing try for Lewis Brown to seal the game in the 76th minute to play the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles
in the 2011 Grand Final. The Warriors lost to the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles
24-10 in the 2011 Grand Final however Johnson played a tremendous game and almost sparked a surprise upset comeback with a role in both tries and a few outstanding runs. Johnson was named in the New Zealand Kiwis squad for the 2011 Four Nations
but withdrew with an injury.
Johnson has re-signed with the Warriors until the end of the 2014 season.
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
rugby league
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
player who currently plays for the New Zealand Warriors
New Zealand Warriors
The New Zealand Warriors are a professional rugby league football club based in Auckland, New Zealand. They compete in the National Rugby League premiership and are the League's only team from outside Australia...
.
NRL commentator Phil Gould
Phil Gould
Phil Gould is an Australian rugby league broadcaster, journalist, administrator and former player and coach. Since the 1990s he has had a prominent role in Channel 9's coverage of rugby league, as a commentator on their match-day coverage, and appears on The Sunday Footy Show and The Sunday Roast...
has described him as the "New Benji Marshall
Benji Marshall
Benji Marshall is a professional rugby league footballer with the Wests Tigers of the National Rugby League . A goal-kicking five-eighth, he is the current captain of the New Zealand national team, with whom he won the 2008 World Cup and 2010 Four Nations tournaments...
".
Early years
From Whangaparaoa, Johnson attended Orewa CollegeOrewa College
Orewa College is a Year 7 to 13 college/high school in Orewa on the Hibiscus Coast, north of Auckland, New Zealand.The 2007 roll is 1,696. The school has strong music, media, drama and sport departments with a prosperous international programme...
and mainly played touch rugby
Touch football (rugby league)
Touch is a field sport also known as Touch Football, or in some countries as Touch Rugby. Touch is overseen worldwide by the Federation of International Touch . Touch has traditionally been played in Australia and New Zealand but the sport has expanded internationally and features many regional and...
at High School before a switching to rugby league
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
. He has represented New Zealand in both touch and Aussie Rules and played first XV rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
for his school.
His mother is Laotian
Lao people
The Lao are an ethnic subgroup of Tai/Dai in Southeast Asia.-Names:The etymology of the word Lao is uncertain, although it may be related to tribes known as the Ai Lao who appear in Han Dynasty records in China and Vietnam as a people of what is now Yunan Province...
and his father is a Pākehā
Pakeha
Pākehā is a Māori language word for New Zealanders who are "of European descent". They are mostly descended from British and to a lesser extent Irish settlers of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, although some Pākehā have Dutch, Scandinavian, German, Yugoslav or other ancestry...
.
Playing career
Johnson played for the Hibiscus Coast RaidersHibiscus Coast Raiders
The Hibiscus Coast Raiders are a rugby league club based on the Hibiscus Coast, New Zealand. They compete in Auckland Rugby League's Fox Memorial competition and between 2000 and 2005 were also involved in the Bartercard Cup competition.-History:...
and Northcote Tigers
Northcote Tigers
The Northcote Tigers are a rugby league club based in Northcote, New Zealand. The club was founded in 1910 as the Northcote Warriors.The Tigers compete in the Fox Memorial competition run by the Auckland Rugby League. Between 2000 and 2002 the Northcote Tigers competed in the national Bartercard...
in the Auckland Rugby League
Auckland Rugby League
The Auckland Rugby League is the governing body for the sport of rugby league in the Auckland Region of New Zealand. It is responsible for rugby league in the region and was the owner of Carlaw Park, once the "spiritual home of rugby league in New Zealand".-History:The Auckland Rugby League was...
competition before being signed by the New Zealand Warriors
New Zealand Warriors
The New Zealand Warriors are a professional rugby league football club based in Auckland, New Zealand. They compete in the National Rugby League premiership and are the League's only team from outside Australia...
in 2009.
Johnson started his professional career playing for the Junior Warriors in the Toyota Cup. Johnson spent the 2009 and 2010 seasons with the Junior Warriors and played 45 matches, scoring 25 tries, 159 goals and 4 field goals to finish his Toyota Cup career with 422 points. It was during this time that Andrew Johns
Andrew Johns
Andrew Gary "Joey" Johns is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer of the 1990s and 2000s who is considered by many to be the greatest player of all time. He was heralded as the world's best halfback for a number of years...
commented that he had not been this excited about a player since Stacey Jones
Stacey Jones
Stacey William Jones, ONZM is a professional rugby league footballer, who has been named amongst the greatest New Zealand has ever produced. He currently plays for the Point Chevalier Pirates in the Auckland Rugby League's Phelan Shield...
. He made his NSW Cup debut for the Auckland Vulcans
Auckland Vulcans
The Auckland Vulcans are an Auckland based rugby league club that participates in the New South Wales Cup. They are administered by the Rugby League Development Foundation. The team is selected from the Auckland Rugby League's Fox Memorial Competition and also uses Warriors squad members not...
in 2010 and also represented the Junior Kiwis
Junior Kiwis
The Junior Kiwis side represents New Zealand in the sport of rugby league. They are commonly known as the Junior Kiwis, after the native bird of that name. They are not necessarily an age grade side, but the second national team behind the New Zealand national rugby league team. They are...
that year. His final Toyota Cup match was being part of the Junior Warriors winning the 2010 Grand Final
2010 National Youth Competition season (rugby league)
-Grand Final:Three second-half tries in 10 minutes helped the Warriors run all over the Rabbits in Sydney.After holding a slender 12-10 lead at the break, the Warriors turned on the after-burners with halfback Shaun Johnson leading the charge through an impressive kicking and running display.Though...
.
After suffering an injury at in the pre-season, Johnson spent the start of the 2011 season with the Auckland Vulcans before making his National Rugby League
National Rugby League
The National Rugby League is the top league of professional rugby league football clubs in Australasia. The NRL's main competition, called the Telstra Premiership , is contested by sixteen teams, fifteen of which are based in Australia with one based in New Zealand...
debut on 4 June 2011 against the Sydney Roosters
Sydney Roosters
The Sydney Roosters are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney. The club competes in the National Rugby League and is one of the oldest and most successful clubs in Australian rugby league history, having won twelve New South Wales Rugby League...
due to an injury to Brett Seymour
Brett Seymour
Brett Seymour is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who currently plays for the Hull FC in the English Super League...
.
In the 2011 Preliminary Final against the Melbourne Storm
Melbourne Storm
The Melbourne Storm are an Australian professional rugby league club based in the city of Melbourne. They are the first fully professional rugby league team based in the Australian rules football-dominated state of Victoria....
, after his team played a flawless second half, Johnson set up a mesmorizing try for Lewis Brown to seal the game in the 76th minute to play the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles
Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles
The Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles are an Australian professional rugby league club based on the Northern Beaches of Sydney. They compete in the National Rugby League's Telstra Premiership, the premier rugby league competition of Australasia...
in the 2011 Grand Final. The Warriors lost to the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles
Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles
The Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles are an Australian professional rugby league club based on the Northern Beaches of Sydney. They compete in the National Rugby League's Telstra Premiership, the premier rugby league competition of Australasia...
24-10 in the 2011 Grand Final however Johnson played a tremendous game and almost sparked a surprise upset comeback with a role in both tries and a few outstanding runs. Johnson was named in the New Zealand Kiwis squad for the 2011 Four Nations
2011 Rugby League Four Nations
The 2011 Rugby League Four Nations tournament was the third staging of the Rugby League Four Nations tournament and was played in England and Wales during October and November of 2011...
but withdrew with an injury.
Johnson has re-signed with the Warriors until the end of the 2014 season.