‘Still very raw’: Warriors hero Johnson calls time on iconic NRL career

Shaun Johnson has this week told his New Zealand Warriors teammates he will be hanging up his boots at the end of the season, with the much-loved veteran now ready to call time on a 14-season career.

Johnson admitted he’s been “sitting with this one” for a while now and eventually came to terms with is as the end of the 2024 NRL campaign began looming on the horizon.

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“It’s obviously still very raw but I’m so grateful to the club and to you boys who I get to come into work with every day with a smile on face. I have never taken any of it for granted,” the Warriors halfback said to his teammates on Monday before training.

“The job (this season) is not over so, let’s rip in and get back to doing what we do but I just wanted to let you all know first that at the end of the season, that will be me (done).”

This decision means Johnson will clock up just over 270 NRL appearances.

🚨🏉 Shaun Johnson has told his @NZWarriors teammates he’s retiring at the end of the 2024 season pic.twitter.com/bezQziWOBc

— The Sporting Base – NRL (@BaseNrl) August 5, 2024

The soon-to-be 34-year-old has been a stalwart in rugby league since his 2002 debut, notably leading the Warriors to the club’s 2011 grand final loss in his first stint with the team. He’s earned 32 Kiwi test caps and won the 2014 Golden Boot as the best player in the world.

“There’s an entire generation of kids in this country who picked up a rugby league ball because of Shaun Johnson,” Warriors CEO Cameron George told the media after Johnson’s news was circulated to the club. “His impact on not only this club but also rugby league in New Zealand is something that will be remembered here forever.”

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Johnson’s final match is now pencilled in for Round 26 against the Cronulla Sharks, his former team. The only thing that may stop the New Zealand hero is if his injury (Achilles) flares up again.