Sad rumour after Johns brothers falling out on live radio

The live radio exchange between rugby league icons Matthew Johns and Andrew Johns has taken a turn with a sad detail emerging.

Matthew Johns and Andrew Johns.

The falling out between rugby league icons Matthew Johns and Andrew Johns is still yet to be mended, according to a rumour.

The NRL cult heroes caused a massive kerfuffle when they clashed in a prickly segment on live radio earlier this month.

Andrew snapped at a suggestion from his brother about Queensland ahead of this year’s State of Origin series opener.

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It has since emerged that Matthew was deliberately poking the bear to get a reaction from Joey — but that doesn’t mean the emotional outburst wasn’t real.

According to The Sydney Morning Herald, the brothers aren’t currently speaking to each other — two weeks after their squabble.

Journalist Andrew Webster, the host of the SEN Morning Glory show where the drama kicked off, reported on Friday the brothers are “apparently” not talking.

In the days following the segment, Matthew Johns revealed he had deliberately tried to bait his brother into giving an emotional response.

Johns said on SEN Breakfast last week his brother managed to get one cheap shot in during the exchange, when he pointed out Matthew’s record in the Origin arena of four losses from four matches.

Matthew Johns and Andrew Johns.

“That’s his one joke. That’s what he goes with every time,” Johns said.

“Well, my counter is that god doesn’t give you everything — have you heard yourself commentate.”

Matthew said after the segment he asked his brother about the hatred he has for Queensland.

“I said to him afterwards, how old are you, eight?”

Matthew said his brother was zoning out of the conversation and was looking through surfing photos on his phone when Webster was asking him a question. That’s when Matthew decided to poke the bear.

“I thought if he’s not paying attention, I’ll have a go here,” he said.

“And then half way through he sort of snapped out of it and then started to bite.”

The drama all began when Matthew claimed Queensland has the advantage heading into the 2023 series opener at Adelaide Oval on Wednesday.

The Fox League personality crossed the line in the eyes of his brother when he suggested the Queenslanders were going into the series on the front foot.

Matty and Joey Johns clash in a fiery chat about State of Origin... 👀🔥 pic.twitter.com/7A26ucsffE

— SEN 1170 (@1170sen) May 13, 2023

Matt: “(Queensland coach Billy) Slater’s close to the best coach in the game. You just know how he explains, how he coaches, the intricacies, the players absolutely love him. Queensland know exactly how they’re going to play and who they need to pick to make that happen.”

Andrew: “And NSW don’t know how they’re going to play?”

Matt: “No, nope.”

Andrew: “We’ll see …”

Matt: “Yeah, like the last two.”

Andrew: “Mate I’m sick of you rapping Queensland, that’s what I’m sick of.”

Matt knows just how to get under Joey’s skin.

Matt: “Because they’ve just been better, they’ve had lesser sides, they’ve just been better.”

Andrew: “Are you serious?”

Matt: “I’m absolutely serious, look at the scoreboard.”

Andrew: “Lesser sides? So you’re saying their spine of Ponga, Munster, DCE and Harry Grant isn’t that good?”

Matt: “You’re going from one extreme to another. It’s not the best side they’ve ever had and it’s certainly not their worst.”

Andrew: “Put your Maroon jersey on, you should have some at home.”

Matt: “I would and I do because they’re easier to admire.”

Andrew: “What? just because you played four games and lost four doesn’t mean you need to s**t bag NSW.”

Matt: “Well mate, you don’t need to be a baker to know that bread tastes good.”

The show’s co-host Andrew Webster asked the eighth Immortal about whether he believed the gap had closed between the states, but it just reignited the debate.

Andrew: “I couldn’t give a s**t. I don’t even look at Queensland, I couldn’t care who they pick. I know what we’re going to pick, I know how we’re going to play, I know the players we’re going to pick.”

Matt: “OK, good, so who are we going to pick?”

Andrew: “Oh that’s good you just said we don’t know how we’re going to play; I had a meeting during the week with the staff, we’ve worked out how we’re going to play, we’ve known for months how we’re going to play.”

Asked who was going to be the Blues’ No. 6, Andrew replied: “None of your business. Worry about Queensland you two. They’ll pick Munster.

“Keep blowing hot air up their a**.”

There are few more passionate about the Blues than Andrew Johns. Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images

Andrew was questioned even further about positional decisions but again brushed Matt and Andrew Webster off.

But he had a parting shot.

“You’re blowing smoke up their backsides, I couldn’t care about Queensland, he (Matty) said they’re easy to admire — they’re the enemy,” Andrew said.

“(We) grew up hating them, we grew up watching the king (Wally Lewis) absolutely kill us.”

The passionate defence is by no means surprising for the Blues legend.

After the Maroons wrapped up game three 22-12, Andrew was devastated and after the Queensland great dominated panel had crowed about the Queensland spirit, the rugby league legend had had enough.

“Why? Well, you won the big moments,” he said.

“Now we have to listen to all the bulls**t from you (Queenslanders) in the next 12 months. It drives you mad.”

Later, when Johns had left the panel, he was caught on camera with his head in his hands standing near former NSW captain Paul Gallen, looking like he’d rather be anywhere else in the world.

Cam Smith didn’t know what to say. Photo: Channel 9

Sad Joey was caught by the cameras. Photo: Channel 9

He later explained that he was “so broken inside” by the loss.

“All I’ve wanted to do since I started playing footy was one, play for the Knights, and two, represent my state,” Johns said.

“The Blues jersey means everything to me and I find it insulting and a kick in the guts when they talk about their jersey meaning more to them. It gets me so emotional.

“I’d love to get ‘em, all the halfbacks who have played for Queensland. (Daly) Cherry-Evans. ‘Does your jersey mean more than my jersey?’. And I know what the answer is – ‘no’.”

Andrew added: “I couldn’t articulate after the game because it’s hard to describe how it breaks me inside. And then to constantly hear this ‘it means more’, it’s just so insulting.

“Hopefully it drives the players, I know it used to drive me, used to drive me when as a kid watching the King (Wally Lewis) doing his stuff.

“They talk about that generation when Wally and all those boys coming through used to watch NSW smash Queensland year after year.

“Well you know what, I grew up watching the King and it used to drive me crazy. Then I got an opportunity, and I like to think I did my best for my state and my jersey.

“But for people to say it meant more to the players I played against is just an insult on anyone who’s played in the jersey, it’s an insult on how hard they go and what’s deep inside here (pointing to his heart). I wish I could have articulated it better the other night.”

Originally published as Sad rumour after Johns brothers falling out on live radio