NRL 2023: Manly recruit Cooper Johns opens up on rediscovering love for footy, Pre-season form

Manly recruit Cooper Johns says a move to the Sea Eagles has rekindled his passion for the game, and the self-appointed Pre-season MVP is ready to go for Round 1.

The Sea Eagles celebrate a try against the Roosters in the Pre-Season Challenge. NRL Imagery

Cooper Johns has stopped checking out his bank balance. Money, he says, was the last thing on his mind as he spent the off-season flogging himself on a train-and-trial contract at Manly, earning $1000 a week while chasing another shot at the big time.

Johns’ sacrifice and perseverance is about to receive its reward. In coming days, he will have a top-30 contract registered and then, in just over a week, he will wear the No.6 jersey as the Sea Eagles open their season against Canterbury at 4 Pines Park, an injury to Josh Schuster gifting him an opportunity to play alongside the Sea Eagles’ million dollar man Daly Cherry-Evans.

Some would suggest they are rugby league’s prince and pauper, yet Johns is rugby league royalty himself given his bloodlines. He frequently fields phone calls from his uncle Andrew, more often than not when the eighth Immortal is driving home from Newcastle and wants to blow off some steam.

Cooper Johns says he’s loving his footy again after moving to Manly, and is ready to go for Round 1 if chose. Picture: Jeremy Piper.

Having spent recent years in Melbourne, the shift to Manly has also allowed him to move back into the family home on Sydney’s northern beaches. Free rent and home-cooked meals from mum Trish have helped ease the financial burden, although that may change when he has a top-30 contract registered in the next few days.

As for his father Matthew — Newcastle legend turned media star — Johns revealed that rugby league talk had been banned in the family home.

“The one rule I say now living at home …. we don’t talk footy really unless I bring it up,” Johns said.

“I try to keep it a footy-free house. It is good for him (Matthew) too because his job, it is all footy as well. It creates a better household for us.

“Naturally, if I have a question about a team — he has one of the great rugby league minds — so it would be stupid not to ask.”

Chances are he may pick the old man’s brain in the lead-up to the Bulldogs game as he and Manly look to make a fast start. Schuster’s absence is a blow — he is expected to only miss the opening round with a minor calf tear — but Johns’ form mitigates the damage.

Manly Sea Eagles Coach Anthony Seibold has praised Johns, saying he hasn’t missed a beat during the pre-season, after earning a spot in their top 30 squad. Picture: Tim Hunter.

So impressive has Johns been in recent weeks, Cherry-Evans quipped that he had taken to calling himself the MVP of the Pre-season Challenge. He now gets the chance to show what he can do when it really counts as part of a Manly side for round one that is expected to include young guns Kaeo Weeks on the interchange bench and Gordon Chan Kum Tong as part of the extended squad.

There is every chance Viliami Fifita would have been there as well only for a Covid scare to throw his potential debut into doubt.

“He (Johns) had a pretty up and down block before Christmas,” Manly coach Anthony Seibold said.

“Since we came back in from January, he hasn’t missed a beat and I thought he was really good over the past two weeks.

“He has a smile on his face, he is enjoying his footy.”

Johns has taken to calling himself the MVP of the Pre-season Challenge … and it’s hard to disagree after starring for the Sea Eagles. Picture: Getty Images.

Johns agrees. There were times in recent years when he questioned his love for the game but those days are gone. Manly has rekindled his passion for the game.

“It excites me a lot,” Johns said.

“I am enjoying my footy more than I have since I was 16. I was probably in my career sometimes where I wasn’t really keen to show up and play rugby league.

“I didn’t even know if I wanted to play rugby league anymore. I am at this point now where it is all I really want — to be playing footy on the weekend.

“The thought of playing round one does really excite me.”

BUZZ: MANLY’S BEST SIGNING YOU’VE NEVER HEARD OF

— Phil Rothfield

Trial form doesn’t normally mean a lot.

Last year the Parramatta Eels beat Penrith 36-0. Penrith won the comp.

The Wests Tigers beat the Roosters 16-8. The Tigers won the wooden spoon.

However, in some circumstances pre-season form is crucial.

Manly last year lost their last seven games.

The club was ripped apart by a pride jersey fiasco and a player boycott of a crunch game.

Plus there were suggestions of a feud and falling out between Daly Cherry-Evans and Jake Trbojevic.

They were as rock-bottom as you can get.

The Sea Eagles hit rock bottom last year. Picture: AAP Image/Dan Himbrechts

The club brought in a new coach (Anthony Seibold), new assistant coaches (Shane Flanagan and Jimmy Dymock), a new high-performance boss (Paul Devlin) and a new chief executive (Tony Mestrov).

The roster stayed much the same, outside of the signings of outstanding edge forward Kelma Tuilagi and Cooper Johns, who has been an absolute standout in the trials.

He’ll make a good No.14 when the comp gets going.

The Sea Eagles beat the Roosters 28-16 on Friday night in Gosford and knocked off South Sydney the week before.

Both wins were without $2.3 million of their salary cap – Tom Trbojevic and Cherry-Evans, who will return for Round 1 against Cameron Ciraldo and his Bulldogs at Brookie.

Instead they fielded some of the most exciting young prospects in the NRL – the likes of fullback Kaeo Weekes, the hooker Gordon Chan Kum Tong and centre Tolu Koula.

The Sea Eagles celebrate a try against the Roosters in the Pre-Season Challenge. NRL Imagery

Mestrov agrees these two wins have been significant for club morale.

“It’s important that we’ve made an impression,” Mestrov said.

“We haven’t won anything and everyone understands that.

“But as a club we needed to take some positivity out of the trials.

“Everyone can see we have a very happy group. The smiles are back. There’s no bullshit.

“Everyone is on the same page and have bought into what Seibs and the coaching staff are doing.”

The big improvement at Manly appears to be their fitness under Devlin.

They certainly look slicker, sharper and fitter than last year.

But, more importantly, happier.

The TAB has reacted by tightening Manly’s title odds from $29 when the draw was released to $23.

One punter had $1000 on them to win the minor premiership at $34 on Saturday.

Two other clubs were in similar positions to Manly going into the trials – the Newcastle Knights and the St George Illawarra Dragons.

Both needed some positivity around their coaches Adam O’Brien and Anthony Griffin.

They needed to show they could be competitive football teams.

Instead we saw much the same as last season.

The Knights got rolled 36-14 by Parramatta in Gosford. Saints got pumped 42-24 by Souths in Mudgee.

The Wests Tigers will take plenty out of a huge win over the Raiders.

Again, they are only trial matches …

But you’d rather be in Manly’s position on the eve of the season than the Knights and Dragons.

There’s no doubt about that.