Sport Confidential: The story behind Joey Johns shock Immortals snub
Andrew Johns was reportedly filthy that he missed out on making the 15-man voting panel that chose the next Immortal - but Sport Confidential can reveal that ‘The Eighth’ owes much to members of the Fourth Estate.
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He is known as the eighth Immortal. But Andrew Johns was once sensationally snubbed by two of his own Immortals for the honour.
Johns has come out swinging in recent days, expressing his disappointment that he wasn’t part of the 15-man voting panel for the selection of Ron Coote, who became the 14th Immortal at a gala NRL dinner on Wednesday night.
This year’s selection panel was made up largely of journalists, the very Fourth Estate that saved Johns from being black-listed as an NRL Immortal.
When Johns’ merits were being debated in 2012, two Immortals - Johnny Raper and Graeme Langlands - were on the selection panel. Both called for Johns to be overlooked because of an off-field drug-related incident.
Veteran scribes Ian Heads and Geoff Prenter argued in defence of Johns, as did other panel members, award-winning News Corp journalist Phil Rothfield, and super coach Wayne Bennett.
Bennett told Raper and Langlands that the Immortals process is not about “selecting saints” and the journalists backed the super coach in fighting for Johns.
The legendary Dragons duo, who have since passed away, were swayed by their arguments and rubber-stamped a motion for Johns to be named the eighth Immortal.
FIFITA GOES MIA
Gold Coast Titans star David Fifita is the most protected player in the NRL.
Fifita will face the Roosters on Sunday for the first time since reneging on a three-year contract with the Sydney powerhouse.
But while the Titans are using images of Fifita and Roosters rival Angus Crichton in their promotions to sell the game, you won’t be hearing anything from the ex-Maroons forward about the saga in the lead-up to the grudge match.
In fact, Fifita has never been questioned about what happened since the controversy in May, apart from a 75-second clip produced by the Titans’ spin doctors.
That’s because Fifita has been on a more than year-long media ban at the Titans, having last completed club media duties in May last year.
While most of his teammates front up every few weeks at Parkwood, for some reason Fifita is hidden by the Titans.
Gold Coast fans who pay memberships to support Fifita simply don’t hear from him.
Never mind that Fifita is paid $1 million a season - money funded by the very media he refuses to talk to.
The NRL’s media guidelines stipulate players should be available to media at least once every three weeks, but the rules don’t apply to Fifita and no-one at NRL HQ has done anything about it.
Interestingly, while Fifita called Roosters chairman Nick Politis to inform he was joining the club, he left the news of his backflip to his management to deliver to the Roosters.
Fifita hasn’t had any contact with Politis or Roosters coach Trent Robinson since telling them he was moving to Sydney.
But he isn’t alone when it comes to dodging the NRL’s media protocols.
Broncos star Reece Walsh hasn’t fronted up at Red Hill this year, with his sole press conference in Brisbane colours coming in America before the season started.
Walsh completed two media duties while in Queensland Origin camp but refuses to follow NRL rules at the Broncos.
Rabbitohs star Latrell Mitchell was also put on a media ban by Souths following his controversial ‘F-bomb’ laced Triple M interview.
THE HUG THAT STOPPED A NATION
Was it the Hall of Fame hug that has thawed the cold war between Cameron Smith and Cooper Cronk?
Ever since Cronk left the Storm at the end of 2017, speculation sweeping league circles has suggested there have been tensions between the champion halfback and his former Melbourne skipper Smith.
It was reported Cronk took exception to Smith not attending his wedding in 2017. Two years later, Cronk was not invited to a gala dinner for Smith’s record 400th NRL game.
But in the topsy-turvy world of the NRL, time always seems to heal wounds.
That was evident at the NRL’s Hall of Fame dinner when the worlds of Smith and Cronk collided again at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Wednesday night.
The Storm legends, along with Billy Slater, were inducted into the Hall of Fame and when Cronk was awarded his blazer, all eyes turned to the halfback as he walked towards Smith, who was standing on stage.
In his speech, Cronk offered his condolences to Smith following the recent death of the hooker’s mother. He later approached Smith and the pair shook hands before hugging as they exited the stage.
It was the only time of the night they were seen together.
While Slater and Cronk were seated at the same table with their wives, Smith was on a separate table next to Benji Marshall with his wife Barb.
Smith made an emotional tribute to his late mother Sonia Smith, who died unexpectedly last month aged 66, just days before the NRL announced her son would be inducted into the Hall of Fame.
Smith choked back tears speaking publicly for the first time about his mother’s death.
“Every person that comes up on stage tonight to receive their jacket and be inducted into the Hall of Fame, they don’t get there alone. They get there through the help of many people,” he said.
“The teammates they play with, the coaches, administration at all the organisations they’re part of, but most importantly, their family.
“Mum was a big part of my life, a big part of my football career and she loved the game of rugby league.
“She was heavily involved in my junior football, in particular. She’s a life member of my junior football club, Logan Brothers.
“She did a tremendous amount of work there for 20-odd years and I think she’d be pretty chuffed at this.”
Asked about his relationship with Smith in 2019, Cronk told Fox Sports: “There may have been (bad blood), but not from my end of the bargain.
“There’s conversations that happened. Our relationship is fine. I can only speak from my point of view ... if we ever caught up there would be no hostilities between us.”
KNIGHT SHOPPED TO PHINS
Former Blues Origin prop Daniel Saifiti has been shopped to the Dolphins as doubt hovers over the future of the injured Tom Flegler.
Saifiti is on the lookout for a new club after being told he is free to leave Newcastle along with hooker Jayden Brailey.
On a huge contract since becoming a regular NSW player from 2019-21, Saifiti is having trouble finding a club with the salary cap space to accommodate him.
One club with plenty of room to move is the Dolphins after they missed out on Tigers star Stefano Utoikamanu after he decided to join Melbourne.
Saifiti has been offered to the Dolphins, who will farewell retiring front row stalwart Jesse Bromwich at the end of this season.
The Dolphins have already released Jarrod Wallace and Tevita Pangai Jr will head to Catalans next year.
Flegler is fighting to overcome a shoulder problem which could end his career and Saifiti could be a handy pick-up for incoming coach Kristian Woolf.
CANAVAN TO LEAD STATE
Former Roosters boss and NRL football chief Brian Canavan will become the new chairman of the Queensland Rugby League.
Canavan will replace the retiring Bruce Hatcher in October after pipping respected finance guru Brendan O’Farrell for the state’s top job.
Hatcher has opted to step down following a seven-year stint as chairman of the QRL.
During that time, the career accountant has fought hard for Queensland’s league future and butted heads with ARLC chairman Peter V’landys and NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo.
He will now hand the reins over to Canavan, a career sports administrator who has held club roles at the Roosters, Titans and Knights as well as working for the NRL.
Canavan will work closely with QRL chief executive Ben Ikin to lead the fight for Queensland.
COWS SHUT DOOR ON RCG
Eels enforcer Reagan Campbell-Gillard won’t be going to the Cowboys.
Sport Confidential can reveal North Queensland have ruled out making a play for the 31-year-old after ‘RCG’ was shopped to the Cowboys by his management.
The Cowboys are keen for a front-rower but don’t have the salary-cap room to accommodate Campbell-Gillard, who is off-contract at the end of next season.
The Eels have given Campbell-Gillard permission to leave. The former Test prop had his first boxing bout in Townsville last year, but won’t be returning to the tropics in Cowboys colours.
With the Cowboys out of the running, the Dragons and Bulldogs are favourites to snare his signature.
GRIN AND BEAR IT
The Bears are coming back to the big league and they could start off with an explosive bang.
The Western Bears are expected to make their NRL premiership debut for the 2027 season and the proposed 18th team is eyeing a possible round-one showdown with Manly.
North Sydney and Manly were bitter rivals and it came as a shock when the two clubs controversially merged in 2000 to become the Northern Eagles.
It was dubbed a shotgun wedding and not surprisingly, the marriage lasted just three seasons before the Northern Eagles were disbanded.
The NRL loves scheduling derby games and the prospect of the Bears returning to rekindle their feud with Manly shapes as the perfect way to kick-off the 2027 season.
COMPOUND INTEREST
ARL Commission boss Peter V’landys famously rubbed shoulders with American president Joe Biden at the White House last year.
Now the United States military could play a key role in helping Papua New Guinea enter the NRL for the 2028 season.
Sport Confidential understands the US military could be enlisted to build a proposed NRL compound that will house Australian stars if they relocate to Port Moresby to play for a PNG team.
The Papua New Guinea government may struggle to find the funds to build a compound, but with American resources, an NRL mini-city is a reality.
Australia’s Federal government is desperate to keep China at bay in the Pacific and has the US as an ally in rugby league’s masterplan to launch a PNG NRL team.
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