Jack Johnson crowned Townsville Rugby League’s best

Burdekin forward Jack Johnson lost his entire 2021 season to a devastating knee injury. Through hard work and determination he has rebounded to be crowned Townsville’s best footy player. READ WHAT KEPT HIM GOING >>

Burdekin forward Jack Johnson has rebounded from an ACL injury that cost him the entire 2021 season to be crowned Townsville’s most valuable player.

The 22-year-old was the toast of the town after taking out the highest individual honour in the Rugby League Townsville and Districts competition at presentation night on Friday.

Johnson was awarded the 2022 Dr Rod Ward Medal for A Grade’s best and fairest ahead of rivals Ethan Andrews (Centrals) and Joshua Abbott (Charters Towers), who were awarded best back and best forward from A Grade.

Johnson has been named at both prop and backrower this year for the Roosters and has missed just one game of Burdekin’s 14 in his comeback season from the ACL tear that cost him 12 months on the sidelines.

The powerful forward said he was “blown away” to receive this honour in his first season playing A grade footy.

“I’ve gotten a little bit older and this is my first year of consistent footy against men, which is something that’s made me a little bit more experienced,” Johnson said.

“I didn’t have too much pressure on myself because it was my first year back, so I think it was just the fact that I really wanted to play footy again.”

He dreams of playing in the NRL and would love to take the next step in that journey.

“I think for me a realistic goal right would be to try and step into a competition like the Hostplus Cup,” Johnson said.

“Try to a get a debut and play a lot of games there, that would be great.”

Burdekin Roosters club captain Ryan Davenport has also credited Johnson for improving the club in his first year with the team.

“He’s been very, very consistent, and he’s definitely one of our leaders on the team,” Davenport said.

Rugga

“He knows when to talk and he brings a lot to our team on and off the field.

“I think the inclusion of players like Jack has really strengthened the A grade team which, in fact, strengthens the rest of the club because more players can play reserve grade then that obviously strengthens the reserves.”

Friday’s award is the latest in a string of accolades for Johnson, who was one of three Burdekin players selected in the Townsville representative squad for the 2022 Foley Shield Carnival earlier this year.

Johnson was named as captain of the Blackhawk’s under-20s side in 2020 after impressing coaches in his first year with the club, having first stepped onto the representative scene with Mackay’s under-16s in 2016.

The Roosters continued to crow deep into the night, taking out three of the major individual awards on offer.

Stephanie Monday took out the Women’s Player of the Year, Dylan Doak was named as reserve grade’s Player of the Year, and Burdekin were also crowned Club Champions for 2022.

RLTD chairman Roger Whyte that it was a great night enjoyed by one and all.

“Rugby league is alive and well, the strength of our competition is second to none,” Whyte said.

“It has been an outstanding effort by all the clubs participating in Rugby League Townsville and District, a big thanks and all the very best to all clubs participating in the finals commencing this weekend.”

RUGBY LEAGUE TOWNSVILLE & DISTRICTS AWARD WINNERS

•Under 19 Best Back - James Yardley, Brothers

•Under 19 Best Forward - Manihi Mauranagi, Brothers

•Under 19 Player of the year - Jayden McMinn, Centrals

•Reserve Grade Best Back - Joshua Bona, Herbert River

•Reserve Grade Best Forward - Taumaloto Taufue, Centrals

•Reserve Grade Player of the Year - Dylan Doak, Burdekin

•Women’s Best Back - Hayley O’Keefe, Charters Towers

•Women’s Best Forward - Ieysha Dempsey, Centrals

•Women’s Player of the Year - Stephanie Monday, Burdekin

•Match Officials of the Year - Taylor Worth and Josh Eaton.

•A Grade Best Back - Ethan Andrews, Centrals

•A Grade Best Forward - Joshua Abbott, Charters Towers

•A Grade Best and Fairest and the winner of the Dr Rod Ward Medal - Jack Johnson, Burdekin

•Club Championship winner for 2022 - Burdekin Roosters

Inside Cowboys’ plan to honour coaching legend Paul Green

TODD Payten insisted the death of former North Queensland coach Paul Green had not thrown his Cowboys off their game as the club prepares to honour the premiership-winning mentor at Queensland Country Bank Stadium on Friday.

The Cowboys will play at home for the first time since Green’s passing a week ago, with a video tribute, black armbands and a minute’s silence scheduled to celebrate the life of Payten’s predecessor in North Queensland.

Green was honoured in a similar fashion at the Sydney Cricket Ground, where the Cowboys turned in a season-worst defensive performance against a red-hot Roosters side.

The Cowboys were off the pace then but Payten dismissed that the shock of Green’s death had shaken his side’s focus away from football.

Mick Power vows to complete Paul Green’s ‘legacy project’

“No. It’s been a challenge, it’s something that we haven’t had to deal with as group, but it won’t derail us moving forward,” Payten said.

“We’re a pretty strong group, they care for each other and they want to perform well for themselves, our members, for their families. They’ve got an opportunity to take a step in right direction (against the Warriors).”

Payten said he hoped his side wouldn’t need to draw on the emotional bedrock of Green’s memorial ceremony to sharpen ahead of a critical fixture in the race for the finals.

Two home finals are on offer for the club who finishes in second place, and the Cowboys (32pts) must fend off the challenge of Cronulla (32pts) and Melbourne (30pts) to secure home ground advantage through to the grand final.

Complicating matters have been a tendency for slow starts and an alarming drop-off in defence.

Through 16 games the Cowboys (13.94 points per game) were the second-best defensive unit in the league, behind only a Penrith outfit on track for the greatest defensive season since the birth of the NRL in 1998. (11ppg).

That feels a distant memory now.

In their last five starts the Cowboys have conceded 21.2ppg, just a single point better than league average over that span.

The sharpest weapon in North Queensland’s premiership arsenal has been blunted to merely average.

Solving that defensive malaise must be top priority for the Cowboys against a Warriors side that rediscovered its attacking mojo in a 42-18 win over the Bulldogs last week.

“There’s always a focus on defence and that hasn’t changed from day one in pre-season,” Payten said.

“We need to win tackles, that’s where it starts, and with your attitude and your intent.

“If you win tackles we can get our line set and we can move and defend multiple plays. We’re going to have to tackle well to start with.”

After slamming his team as being “too nice” against the Roosters, Payten said he wanted his team to focus on being more aggressive in defence.

Originally published as Jack Johnson crowned Townsville Rugby League’s best