The Eighth Immortal.
While there's been many incredible players to pull on the red and blue jersey, none stand out more than the great Andrew 'Joey' Johns.
There have been so many amazing moments that it was hard to pick out just ten, but here are what we believe to be the best performances from Andrew Johns.
Round 1 – 1994 – Starting Debut, 23 points v South Sydney
Welcome to first grade, Andrew Johns.
The rookie No.7 announced himself as the next big thing in rugby league, dominating by scoring 23 points with two tries, seven goals and a field goal.
Round 21 – 2001 – 34 points v Canberra
There’s little doubt that 2001 was peak Andrew Johns.
The Knights captain was so dominant against the Raiders that it saw him outscore their whole team 34-26, scoring four tries and kicking 9/9 conversions.
Round 14 – 2003 – Sideline conversion v Dragons
It’s the stuff dreams are made of.
In front of a packed house in Newcastle, Johns had a kick from the sideline to break a 30-30 deadlock. He made no mistake, sending the crowd and Coach Michael Hagan into absolute pandemonium.
Round 13 – 2002 – Penalty goal on half-way v Melbourne
Some things are simply unbelievable, this was one of them.
Johns stunned the home crowd by electing to take the shot at two points from the half-way line. Not only did his kick sail accurately between the uprights, it cleared them by another 10 metres.
Round 18 – 2001 – God has come back to Marathon v Brisbane
Johns had been missing from first grade for six weeks, with the Knights losing four of those encounters rather convincingly, culminating in a 40-0 loss to Parramatta.
However, with Johns back in the side, the Knights surged to form with a 44-0 shutout of defending premiers Brisbane. Johns scored two tries and was near perfect with the boot.
Qualifying Final – 2001 – Solo effort to score v Roosters
They were two of the best teams of the early NRL era, however the Roosters were no match for a Joey Johns-led Knights side in the 2001 Qualifying Final.
Johns was dominant in the match, scoring a stunning solo try to bury the Roosters and secure the Knights progression into a preliminary final.
Grand Final – 1997 – Overcoming a punctured lung
The newspaper headline read: ‘YOU COULD DIE’
It had a town sweating however Andrew Johns wasn’t fazed, climbing out of a hospital bed to play in the 1997 decider where he would famously go on to set up Darren Albert’s match winning try.
Round 6 – 2002 – Sibling Rivalry
For a while, there was a genuine debate over who the better Johns brother was.
In their first and only game against each other, Andrew put the debate to bed, dominating in every aspect with a try, eight goals and a memorable try assist for John Morris, birthing the famous ‘banana kick’.
Final third of 2005 – A magical return from injury
They may have finished with the wooden spoon, but there’s no doubting how dominant Johns was in the back half of 2005.
With Johns battling form and injury issues in the first half of the season, the Knights found themselves winless until round 16. However, Johns found his groove, and the Knights won seven of their final nine matches to make themselves a nightmare for their finals-bound opposition.
Grand Final – 2001 – Clive Churchill Medal
It’s considered Joey’s crowning moment.
Johns controlled the 2001 Grand Final from start to finish, leading the Knights past the Parramatta side who went into the match as raging hot favourites. The Knights first half is still considered one of the most perfect halves of football ever played in a Grand Final, with the Knights holding a 24-0 lead at the change of ends.
