54 Facts About Andrew Johns

Andrew Gary Johns was born on 19 May 1974 and is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1990s and 2000s.

Andrew Johns is widely considered to be one of the greatest players in rugby league history.

Andrew Johns represented his country at two World Cups, and on one Kangaroo tour, playing in total 21 Test matches for the national side.

Andrew Johns played in 23 State of Origin series matches for the New South Wales Blues, and played for the Country Origin side in 1995 and 2003.

Andrew Johns announced his retirement from rugby league on 10 April 2007 at the age of 32.

Andrew Johns is one of only four players to have won the Golden Boot Award more than once and is one of only two players to have won the Dally M Medal for best player in the NRL three times.

Andrew Johns finished his career as the highest points scorer in Australian first-grade premiership history with 2,176 points.

On 28 September 2012, Andrew Johns was named as the eighth 'Immortal' of rugby league.

Andrew Johns began playing junior rugby league in his home town of Cessnock, New South Wales for the Cessnock Goannas.

At an early age it was evident he had plenty of playing ability and Andrew Johns joined the Newcastle Knights junior ranks at age 15 in 1989.

Four years later, at 19, the opportunity at first grade presented itself as Andrew Johns was tested off the bench during the 1993 season in a handful of games.

Andrew Johns soon formed a winning partnership with his older brother, Matthew, who had played five-eighth at the Knights since 1991.

Andrew Johns played as a hooker and was named man of the match in the decider against England at Wembley Stadium as Australia retained the World Cup.

Since then, Andrew Johns was regularly chosen for state and national representative sides when fit, only missing out on a Blues or Australian cap due to injury.

However, Andrew Johns was able to play, and with less than a minute of the match to go with scores tied at 16-all Andrew Johns made a play that has gone down in rugby league folklore.

Andrew Johns went out of position unexpectedly and into dummy half where he ran down a narrow blind side before slipping a pass to Newcastle wing Darren Albert for the match-winning try.

Andrew Johns individually was brilliant and was awarded his first Player of the Year Dally M Medal award for the 1998 season.

Andrew Johns was awarded the Clive Churchill Medal for Man of the Match in a Grand Final and at the end of the 2001 NRL season, he went on the 2001 Kangaroo tour.

Andrew Johns was the top points scorer in Australia's successful Ashes series campaign and was named man of the match for the second Test.

Andrew Johns captained as a halfback, scoring a try and kicking three goals in Newcastle's loss.

In 2002, Andrew Johns was awarded the captaincy of both New South Wales and Australia, going on to win the title of Player of the Series against Great Britain.

Andrew Johns was the center of controversy in 2004 after receiving a massive offer from rugby union to switch codes.

The ARU's formal reasons for not supporting the Waratahs' bid to secure Andrew Johns were his age and injury history.

Andrew Johns says his decision was greatly affected by his son, who wanted him to stay in league.

Andrew Johns was approached by the Welsh Rugby Union because of his Welsh heritage.

The Knights agreed to these terms only after Andrew Johns first signed a new contract, making him available to captain the Knights until the end of 2008.

Andrew Johns broke one of the longest-standing records in Round 2 of the 2006 season as he amassed 30 points against the Canberra Raiders and in doing so claimed the points-scoring record for a player at a single club, surpassing Mick Cronin's 1,971 points for Parramatta.

Back in the NRL, playing for Newcastle during a Round 18 match against the Parramatta Eels, Andrew Johns' name entered the NRL record books for the second time in the year.

All medical advice was that Andrew Johns should retire from professional football, since any further neck injury could prove life-threatening and on 10 April 2007, Andrew Johns announced his retirement from rugby league.

On his retirement a chorus of past league greats called for Andrew Johns to be immediately honoured as an immortal of the game.

In October 2008 Andrew Johns completed a walk from Newcastle to Sydney to raise funds for the Black Dog Institute.

Andrew Johns sought to celebrate the inclusion of Australia's Dally Messenger in the original All Golds tour, Andrew Johns had been invited to join the New Zealand team for the match against the Northern Union.

Andrew Johns became a commentator for Channel 9 and Monday Night Football on Triple M radio.

On 27 October 2007, Andrew Johns married his partner Cathrine Mahoney in a secret wedding on a Sydney island.

In February 2008, a year after his retirement, Andrew Johns moved a step closer to becoming rugby league's next Immortal after being named the Best Player of the Last 30 Years by a major rugby league magazine.

Later, Andrew Johns said he felt "the game has forgiven me".

In early November 2012, Andrew Johns signed on as assistant coach of the Manly Sea Eagles for the 2013 Rugby League season, mentoring and ambassadorial roles.

On 26 August 2007 Andrew Johns was arrested for fare evasion on the London Underground, and subsequently found to be in possession of one ecstasy tablet.

Andrew Johns was cautioned and released with no further charges.

Andrew Johns initially claimed that an unknown person had pushed the tablet into his pocket which he later forgot to remove before leaving the crowded venue.

Andrew Johns claimed he had suffered from depression and bipolar disorder and the drugs helped him in dealing with the high level of psychological 'pressure' associated with his career as an elite sportsman.

The ARU released a press statement shortly after the controversy arose, stating that Andrew Johns' drug use was known to the ARU and was a key factor in its decision to not proceed with contractual negotiations in 2004.

Andrew Johns was fired from his role as NSW assistant coach.

Inglis demanded Andrew Johns be barred from any involvement in rugby league.

Andrew Johns was the catalyst to the More Joyous Scandal, engulfing leading Sydney horse trainer Gai Waterhouse, advertising figure John Singleton and bookmaker and son of the horse trainer Tom Waterhouse.

Andrew Johns passed information from Tom Waterhouse that horse More Joyous was "off" on to brothel owner Eddie Hayson and former jockey Allan Robinson.

Andrew Johns feared his Channel 9 commentating career would be over due to the trouble he caused Tom Waterhouse, a Channel 9 advertiser.

Andrew Johns's commentating career survived, although his reputation was further damaged.

In 2019, Andrew Johns revealed that he had been diagnosed with epilepsy.

Andrew Johns's doctors were of the view that his playing career could have contributed to the diagnosis.

Andrew Johns lost his driver licence after suffering an epileptic seizure at a cafe in Yamba on the New South Wales north coast in December 2018.

In February 2008, Andrew Johns was named in the list of Australia's 100 Greatest Players which was commissioned by the NRL and ARL to celebrate the code's centenary year in Australia.

Andrew Johns went on to be named as halfback in Australian rugby league's Team of the Century.

In 2008 New South Wales announced their rugby league team of the century and Andrew Johns was again named as a halfback.