'We can finally take the Warriors seriously' over Shaun Johnson stand

When the New Zealand Warriors announced that Shaun Johnson had been given permission to explore his options at the end of his current contract they perhaps made the biggest statement in the club's 23-year history; "We mean business, finally you can start taking us seriously".

It's hard to believe it's taken the club that long to finally realise that flawed geniuses might win you the odd game but they are not going to win you a championship and while they may sell a lot jerseys for you, they are not worth a million dollars a season.

Great players are great every week. They influence games, force opposition teams into allocating great resource into shutting them down, allowing other attacking opportunities to open up elsewhere.

Great players have few weaknesses; they are equally strong on both defence and offence and, most importantly, get the best out of their fellow team mates, lesser players want to become great players.

Unfortunately for Shaun Johnson he does not fall into the category of a great but more into the category of a flawed genius. While he is a brilliant stepper off both feet, he is regrettably a one trick pony. He is not a natural tactician and he is no more than a speed bump on defence.

His ability to read a game doesn't come naturally and as demonstrated once again in the Kiwi's loss to England on Sunday morning. He can't lead a team around the park for 80 minutes but the real missing ingredient in his game is he appears to lack heart and is not tough enough.

For those who disagree - and there will be many - the acid test is a simple one. Can he lead the club to a premiership? Does he have the qualities of a Cameron Smith or a Cooper Cronk, both million dollar men? The simple answer is no.

Regrettably, it's not all Johnson's fault for the predicament he and the clubs find themselves in. All athletes must have a degree of talent to succeed but the greatest ingredient for any athlete is passion and desire and the only true way of testing that is by placing the athlete in an adverse situation and seeing how they respond, something Johnson hasn't had to face.

For too long, too many administrators, coaches, fellow players and fans have jumped to his defence when the critics have dared to challenge his often erratic onfield performances.

How often have you heard the excuse; "It's not Shaun's fault, he needs a decent forward pack"?

For too long, the Warriors have been more hype than substance, a club prepared to make excuses for players who, in reality, looked the part but simply weren't good enough.

Great sports teams have always understood and instilled in their players that professionalism is a state of mind, something that I believe has been lost on the Warriors for too long. Their definition being more along the lines of… "I'm receiving a pay cheque, so I must be a professional".

Could you imagine Manchester United and the All Blacks tolerating Issac Luke, Konrad Hurrell and others turning up to the start of the season over weight?

The sign of a good club is often more about who you let go rather than who you sign.

Sir Alex Ferguson did it with David Beckham when he started to realise that brand Beckham was becoming a distraction at the expense of the greater good of the club.

Steve Hansen in not picking Akira Ioane as part of his fifty one man squad for the northern hemisphere tour demonstrated that you have to often weigh up the genius a player brings to a team versus the flaws and distractions that can often accompany that player.

Talent is all very well but it must be backed up by application and a natural intuition to gravitate to one's weaknesses in training rather than ones strengths. If Johnson wants to fulfil potential he must realise this.

He has the ability to become an all-time great but the clock is ticking and it will be interesting to see how he responds in 2019 to the reality that the Warriors have basically given up on him.

He has two choices going forward; become the complete player week in week out or throw the toys out of the cot and fall into the category of potential, potential, retirement.

Good luck to him, hopefully he can prove all of us but only he can do that, no one else.

A new club, a new environment may be the catalyst or Johnson but whatever happens to him well done to the Warriors for finally maturing as a club.