NZ Warriors coach Andrew Webster has left no room for misinterpretation regarding his stance on talisman Shaun Johnson's future with the club.
On Sunday, Warriors chief executive Cam George said the decision to extend Johnson's current deal - which expires at the end of this year - beyond this season would be left in Webster's hands.
Speaking after Monday's team training, Webster confirmed he has every intention of pursuing Johnson's signature and locking him up for at least another season.
"100 percent," responded Webster, when asked if he'll look to re-sign Johnson for next year. "We'd love to have Shaun around again.
"We spoke at the start of the season that we were going to have that conversation later in the year.
"I think he's huge for our team. He's important. Loved the way he's playing. But it's only early in the season. We've got a good relationship. We'll work it out when we can.
"But to answer your question - 100 percent I want Shaun. But a lot of footy to be played, let's work that out later."
Prior to the season kickoff, Johnson said he'd be open to continuing beyond his current deal, tempering any talk of retirement.
Speaking on Monday, the 33-year-old said the wheels are in motion to lock in those plans, which he's eager to resolve "sooner rather than later."
"I'm taking it week by week, " said Johnson. "For me to make that decision to play on, I've got to actually receive a contract offer, and that hasn't happened yet.
"But I am certainly starting those conversations with the right people, catching up my manager today.
"It will play out how it's meant to and whether we land at that decision, hopefully sooner rather than later, I'll be ready to make that announcement."
And of course, the marquee signing of one of the planet's best players in Penrith Panthers prop James Fisher-Harris on a four-year deal from 2025 is another undeniable lure, Johnson admits.
"That's pretty cool. That's certainly something to celebrate and want to play on for. "A massive scoop for the club.
"What I love about it is we're enticing players, especially Kiwi born players, to come back and want to represent this club. That's through the hard work of the coaching staff, the direction we've been taking us in.
"A few years ago, we didn't have many putting their hand up and that desire to want to come back and be a part of this. It shows that we're doing something right."
Last year, Webster dismissed inquiries about Johnson's contract situation, preferring to delay them until after the season had finished.
Johnson's Dally M medal level campaign answered any lingering questions about how much gas he had left in the tank, leaving Webster conceding there's a bit more urgency surrounding his superstar's outlook with the team.
"He's got 12 months of amazing football under his belt and he's started really well," he noted. "He's playing sore at the moment and injured and still doing a great job.
"There'll be some parts of his game that he's not happy about but he's still having a huge impact on the way we play.
"I feel really good about our relationship and the way he's contributing and I think the respect from his teammates is huge.
"I'm really proud of him and I think the conversation is different because of what he's got behind him, and we didn't really know last year, he'd admit that himself. But we're just going to keep playing it by ear and be smart around it."
Johnson's immediate playing situation involves managing a troublesome Achilles that continues to limit his time on the training field.
In what has become a concerning trend over the past two weeks, Johnson missed Monday's training, dealing with an injury which Webster suggests is troubling him more than he's letting on.
Webster says he's "definitely" considering giving Johnson a full week off the field to try and afford it some extra time to heal.
"I'm trying not to play it down because I think he's being really brave," Webster said.
"Shaun has been incredibly tough and done a great job. He wants to win so bad he's willing to do whatever it takes.
"But he hasn't trained much at all in the past couple of weeks and didn't train again today. But I've got every confidence he'll be ready for the weekend and just really grateful for what he's doing."
Johnson's issues with his Achilles date back to 2020, when the ruptured tendon ended his campaign early with Cronulla Sharks.
He played down its severity on Monday, describing it as little more than the kind of niggle most players are contending with at this stage of the season.
"It's just a part of what we do," said Johnson. "Being able to play on in these sorts of moments. No one in the comp is 100 percent. I'm not the only one out there nursing something.
"It's just something that we've got to manage. But, yeah, ultimately, the goal is to play on as much as I can."
The Warriors return to another sold out Mt Smart Stadium for their Anzac Day clash with Gold Coast Titans, desprate for a chance to redeem themselves after Friday's upset defeat to the Dragons.
"Obviously pretty disappointed with what we delivered there over the weekend," Johnson conceded.
"I guess the best part about it is that we don't have to wait long at all to right our wrongs or build on the things we did well. Because although we got blown out, there were certainly parts of our game that I was really happy with, the coaching staff were really happy with.
"But probably just too many of those moments where we lapsed in concentration, we let them off the hook and we just didn't defend our areas. So, those are sort of things that we want to get right this weekend."
