NZ Warriors coach Andrew Webster has revealed star half Shaun Johnson is nearing full health and expects team performance will improve as he spends more time on the training field.
Johnson, 33, hasn't missed any games during the team's rollercoaster ride through their 2024 NRL campaign, but the veteran is carrying an Achilles tendon niggle that must be nursed through training each week to have him ready for gameday.
After missing out on the Dally M Medal by a single vote last season, he is currently 14 points off the pace set by Penrith Panthers fullback Dylan Edwards, an indication that he is a step or two off pace, as the Warriors try to snap a four-game winless run.
Webster had hinted he may consider resting Johnson to preserve his long-term health, but now seems optimistic the injury is under control.
"He's improving actually," he said. "Last week was the first time he did more than captain's run - that's all he's been able to do.
"He's been very tough just to get out on the field for us, but he's only been doing 20-30 minutes a week with the group. Last week, he did a little bit more than that and this week he's tracking like he might do 80 percent of the week.
"That's great for us, because we're getting more reps with him, he's getting more reps with the team and it's good news because, at this stage, the injury's improving."
The Warriors haven't won in more than a month - their last victory was 34-4 over South Sydney Rabbitohs on April 6 - but Webster is adamant their shortcomings can't be blamed on Johnson's injury.
"I have to be careful how I say this, because when you practice, you get better," he said. "The more reps Shaun does, the better for us, but we pride ourselves on the next man up and other guys have been filling in at training.
"While we'd love to have him out there, I definitely think it's had an impact on our attack. He's doing a great job with the time he does spend with the group and I can only see us getting better as Shaun gets more opportunities to train with the team.
"It's certainly not an excuse... I've got to take some responsibility to give the boys an opportunity, if Shaun's not getting those reps each week, that we can still go out and execute.
"We're paid to win and that's what we're after."
Webster claims the Warriors' generous recent schedule has played a big part in Johnson's recovery. After six-day turnarounds between Newcastle-Souths and Manly-St George, they have had a luxurious 10-day break between Gold Coast Titans and Newcastle Knights.
"We haven't had Shaun train this early in the week for the last five weeks," he said. "He might be pulled out of one or two drills, but he'll do 80 percent of what we do this week and slowly build him up.
"Hopefully, next week or the week after, he can do everything. It's just Achilles tendonitis and it's not pleasant.
"It's a lot of mobility and pushing off and pain, and if you don't manage their training intensity and training loads, you're just going to make it worse. We've got seven-day turnarounds now, we had a 10-day turaround last week, so we've got a better opportunity to put some strength into it and manage it better."
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