The Morning Rumble caught up with Warriors legend Shaun Johnson this morning, and while his boots might be hung up, it’s safe to say he’s been keeping himself busy.
Johnson’s been finding his feet in life after footy, and like a lot of retired athletes, he admits it’s been more of a reality check than he first expected. “I thought, feet up. Retirement,” he laughs. “I thought [I’d play] golf every day, then I realised... the lights still have to stay on, you’ve got some daughters… you got to put food in the fridge.”
The latest gig keeping him busy is his new show Ford League Lounge with Shaun Johnson on Sky Sport - a more relaxed, couch-style take on rugby league chat, which suits him down to the ground.
But while the TV job’s keeping him connected to the game, the lack of structure that he’s used to has been a hurdle.
“I got given a schedule… for literally 15 years,” he explains. “And then all of a sudden I’m like, okay, now I’ve got to figure out my own schedule… get myself into a position of structure.”
Of course, no chat with SJ would be complete without talking about the Warriors chant that’s taken over the country - “Up the Wahs.”
Shaun revisited the off-the-cusp moment when he first said the iconic phrase in a post-match Channel 9 interview - right after the Warriors had secured the game after being down 20 at half-time.
“All of a sudden like I got tagged on that clip in particular. This is only round five, right. So it's not like we actually got going. And then just as that season brewed, not that clip, but just that saying started to float a little bit more…”
Speaking about members of the public yelling it out to him in the street, he laughs, “It’s weird how people think it’s okay and normal… I’m walking along and they go ‘Up the Wahs’… I’m like, whoa, where’d you come from?”
“Imagine if I just said ‘ACCOUNTANT!’” he laughed.
The Morning Rumble also got his take on the long-discussed fight between Paul Gallen and Sonny Bill Williams - and SJ reckons the timing’s probably passed, but with it going ahead now, his money’s on SBW.
“I think the fight is probably five years past its due date… if it was to happen back then, Gall… because he’s a dog… But Sonny is looking crisp… So I think he might just have a little bit too much athleticism for him.”
The Rock Drive’s Jay Reeve also got thrown into the mix of conversation, with Bryce letting SJ know that Jay was curious how he’s actually getting worse at golf in retirement.
"Okay, here we go. So with golf, when you don't play often, you can justify not being good. But when you play regularly, once a week is my regular. And you see no improvement as a coordinated athlete that can become very frustrating.
“So that's where I'm at right now.”
Fair enough, too.
Watch The Morning Rumble’s full chat with Shaun Johnson below…
Finally, reminiscing on his favourite Warriors moment, SJ says it’d be Warriors’ 2023 game against the Newcastle Knights at Mt Smart Stadium - the home final where Johnson got that nod of approval and the fans showed their respect during that walk.
“After everything we’d been through, I’d been through ups and downs, I got given the nod of approval and given the early mark,” he says.
“I just remember I was walking, drinking my bottle… and then everyone just stood up and I was looking at the field like, ‘What’s happened?’ And they were all looking at me and I was like, ‘Oh, okay, here we go. I’m sucking this up. This is it…’
“...That’s going to live forever, you know, that feeling. So yeah, just really grateful I got to share those moments.”
The boots might be off, but Shaun Johnson’s not disappearing anytime soon - especially when the Wahs chant's following him wherever he goes.
Cheers for your time today SJ, hit us up if you’re after a radio contract.
