- Mat Rogers cautions Matty Johns about bombshell move
- Says lots of great players before him have failed in the task
- Johns revealed he has been approached by an NRL club
Former NRL star Mat Rogers has warned Matty Johns about the prospect of coaching Newcastle after the Knights legend revealed this week that he’d been sounded out by a footy club.
The former Newcastle and Cronulla star, 53, will see his lucrative contract with Fox Sports come to an end later this season and there is no word yet on whether he will extend that deal with the TV station.
Johns revealed this week that he’d been approached by a club to gauge his interest in coaching, though he was not at liberty to reveal the club involved – but many have speculated that it is the Knights.
‘I’ve had a bit of an approach from a third party acting for a club who asked if there was any interest and would I consider it,’ he said to The Daily Telegraph.
‘I put it back on them… ‘Let me know what it’s worth and then I’ll come and have a coffee’.
He then added: ‘If they’re silly enough to pay me what I’d be asking for, I might be silly enough to do it.’
Rogers, who has great respect for Johns, cautioned him about the potential move.
‘In terms of footy, his footy IQ is enormous. Whether or not that transfers…’ Rogers told Stephen O’Keefe on SEN Radio.
‘When you look across the board, there are not many superstar footballers that become great coaches. I think it is because they see things differently to the average player.
‘And the coaches can’t communicate what they are thinking to the player…because they are seeing things differently. There are anomalies to that rule, the Ricky Stuart’s…as a general rule you don’t see it that often.’
The dual-code superstar was also not thrilled about the idea of Johns coaching the Knights because of the pressure he’d be under.
‘I don’t know how it would turn out. I personally don’t think Newcastle would be the place for him to do it either,’ Rogers said.
‘I just think that can be fraught with danger.’
Johns had recently been linked with the vacant New South Wales posting after Michael Maguire jumped ship to join the Brisbane Broncos at the start of the season, with Laurie Daley subsequently being confirmed as his successor.
But Johns stated in October that he had ruled himself out of the running for the vacant role stating he had chosen to go down the media route, instead of coaching, following his playing career and that there may be better options out there in comparison.
But when pressed by Rothfield if he would one day consider going down the coaching route, Johns said: ‘It’s a long shot but, absolutely I’d like to do it.
‘There’s nothing that could give you more satisfaction than seeing players and teams improve.
‘I’ve done a lot of individual stuff over the years. I’ve worked with Cooper Cronk, Toby Sexton, Cameron Munster, Adam Reynolds and Cody Walker. I love it.
‘But there’s the bulls*** stuff outside of coaching, dealing with sponsors, dealing with people like you and me in the media, all that stuff… and then all the hard work.’
It comes after Johns had seemingly snubbed the idea of taking up a coaching role, telling the Backstage podcast that choosing to go down the media route was the best choice he made after hanging up his boots.
‘When people come out and say to me “Matthew Johns for NSW coach”.
‘I’ll be perfectly honest, it feels good because it strokes the ego. In me, there’s part of me that thinks I should take it and show them how good I am and win three or four in a row,’ he told the podcast.
‘(But) I’ve picked my path and my career has been in the media and it has been unbelievable. The best thing I have done in my life in the last 15 years is to make my life very low-stress.
‘I have a lot of fun and it’s a low-stress life. I put currency on having a life like that, spending time with you people (family) than I do with having to feel special by coaching.’
