They may have spent most of 2023 locked in a bitter feud, but the Johns brothers have found a common enemy in Newcastle manager Adam O’Brien.
Andrew and Matthew Johns are premiership-winning Newcastle legends and have worked extensively with the club since their playing days ended.
But despite being brothers, they don’t always see eye to eye and a public row broke out last year when Matthew appeared to show his support for Queensland at State of Origin time.
Matthew praised Maroons coach Billy Slater, earning the ire of ‘Joey’ Johns.
‘Slater is close to the best coach in the sport. You just know how he explains, how he trains, the details, the players absolutely love him,” Matthew said at the time.
“Queensland know exactly how they are going to play and who they need to pick to make that happen.”
Joey replied, ‘Put on your maroon t-shirt, you should have some at home.’ Just because you’ve played four games and lost four doesn’t mean you have to ditch NSW.
Newcastle premiership winner and eighth immortal Andrew Johns has given his former club some advice after a heavy defeat to the Bulldogs.
Knights coach Adam O’Brien rejected the advice and said English recruit Will Pryce is not ready for first grade.
Matthew Johns defended his brother on his podcast even though the brothers were embroiled in a long-running feud in 2023.
That feud extended into 2023, with Matthew blocked from Andrew’s 52nd birthday celebrations, while Joey also gave up his spot on SEN’s Morning Glory show with Matty Johns.
However, the Johns brothers are firmly united now, with both lining up to take a shot at the Newcastle coach after the Knights’ 32-2 Round 13 loss to the Bulldogs.
That lack of attacking power led Andrew to ask English recruit Will Pryce for his NRL debut.
“They’ve got to pull the trigger next week…they’ve got to make a decision because Cogger and also Hastings haven’t had speed the way they’ve played,” Johns said.
“There is no strength or running threat, and all the movement and passing has been sideways.
They have to bring in Will Pryce next week. “There may be deficiencies in their game, but they have to do something.”
Jackson Hastings (center) has been struggling to lead the Knights around the park at different times this season.
Johns wants to see Will Pryce injected into the side to replace or help Hastings and his partner Jack Cogger (pictured)
O’Brien reported ignored phone calls from the eighth Immortal and picked Hastings and Cogger anyway in the club’s loss to Melbourne on Sunday.
He also dismissed Andrew’s suggestions in the post-game press conference following the Bulldogs’ loss.
‘To be honest, I think Will is still learning the game here. “I don’t know how many games Joey has watched in the NSW Cup, but he (Pryce) hasn’t had many good ones in a row,” he said.
Matthew was then quick to defend his brother, despite their recent long-running feud, and said the Knights should show more respect to a club legend on The Matty Johns Podcast.
‘Let me clarify this. Joey and I clash over a lot of things. She surprise. Surprise,” Matthew said.
“He (Joey) said after the game, ‘It’s time to give Will Pryce a chance.'” Now, Will Pryce is a young player they got from England. He is the son of Leon Pryce. His father was a great player.
‘Will is a great football runner. He’s raw, but Joey said, “It’s time to give it a chance.”
‘He plays in the halves. He can play as a winger. In fact, I think they should give him a chance at #14 (on the bench). And just give him a little taste.
English recruit Will Pryce has been playing in the NSW Cup reserve grade competition.
Will is the son of English great Leon Pryce, who played seven times for England and represented Great Britain 17 times.
“Now listen, like I said before, I can make fun of Joey as good as anyone, and I can do it because we have the same blood pumping through our veins,” Matthew continued.
—But Adam, I’m Joey Johns. The name is on the platform. Heed the advice. There you go.
‘When Andrew Johns speaks, people listen. I mean, I don’t, but people listen.
Matthew Johns confirmed in August that they had not yet resolved their issues, but reports indicate that their relationship improved over the summer.