New Zealand Warriors halfback Shaun Johnson is adamant that the club can turn things around after finishing 15th last season.
For the first time since 2019, the Warriors will be able to play all their home games in New Zealand in front of their fans. With this added incentive, the club will hope to improve on their performance from last season.
Despite admitting to the media that he isn't the same player he once was, Johnson believes he still brings plenty of positives to the squad.
"As you get a bit older you get a bit stronger in the head, you learn what suits the team around a bit more. That might frustrate people that they don't see the highlights that they want, but for me I'm continuing to learn and grow in different areas," Johnson said in the pre-match press conference.
"A lot of people want to speak about the aspects of the game that you lose [from getting older]. Coming in, I was the fast, stepping player. Now people say, 'He doesn't have that'."
The 32-year-old will be a key player for the Warriors this season with his experience. Surrounding himself with the likes of Ronald Volkman, Te Maire Martin and Luke Metcalf in the halves, he will be seen as a mentor to them.
Unfortunately, Metcalf will miss the first quarter of the season due to a hamstring injury. However, this will provide Volkmana and Martin to stand up and cement their spot in the line-up.
"Te Maire is pretty experienced and I've had the experience of playing with him for the Kiwis, Lukey I was with for a season over with the Sharks."
"We have a pretty tight-knit group and we're driving each other, competing for spots. It's a really competitive spine and that's what's going to get the best out of me, for sure."
