Kiwis superstar Shaun Johnson is prepared for whatever reception he receives on Saturday afternoon at Mt Smart Stadium in what will be his first game back at that ground since departing the Warriors in the off-season.
Johnson was publicly pushed out the door by his childhood club and joined the Cronulla Sharks, who currently sit in 7th spot on the NRL ladder.
Despite a few injury concerns, Johnson has been an integral part of their form this year.
While he is looking forward to returning home to New Zealand for the clash against Tonga and hopes the Kiwi fans are receptive of him, the 28-year old knows it may not go according to plan.
“If I hear somebody boo on Saturday it will only make me hungrier, so if that’s the way they want to go so be it,” he said while talking to NRL.com.
“It’s not the first time I’ve come back over here but it is the first time in a team environment so it’s great to catch up with some boys from the Warriors, fill them in with everything that’s happening and having a kick at Mt Smart today was nice.
Johnson will play in the halves alongside childhood hero Benji Marshall on Saturday afternoon in what will no doubt be a raucous crowd in Auckland, with a large contingent of fans likely to be flying the red Tongan flags high.
It is not an opportunity that the Sharks marquee man is taking lightly, and knows just how important Benji’s first game in the Kiwi jersey since 2012 is for everyone in New Zealand.
“I didn’t think I’d get the opportunity to be back alongside Benji again at this level,” he said.
“I still think back to the kid in 2012 making his debut alongside him and just being starstruck because he was somebody I looked up to my whole life then and he still is now, so to get another chance to play in this team with him is great and I still have to pinch myself sometimes."
The five-eighth will line up alongside boom rookie Briton Nikora in his Kiwis debut, and Johnson said he is ‘proud and chuffed’ for his Sharks teammate after a breakout season in the Shire.
Meanwhile, the NZRL is pushing for stricter international rules to prevent players from jumping between tier one and two nations at will.
NZRL chief executive Greg Peters is set to put forward a case to the Rugby League International Federation (RLIF) to clamp down on the current regulations in place.
And Peters said that New Zealand will consider banning players who have represented other countries from pulling on the coveted black and white jersey.
The Kiwis vs Tonga clash will kick off a blockbuster Saturday of rugby league that also includes Lebanon vs Fiji and PNG vs Samoa as part of NRL’s rep round.
