Cross-code star almost salvages Broncos comeback, as battle for signatures loom
The Brisbane flyer, making just her third rugby league appearance, scored in the corner for her third try of the season to keep her side in the hunt with two minutes remaining, before ultimately suffering a 30-26 defeat to the Sydney Roosters on Sunday.
The 22-year-old, who jumped to the 13-woman code after plying her trade for the Auckland Blues and Melbourne Rebels, came up with her third line-break of the afternoon in the lead up to her try, with five-eighth Gayle Broughton then drawing a sin binning from Roosters star Jessica Sergis.
Johnson, who finished with 159 running metres and five tackle busts, is joined at the Broncos by former union and rugby sevens stars Shalom Sauaso, who missed the clash with a sternum injury, Skyla Adams, Broughton and Azalleyah Maaka.
But while she admitted she felt some allure to the possibility of representing the Black Ferns at the World Cup, and even featuring at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games, Johnson now envisioned an extensive tenure in the NRLW.
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'I was just watching it [the NRLW], and it looked a bit more like the way I like to play, a bit more running it up and a bit more space too than in union,' Johnson told this masthead.
'NRLW is definitely something I want a long-term shot at, but I'm always open to anything really. I'd been in sevens for a couple of years, just with the New Zealand development team going overseas, and [the Olympics] was definitely something on my radar.
'Coming off the back four and running straight into the middles on the opposite team is definitely different for me. I think I'm adjusting to it pretty quickly, it's a similar sport to union – just [slightly] different roles – so I'm definitely adjusting pretty quick.'
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