Latest news with #MattyJohns
Yahoo
22-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Missing detail about Toby Sexton called out after Bulldogs axing for Lachie Galvin
Former NRL premiership winner Matty Johns has leapt to the defence of axed Bulldogs halfback Toby Sexton after flipping the narrative around teammate Lachie Galvin on its head. Canterbury coach Cameron Ciraldo made the brutal decision to dump Sexton in favour of Galvin for last week's nail-biting two-point win over the Dragons. The move ultimately paid dividends with Galvin setting up the match-winning try in the dying stages after throwing a superb cut-out pass to Jethro Rinakama. But it was hardly a dominant performance from the star recruit, who showed flashes of brilliance but still struggled to help take the Bulldogs attack to the next level. Ciraldo has spoken about the need to evolve his side's attack and come up with ways to try and break down the best teams and defensive structures in the competition. It's why many believe Ciraldo made the right choice by replacing Sexton with Galvin, after pointing out some of the unflattering attacking stats of the axed No.7. It was widely publicised before Sexton was dropped that he had not registered a single try assist in his past seven games. And critics also pointed out that he had the fewest try assists and line breaks of any of the halfbacks in the top four teams this season. Matty Johns takes aim at 'stats' after defending Toby Sexton But Johns said it was 'disrespectful' to discredit a player that had helped turn the previously struggling Bulldogs into a genuine premiership contender and said the stats don't tell the whole story. "One thing that does irk me a bit is the stat sheet that has been released to all the journalists on Toby Sexton," Johns began saying on SEN radio. "Saying 'oh look at this he's only got two this and that'. I just think that's so disrespectful given where Toby has taken that team. I just think he deserves a lot better than that. So it's pretty crook. "Stats tell a lie a lot of the time. And for Toby, yes he's not doing the same amount of try assists as Nathan (Cleary), those guys. But sometimes when you're in the halves it's the things you don't do that are really important. Like pushing your passes, overstepping your bounds and things like that. "Regardless of what he's done and try assists and what appears on the stats sheet, he has taken the Dogs - look where they were when he walked into that team - and look where they are now. And a lot of that is (down to) Toby." Ironically, some of the stats actually back up Johns' argument. One glance at the Bulldogs' win-loss record with and without Sexton, illustrates his influence on the team. Across the last two seasons, the Dogs have won just three of nine games (33%) when Sexton has not been playing, compared to 23 of 32 games (71.9%) when he has been in the team. RELATED: Major blow for Panthers as two players sign with Dragons Cameron Smith flags new role after missing gig to Kevin Walters But while former Bulldogs premiership winner Braith Anasta admitted that Sexton has done a sensational job at No.7 for the Dogs, he feels Galvin can ultimately take them to that next level to potentially win a premiership. 'It's not about winning right now, games, it's about winning the comp,' he said on NRL 360. 'That's the big shift here. They can win, they know they can win club games, and when it gets to the finals, we all know, the level goes up, it's elite, it's the best of the best, you've got to find another level. And they haven't found that for a while now, and they're looking for it.'
Yahoo
15-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
'Completely disagree': Johns rejects claim about Ponga floated by Panthers great
Matty Johns says he 'completely disagrees' with suggestions from the likes of Penrith premiership great Scott Sattler that Newcastle would be better off letting Kalyn Ponga go, amid suggestions he could leave for rugby union. The Knights have been rocked by bombshell reports this week that a New Zealand-based rugby union agent has been acting on Ponga's behalf to shop him around to clubs in the rival code. It was also revealed on Monday that the Knights are preparing to part ways with coach Adam O'Brien at season's end, and are willing to pay him out $1.2 million. Ponga is contracted with the Knights until the end of 2027 on a deal worth $1.4 million per season but has previously expressed a desire to play rugby union. And while Ponga's management haven't approached the Knights about the potential of an early release, there's believed to be some openness at the club to letting him leave if he doesn't want to be there. Newcastle's marquee man is sidelined with a foot injury in what is the latest in a long list of setbacks for the Origin star. If he doesn't play again in 2025 it will mean he's missed 46 games for the Knights in five seasons, and the club's winning percentage is actually slightly better without their star No.1 than when Ponga is in the side (45% compared to 41%). It's part of the reason why critics such as Sattler have argued the Knights would be better off cutting their losses with Ponga if he doesn't want to be there after this season. 'When you weigh up injury-wise, and games on field, and from a salary cap perspective, it would also make sense to entertain the idea,' Sattler said. 'If that's the way they need to go and leave a lot of money left in their salary cap to try and go and explore other options. It makes sense.' But Knights great and former premiership winner Johns says part of what makes Ponga so important is the influence he brings off the field and the ability for the club to attract talent to play alongside him. Kiwi Test five-eighth Dylan Brown, who signed a 10-year deal with the club from next season, is evidence of that. "With Kalyn it's not just what he brings on the field, it's what he brings to the club as far as profile, marketing but also being able to attract other players," Johns told SEN radio. RELATED: Roosters playmaker tipped to exit after being overlooked for veteran Fury over Panthers star's ban after Parra rival cops season-ending injury Knights offer contracts to two State of Origin players amid Ponga blow Johns argues that the reality of losing a player of Ponga's quality is that it is almost impossible to replace them. And he says the Knights are in 'a precarious situation' because of the two new teams entering the NRL - Perth in 2027 and PNG in 2028 - and their likelihood to go after marquee superstars such as Ponga. "They're just starting their aggressive campaign to get people Perth because they're on the clock," Johns added. "PNG will start soon with the lure of tax-free dollars. And as a consequence all these other established sides, they're going around signing all their blokes. "So if you start losing guys like Kalyn Ponga, you can't replace them. That's the problem. Now on top of that you've got the Dylan Brown situation. So Dylan Brown's coming to the club and... the five-year plan going forward is for Kalyn Ponga and Dylan Brown to form an attacking combination, a partnership, that's what the plan is. "So if KP is not going to be there, boy oh boy, that throws a spanner in the works as far as our future plans. And so yeah there's a school of thought saying 'he's getting injured all the time, it's probably a good thing and the Knights should take advantage of it' (but) I completely disagree."
Yahoo
11-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Billy Slater's genius laid bare after Maroons coach turned NSW asset into weakness
Matty Johns has hailed Billy Slater after describing the Maroons' series victory as 'one of the very best coaching performances' in State of Origin history. The former NRL premiership winner said Queensland's 'defensive energy' was too much for NSW to cope with and the Blues' 'inability to adjust' were decisive in the Maroons' series-clinching 24-12 win in Sydney. But Johns says the decision to target Blues winger Zac Lomax was also a masterstroke from the Maroons coach, after the tactic paid dividends in the early stages of the decider. Lomax is a workhorse for the Blues with ball in hand and is frequently near the top of the list when it comes to run metres for his team after getting through a mountain of work bringing the ball out from the back. However, the NSW winger was exposed defensively for the Maroons' opening try in Game 3 when he rushed out of the line to try and shut down Origin debutant Gehemat Shibasaki. The Queensland centre brushed through Lomax's attempted tackle before passing to Xavier Coates to dive over in the corner. One of the Blues' biggest strengths was the ability of their back three in Lomax, Brian To'o and Dylan Edwards to get through a mountain of work and make metres coming off their line. But Johns said the decision to keep targeting Lomax's wing was a stroke of genius from Slater, after he recognised how his work with ball in hand affected his defence. Coates strikes in the corner! 🔥 — NRL (@NRL) July 9, 2025 "With or without the ball, they just went at us with energy," Johns said about the Maroons on SEN radio. "And I'll say this, Billy (Slater) worked really hard on Zac Lomax the whole series and the last couple of series. He kept going at him and going at him when I thought 'you'd have more success going the other way'. But he just kept going and going and right in the decider when it mattered most, they caught him out." The Maroons created history by winning two consecutive games on the road to clinch the Origin series, having lost Game 1 at Suncorp Stadium. And Johns believes Slater's coaching display ranks right up there with the famous 1995 and 2020 series wins for Queensland. "It has to go down as one of the very best coaching performances," he added. "Not so much tactically... but that bloke, Billy Slater, putting his balls on the line a few times as far as selections were concerned from Game 1 into Game 2. But the big one was changing a winning team from Game 2 just by having a gut feel." RELATED: Laurie Daley urged to backflip after shock change in Origin loss Queensland star escapes punishment after incident with Latrell Reece Walsh suffers fresh blow after Queensland Origin triumph Slater dropped Moeaki Fotuaika and brought Joseph Papalii out of retirement for the decider and the veteran Raiders prop brought an intimidation factor and calmness to the Maroons forward pack. But Johns says the 'really big' call was to resist the urge to bring back Reece Walsh for the injured Kalyn Ponga, switch Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow to fullback, and hand a shock Origin debut to Broncos journeyman Shibasaki. "They were huge decisions and invariably with Billy, most of his really big decisions he gets right." Shibasaki was superb for the Maroons in Game 3, bringing an intensity with his runs and nullifying the threat of his opposite centre Stephen Crichton in a suoperb defensive display. "It was incredible stuff," Queensland Rugby League chief executive Ben Ikin told AAP. "It's one thing making the calls. The second part is making sure that everybody believes that they're the right calls for the team. "Whatever he did in those camps, however he coaches, he got them to bite down on the things that he thought the team could achieve, and why the changes were right. It was brave. I don't think many people would have had the courage to do what he did ... but ultimately it proved to be a winning formula."
Daily Mail
30-06-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
How footy great Braith Anasta has made a FORTUNE out of massive sport media shake-up
NRL great Braith Anasta has emerged as one of Aussie sport media's biggest success stories after securing a high-profile contract extension with Fox Sports' new owners. Anasta - and his fellow Fox Sports host Matty Johns - have recently signed upgraded deals that will see them through to the end of the 2028 NRL season as streaming giant DAZN makes moves after buying Foxtel. The global streaming giant's recent purchase marked a huge shake-up in Australian sports media, with the company expected to soon begin negotiations for a broadcast deal with the NRL. Anasta, who retired from rugby league in 2014, has transitioned seamlessly to working in the media and has become a household name among footy fans. In 2022, he took over as the host of NRL 360 and ratings have been on the up ever since. 'We didn't realise Braith was going to be this good,' Fox Sports boss Steve Crawley told News Corp. Anasta has been an NRL 360 host since 2022 and ratings have been on the up 'He's done a remarkable job, and I have a suspicion he's going to continue to get better.' Anasta's deal is said to be lucrative, but the exact figures remain undisclosed. 'When you put hosts in, sometimes they think they've got to present like the people before them,' Crawley said. 'With Braith, he's got a new way of presenting sport that is very much a 2025 contemporary way. 'They've got to be themselves. His work ethic is unbelievable, and he's world-class. 'We're delighted to have him for another three years.' Anasta took to social media over the weekend to confirm that he was extending his contract and thank those who have helped him along the way. 'Dream big kiddos, block out the noise, surround yourself with good people and work your f**king ass's off,' he posted. 'Always striving to be the best I can possibly be. 'Thank you to my family, friends, work colleagues and everyone who has and is supporting me along this incredible journey. There is no way in the world I'd be here without every single one of you.' Beyond his role as a Fox Footy pundit, Anasta also runs the sports management company Searoo, which represents NRL stars including Cameron Munster and Lachlan Ilias.
News.com.au
23-06-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
Matty: Munster a 'Top 10 Origin player'
State of Origin: Matty Johns has called Cameron Munster a top ten greatest State of Origin player after he lead the Maroons to victory in Perth.
