Johnson in pole position for fairytale Dally M Medal

Warriors player Shaun Johnson looks to pass during the NRL preliminary final against the Broncos. (Dave Hunt/AAP PHOTOS)

Shaun Johnson is expected to make the trip from Auckland for the Dally M Medal ceremony, where he is tipped to become only the second Warrior  to clinch the top prize.

The Warriors' season ended with a hefty loss to Brisbane in Saturday night's preliminary final, but not before Johnson enjoyed a resurgent campaign in the halves.

This time last year the 33-year-old's future had appeared clouded by injury and form concerns.

But under rookie coach Andrew Webster, Johnson stormed into career-best form in 2023 and hoisted the Warriors to a surprise top-four finish.

In 28 previous seasons, the Warriors have only had one other Dally M-winning player - fullback Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, who clinched the award in 2018.

The Warriors returned to Auckland following Saturday's loss in Brisbane.

But the club told AAP Johnson was expected to make the trip over for Wednesday night's ceremony at Randwick Racecourse in Sydney.

There were six players ahead of Johnson on the Dally M leaderboard when voting went behind closed doors at the end of round 12, with Brisbane prop Payne Haas leading the polls on 30 votes.

Johnson, who had 22 votes, has played 14 of a possible 16 games since then. The Warriors only lost three times in that period when Johnson played.

The New Zealand international recorded 29 try assists and 20 line-break involvements this season, more than any other player.

Johnson's game-management abilities were only matched by his reputation for icing games with clutch individual efforts. 

He scored the winning try and conversion against Canterbury in round four, memorably kicked a long-range penalty goal to seal the game against Cronulla a week later, then snatched victory over Canberra in round 21 with a field goal in extra time.

In the finals, Johnson shook off a calf injury and set the Warriors on the path to their biggest play-offs victory in club history - a 40-10 thrashing of Newcastle in week two.

Fullback Kalyn Ponga finished the season in supreme form on the Knights' 10-game winning streak, but a six-week concussion lay-off early in the season will hurt his Dally M chances.

Brisbane wunderkind Reece Walsh would also be in the frame if not for the three-game suspension he incurred for swearing at a referee in round 17. 

Haas, another contender, has plenty of star teammates to compete with for points, as do Penrith's premiership-winning contingent.

"Shaun Johnson is my pick," the Warriors' inaugural halfback Greg Alexander told AAP.

"I don't think he's played as good as he has this year, including those brilliant years when he first started.

"The Warriors have been a major talking point right throughout the year and their success and all the things that have gone with that. 

"Johnson has been the main man for the Warriors, and it's been great to watch his revival."

License this article

What is AAPNews?

For the first time, Australian Associated Press is delivering news straight to the consumer.

No ads. No spin. News straight-up.

Not only do you get to enjoy high-quality news delivered straight to your desktop or device, you do so in the knowledge you are supporting media diversity in Australia.

AAP Is Australia’s only independent newswire service, free from political and commercial influence, producing fact-based public interest journalism across a range of topics including politics, courts, sport, finance and entertainment.

What is AAPNews?
The Morning Wire

Wake up to AAPNews’ morning news bulletin delivered straight to your inbox or mobile device, bringing you up to speed with all that has happened overnight at home and abroad, as well as setting you up what the day has in store.

AAPNews Morning Wire
AAPNews Breaking News
Breaking News

Be the first to know when major breaking news happens.


Notifications will be sent to your device whenever a big story breaks, ensuring you are never in the dark when the talking points happen.

Focused Content

Enjoy the best of AAP’s specialised Topics in Focus. AAP has reporters dedicated to bringing you hard news and feature content across a range of specialised topics including Environment, Agriculture, Future Economies, Arts and Refugee Issues.

AAPNews Focussed Content
Subscription Plans

Choose the plan that best fits your needs. AAPNews offers two basic subscriptions, all billed monthly.

Once you sign up, you will have seven days to test out the service before being billed.

AAPNews Full Access Plan
Full Access
AU$10
  • Enjoy all that AAPNews has to offer
  • Access to breaking news notifications and bulletins
  • Includes access to all AAPNews’ specialised topics
Join Now
AAPNews Student Access Plan
Student Access
AU$5
  • Gain access via a verified student email account
  • Enjoy all the benefits of the ‘Full Access’ plan at a reduced rate
  • Subscription renews each month
Join Now
AAPNews Annual Access Plan
Annual Access
AU$99
  • All the benefits of the 'Full Access' subscription at a discounted rate
  • Subscription automatically renews after 12 months
Join Now

AAPNews also offers enterprise deals for businesses so you can provide an AAPNews account for your team, organisation or customers. Click here to contact AAP to sign-up your business today.

SEVEN DAYS FREE
Download the app
Download AAPNews on the App StoreDownload AAPNews on the Google Play Store