Andrew Johns fumes over 'disrespectful' Brad Fittler Origin backlash
The eighth Immortal says the under-fire Blues coach deserves more respect after the Origin series loss.
Andrew Johns has bristled at suggestions he could replace Brad Fittler as NSW coach, following the Blues' chastening State of Origin series defeat. It's widely expected Fittler's tenure as Blues coach will end after the Maroons wrapped up a third series triumph in four years courtesy of Wednesday night's 32-6 flogging in Game II at Suncorp Stadium.
The backlash against Fittler and the Blues has been swift, with Johns among a number of names being linked with potentially replacing the under-fire coach. Fittler has given no indication he's considering walking away - and certainly not before the end of the series - with Johns saying it's disrespectful to be discussing potential replacements for a man that has given so much to his state.
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Speaking on 2GB’s Wide World of Sports radio, Johns gave an emphatic "no" when asked whether he would replace Fittler as Blues coach. “And in respect of Freddy who’s a great mate of mine, he’s still got another game to coach, nothing’s been spoken about, whether he’s going to go on or not," Johns said.
“There’ll be people on the NSWRL board with that decision but for me personally I’d never do it and I don’t want to comment because it’s my great mate Freddy and he deserves respect. He’s done a great job, people will jump up and down about it but I love the bloke, he’s done a great job, and I wouldn’t disrespect him.”
Joey wears his heart on his sleeve when it comes to the Blues, and is refusing to speak to his brother Matty after the pair's very public radio feud following Game I. Joey took exception to Matty's glowing praise of the Maroons and after calling him out about it in a tense on-air exchange, with the brothers no longer on speaking terms.
Andrew Johns says Maroons were 'out of this world'
However, Joey himself conceded that the Maroons were simply too good in Game II, despite admitting that NSW failed to take their chances. “ A lot’s been said ... Queensland were out of this world, they played really well,” Johns said.
“Reece Walsh, the superstar he is, he just showed what a player he is. We didn’t take our chances, we had opportunities and didn’t take them. They nailed their chances.”
Joey echoed the sentiments of many fans and experts after singling out an epic try-saving tackle from Daly Cherry-Evans on Stephen Crichton - with a number of Maroons teammates sprinting back in support - as evidence the Blues were out-enthused by the rampant Queenslanders.
“At the end of the day, the sad bit is they beat us in the effort areas and I think the big one for me that stood out was when Stephen Crichton got an intercept and they had half a dozen guys behind the ball,” Johns said. “We had hardly anyone supporting which was so disappointing but we’ll move on. We’ve got to win game three that’s the thing... we’ve just got to win, whatever it takes.”
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