SJ edging closer to full health as pressure mounts on Warriors

After being restricted to as little as 20 minutes of training alongside his teammates each week for the past month, Shaun Johnson will return to almost full involvement ahead of the Warriors' crunch clash with the Roosters this Sunday. 

An ongoing battle with Achilles tendinitis has kept the 33-year-old out of all field sessions up until the captain's run in recent weeks, in order for him to be able to take his place in the team on game day. 

But with the Warriors now winless in their past four games and the pressure well and truly mounting ahead of facing the high-flying Roosters, coach Andrew Webster delivered some good news mid-week with his star No.7 almost back to full capability. 

“Last week was the first time he did more than captain’s run. He has been very tough just to get out on the field for us," Webster said of Johnson. 

He’s really only been doing 20 minutes to half an hour a week with the group. Last week he did a little bit more than that and this week, he trained with the team [Wednesday], he’s tracking like he’s going to do 80 percent of the week.

Andrew Webster

"We haven’t had Shaun train this early in the week for, I want to say, the last five weeks.

"It’s good news because at this stage the injury is improving... we’re slowly building him up so hopefully next week or the week after he can do everything."

After managing just one try last week against the Knights in a poor attacking performance which ended in a 14-8 defeat, it's hoped Johnson's improved health can help the Warriors foot it with a Tricolours side that has racked up 100 points in their past two games. 

But Webster said just as important will be halting a run of poor discipline which right now is meaning his men are wasting far too much energy in defence. 

“I definitely think [Shaun's reduced training load] has had an impact on our attack... I can only see us getting better if Shaun gets more opportunities to train with the team, but it's certainly not an excuse," Webster said. 

"We are trying to swing punches at the end of the game to win the game or draw the game, and I just feel like our attack is very clunky, slow and lethargic, because we are putting ourselves under so much pressure. 

"The main focus for us is making sure that we're disciplined, we put pressure on the opposition, and we if we put pressure on them our attack will click."

While it's only Round 10 and the club sit just three points outside of the top eight, forward Mitchell Barnett said the urgency around a return to form isn't lost on the playing group. 

The Warriors face current top six sides in each of their next three games, the first two of which will be played in Australia. 

"We've lost our way a little bit through, I guess, a bit of frustration," Barnett said. 

"Hopefully we can get things back on track sooner rather than later, before it's sort of too late. 

"We know our standard we can play to... it was only a few weeks ago that we had won three on the trot and looked really good.

"We have got three very hard games coming up, teams who are in very good form, and we are on the road as well. 

"Our backs are up against the wall and we need to start playing like that."