HISTORICAL DEAL: JOHNS FATHER-SON DUO JOIN SYDNEY ROOSTERS IN GROUNDBREAKING 2026 MOVEMENT
NRL Immortal Andrew Johns appointed as coaching consultant as 16-year-old son Louis signs junior development deal, marking a pivotal moment for the Roosters and Australian rugby league
SYDNEY — In a move that has sent ripples through Australian rugby league, the Sydney Roosters have secured a double coup ahead of the 2026 season, with NRL Immortal Andrew Johns joining as a coaching consultant and his 16-year-old son Louis signing a junior development contract with the club’s elite pathways program.
The deal represents a significant shift for the Johns family, whose name has long been synonymous with the Newcastle Knights — the only club Andrew represented across his glittering 249-game NRL career. For Roosters supporters, it marks a landmark investment in both youth talent and proven coaching expertise, while for Australian rugby league, it signals a new chapter in one of the sport’s most celebrated legacies.
Louis Johns, a halfback like his famous father, will link up with the Roosters’ Harold Matthews under-17s side next season after agreeing to the development deal. The second of Andrew’s three children, he has honed his skills with Sydney’s Paddington Colts, where his natural football IQ and technical ability have already turned heads among talent scouts. While still in the early stages of his journey, the weight of his surname brings immense intrigue — and expectation — as he looks to carve out his own identity in the game.
“Louis has worked incredibly hard to get to this point, and I’m thrilled he’s getting this opportunity with the Roosters,” Andrew Johns said in announcing the dual appointment. “It’s a chance for him to grow as a player in a world-class pathway, and I’m excited to support both him and the club in my new role as consultant.”
Johns, widely regarded as one of the greatest playmakers in rugby league history, brings a wealth of experience to the Roosters’ coaching staff. Currently a Channel Nine analyst, coaching consultant for the Newcastle Knights, and member of the Australian Kangaroos’ selection panel — a role he took on in mid-2025 — he also serves on the Sports Advisory Board for Levin Health, promoting medicinal cannabis. His legendary career includes two NRL premierships (1997, 2001), three Dally M Player of the Year awards, Golden Boot honours, and induction as the game’s eighth Immortal, with his vision, kicking game, and match control setting the benchmark for modern halfbacks.
The news will be bittersweet for Newcastle fans, who have long embraced the Johns family as part of the Knights’ fabric. For the Roosters, however, it reinforces their commitment to nurturing top-tier youth while leveraging the wisdom of the game’s icons — a combination that has driven their recent success in the NRL.
As Louis prepares to step onto the field in Roosters colours and his father takes on a new coaching role away from his beloved Knights, the deal stands as a historical moment that bridges generations of Australian rugby league, promising to shape the future of both the club and the sport.
