Eighth Immortal Andrew Johns says he hasn’t given up on one day coaching Samoa alongside his brother Matthew.
The Johns brothers last year stunned the rugby league world by going public with their vision to lead the second-tier nation, with legendary dual-code icon Sonny Bill Williams also interested in joining the pair.
Former Balmain Tigers player Matt Parish is the current head coach of the Samoan national team, but his future in that role has become a topic of debate in recent times.
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“Myself and Matthew have put our hands up to coach Samoa. We will do it for nothing, and we’ve said we will do it for nothing,” Johns told Wide World of Sports’ Immortal Behaviour.
“We’re both big believers in the Polynesian nations.”
Johns said his hopes are for Samoa to one day follow in the footsteps of Tonga, who in recent years have become an international powerhouse.
Tonga’s emergence was highlighted when they stunned world champions Australia back in 2019.
“We look at Tonga and what they’ve achieved, we think we can replicate the same thing with Samoa,” he added.
“The best thing about Samoa is they’re a tier-two nation. Guys can play Origin and play for Samoa, which I think should be the same with PNG, Fiji and Tonga.
“I have no doubt we can get Samoa up and running where they can challenge Australia, New Zealand and Great Britain every time they play.”
Samoa’s presence today in the NRL sees several big names playing at club level.
Premiership-winning Panthers and Origin pair Penrith Jarome Luai and Brian To’o, along with Eels prop Junior Paulo and Titans captain Tino Fa’asuamaleaui, are just a handful of high-profile stars who could represent Samoa. All four players represented Tonga back in 2019.
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“There’s going to come a time if Samona, Tonga, Fiji – these nations, get the right infrastructure, get the right coaching, get the sponsors to help out … they will be beating Australia,” Johns explained
“You look now at U-20s, more than 50 per cent make up the juniors and in first grade, I think it’s up to 40 per cent.
“We would love to do Samoa, but there are things that need to be ticked off. We will see what happens.”
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