Best is yet to come says Golden Boot winner Johnson

Shaun Johnson was man of the match in the Kiwis' 22-18 Four Nations final victory over the Kangaroos. Picture / Mark Mitchell

Golden Boot winner Shaun Johnson describes winning the prestigious award as a "massive honour" but predicts the best is yet to come in his league career.

The 24-year Kiwis and Warriors halfback was satisfied with his level of performance throughout New Zealand's victorious Four Nations campaign but says he has a long way to go before he matches that at NRL level.

"It speaks for itself. It's a massive honour. Growing up I always heard about the Golden Boot and looking at the list of players that have won it before me makes it pretty special," Johnson said.

"[But] it would suck to think that the best has come. I've accomplished nothing with the Warriors yet.

"We've missed out on the eight the last three years so there's still a lot of work to be done there. I certainly think the best is yet to come."

Johnson gained almost twice as many votes as second-placed England back rower Sam Burgess to join a star-studded list of former Golden Boot winners, among them three ex-Kiwi captains in Warriors great Stacey Jones (2002), Hugh McGahan (1987) and Benji Marshall (2010).

He was man of the match in the Kiwis' 22-18 Four Nations final victory over the Kangaroos in Wellington last month. He played in all four matches in the Kiwis' unbeaten campaign which began with a 30-12 win against Australia, followed by a 14-12 win against Toa Samoa and a 16-14 victory over England.

Despite the recognition, Johnson feels he is still some way from being considered on par with the award's previous winners and among the game's greats.

"It's hard. As a player I still feel as though I have a bit to go before I can really feel like I can settle in with the group of players that have won it," he said. "You can never think that you're the complete player or have arrived anywhere so there's still a lot of things I want to accomplish."

However, having achieved group success with the Kiwis and being recognised as an individual, Johnson admits he will start the 2015 season brimming with confidence, but past experiences ensure he is not taking anything for granted.

"You always take confidence from good performances and beating a side like Australia but at the same time it can be a bit dangerous.

"I've been in the position before where I've felt really comfortable and maybe got too ahead of myself and that hasn't always ended up with the best performances.

"Looking forward to next year I'll get back into things at the start of January and I'll work really hard and put myself in the best position to play how I did for the Kiwis with the Warriors."