League: Clash of titans offers a feast for fans

Andrew Johns (pictured) says of Stacey Jones - 'we always have a great contest'. File Picture

It's the man rated the world's best league player against the man who is New Zealand's champion, each reckoning he brings out the best in the other.

The Andrew Johns-Stacey Jones contest at Ericsson Stadium tonight is a mouth-watering lure for fans.

The great shame is that we won't see more of them after Jones moves to new English Super League club UTC Perpignan in France at the end of this season. This is his 11th year at the Warriors.

It will be a long time, if ever, before anyone overhauls Jones' 74 tries, and 644 points in his 236 games. Likewise Johns' stats at the Knights - 222 games, 68 tries, 775 points.

The two are very similar in size, shape and style. Johns is the larger, 1.79m and 89kg to Jones' 1.71m and 82kg. Both are balls of muscle that have no problem fronting the charging forwards in defence.

But it is in attack that the pair shine - an extraordinary number of their points come when most needed, when their team is under pressure and really need them.

When Jones (inset) leads the team out tonight in his last home game there will be huge emotion in his heart as well as in the stands. The focus for the Warriors has to be thriving on that but not over-cooking on it, staying composed and ensuring a top-notch send-off for their legendary halfback.

Johns is relishing the competition. "I love playing against Stacey, you know you're playing the best. He's incredibly competitive. He hates losing."

And there's lots of respect. "You like to test yourself against the best. We always have a great contest."

And there's appreciation of the commitment without any aggression. "He doesn't have a bit of dirt in him, he's a great guy. There's never been a harsh word spoken between us. There's lots of chat but never any dirt."

Johns said they always had a tough contest in Warriors-Knights games. He stepped his game up a notch to play Jones and was sure it was the same for Stacey.

"I don't really enjoy taking on some of their bigger boys - it's a good challenge physically. Stacey, he's a challenge all round. I'm looking forward to it. We'll enjoy the occasion," Johns said.

He said he expected a big and Jones-supportive crowd.

The Warriors had blown hot and cold this year but Johns predicted that tonight "they'll be hot, and when they're like that they're very hard to contain. Once they get their style rolling with that devil-may-care attitude they're very dangerous and they're very hard to stop",

The teams have played 15 times. Of those, the Warriors have won only three and only once have they won at Ericsson, 42-0 in 1999.

There have been two late heart-breakers where the Knights scored runaway tries. Average points total across the 15 games is just over 50.

Johns predicted another free-flowing and high-scoring game tonight. "Both teams have nothing to lose. The Warriors will be wanting to show their best and so will we."

The Knights' season was over before it started, with the club's longest run of losses.

Fortunes finally turned last month and they are now on a winning roll, with Johns giving former Kiwi prop Craig Smith big credit.

"Craig's been a major contributor, he's a great leader to have in the club and he's been really good with the young forwards."

Johns said the club was rejuvenated and with a new sponsor and player re-signings including his own "the place is buzzing".

After missing a major part of the season with a broken jaw, smashed against Jerome Ropati's shoulder in the last Knights-Warriors game, Johns is keen to carry on his season with Warrington.

He is rumoured to be able to earn as much as $500,000 over six games if they are all wins.

In Australia he's faced criticism, including some from former test team-mates at the prospect he might choose a Super League final over the Tri-Nations test when they fall on the same weekend in October. Johns' reply was that he'd played out of position at hooker for Australia for years because that's what the selectors wanted and he'd never turned his back on the jersey.

His new Newcastle deal is believed to be for similar figures for two seasons.

Johns had announced his intended retirement from representative football at the end of the 2006 State of Origin series.

Now he will finish with the Kiwis, as the one Australian with a New Zealand touring party in a re-creation of the All Golds tour of 1907-08, as was Dally Messenger.

"I don't know too much about the details yet but it's a great honour," Johns said. "It's a big thing for rugby league and for me."

Former Otahuhu centre George Carmont is out of the Knights team named this week. Jarred Mullen has been added to their bench and a decision on who will play will be made today.

The Mad Butcher, Peter Leitch, is hosting a post-game farewell for Jones in the Supertop behind the Ericsson west stand after the game, with all the team expected to attend.