NZ Warriors halfback Shaun Johnson has moved into contention for the NRL's Dally M Medal, after another impressive display in his side's start to the season.
Johnson's efforts against North Queensland Cowboys on Saturday netted him another two points to his Dally M medal standings, giving him a season total of 17 as the Warriors' best-placed player.
After declaring to have had the best pre-season he's had at the Warriors since his debut in 2011, Johnson has backed up his words with a string of performances to start 2023.
Saturday's victory at Mt Smart Stadium took the Warriors' record to 5-2, sitting third on the ladder behind Penrith Panthers (4-2) and table-topping Brisbane Broncos (6-1).
While it's unfair to put all of the Warriors' success down to Johnson, the 32-year-old's efforts have been instrumental.
After the first seven games, Johnson leads the NRL in assists with eight, sits second to Parramatta's Mitchell Moses for kick metres with 3526, and joint-second for linebreak assists, only behind Reece Walsh of the Broncos.
Against the Cowboys, Johnson had 318 kicking metres, one forced dropout, two try assists, to go with 15 tackles made, and three vital conversions.
After each match of the NRL's regular season, two judges award votes on a 3-2-1 basis, with a maximum of six points out of 12 available to each player.
All of Johnson's points have come after round three, with the Warriors winning four and losing one in that time.
Against Cronulla Sharks at the start of April, Johnson netted six points out of six, after bagging five votes in the win over Canterbury Bulldogs a week earlier.
With 17 points, Johnson trails the NRL's three leaders; Harry Grant of Melbourne Storm, and Broncos pair Payne Haas and Walsh.
Penrith Panthers halfback Nathan Cleary sits in between Johnson and the leaders with 18 points, while fullback Dylan Edwards also has 17.
Elsewhere on the Dally M leaderboard, Warriors fullback Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad has 12 votes from six appearances this season, while Dylan Walker has seven points from seven games so far.
Only one Warriors player has ever won the Dally M medal - former captain Roger Tuivasa-Sheck in 2018, the last time the Kiwi side reached the NRL playoffs.
