NZ Warriors star Shaun Johnson is seemingly under an injury cloud, as his team prepare for their first NRL playoffs appearance in five years against defending champions Penrith Panthers.
The Auckland-based side have flown to Sydney to prepare for the clash at BlueBet Stadium on Saturday, but NZ Herald reports Johnson is in doubt for the clash with a lower leg injury that has seen him limited in training over the last couple of weeks.
Along with other frontline players, the veteran half was rested from the Warriors' final regular season clash against the Dolphins to freshen up for the post-season, after they had already clinched a top-four spot and a home playoff game.
As the makeshift team trained last week, Johnson was spotted on the sidelines with a bandage on his calf and that appears to be the niggle affecting him before the showdown against the Panthers, under coach Ivan Cleary, who gave Johnson his start at the Warriors in 2011.
This week, he scooped major honours at the club awards ceremony, including the Simon Mannering Medal for Player of the Year, after leading the NRL in kicks, kicking metres and try assists. He is also considered a prime contender for the prestigious Dally M Medal for NRL Player of the Year.
The Herald reports sources describing Johnson as a 50-50 chance to take the field against Penrith, while coaching staff may be tempted to give him another week to recover by resting him from a game the Warriors are not favoured to win.
If they lose, they would host a semi-final against elimination playoff winners next week.
When quizzed about Johnson's health this week, coach Andrew Webster insisted he was "fine" and the star playmaker - still sporting a calf bandage - has taken the charter flight across the Tasman, where the Herald reports he will be given every chance to prove his fitness.
In recent weeks, he has nursed a quad strain that has seen him surrender goalkicking duties to centre Adam Pompey.
Earlier in the season, Johnson also sported a moonboot, as he returned from Sydney, after masterminding an incredible comeback victory over Cronulla Sharks, when the Warriors trailed 20-0 early.
"Nah, nah, it's just precautionary," he told gathered media at the time. "It's just a cork to the calf."
Halves partner Luke Metcalf has already been ruled out for the foreseeable future with a hamstring strain, so if Johnson were to withdraw, the onus would fall on Te Maire Martin - who only recently returned from a broken leg - and youngster Ronald Volkman.
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