Despite the influence of Anderson, the Eels carried that form into 2009 standing 3rd bottom half way through the season. Apparently it took that long for the message to sink in, but when it did it stuck hard.

No. Not to that lot. To the Aussie Rules lot, no honest, to the egg-catchers. Really. Perhaps he looks good in a tank top.

The Knights were doing it tough and the camera cut to the grandstand and a shot of the injured Andrew Johns whose anguished look showed he was living every second of the game along with his mates out on the paddock. … What made Johns great went beyond the physical attributes, it went to the heart of the man; the vision and character to lead from the front coupled with the ruthlessness and incisiveness to spot and exploit his opponent’s slightest weakness.