Matthew Johns
Matthew Johns | |
|---|---|
| Born | July 27, 1971 Australia |
| Occupation(s) | Former professional rugby league player, media personality, commentator |
| Years active | 1990s–present |
| Known for | Rugby league career with Newcastle Knights, Australia and New South Wales representative; media career including The Footy Show, Fox Sports, Triple M radio |
Matthew James Johns (born 27 July 1971) is a former professional rugby league player from Australia who has since become a prominent media figure and commentator. He represented both Australia at the international level and New South Wales in State of Origin matches. Johns spent the majority of his playing career with the Newcastle Knights, where he played alongside his younger brother, Andrew. Since March 2011, he has been a co-host on Triple M Sydney’s breakfast program The Grill Team together with Mark Geyer. Beginning in 2012, Johns joined Fox Sports as part of their NRL broadcast team. He also hosted The Matty Johns Show on Channel 7 in 2010 and has fronted a rugby league analysis and entertainment series on Foxtel airing twice weekly since 2013.
Playing career
Johns served as five-eighth for the Newcastle Knights, partnering with his brother Andrew at halfback for nine seasons. He was a member of the Australian squad that secured victory in the 1995 Rugby League World Cup and earned eight caps representing Australia. Additionally, Johns played in four State of Origin series games for New South Wales, although all resulted in losses. A standout moment in his career was winning the 1997 Australian Rugby League grand final against the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles.
In 1999, Johns was selected for Australia’s team in the Rugby League Tri-Nations tournament and scored a try in the final match against New Zealand, contributing to a 22–20 triumph.
Due to salary cap constraints, Johns departed Newcastle at the end of 2000 to join the UK’s Super League club Wigan Warriors. Owing to his Welsh ancestry, he contemplated playing for the Wales national rugby league team at the 2000 Rugby League World Cup. While at Wigan, Johns played five-eighth in their 2001 Super League Grand Final defeat by the Bradford Bulls.
He returned to the National Rugby League in 2002, signing with the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks, but persistent shoulder and neck injuries forced him into retirement after just one season.
2002 NZ tour sexual assault investigation
In February 2002, during a Cronulla pre-season tour in New Zealand, Johns along with eleven other unnamed teammates participated in a group sexual encounter with a 19-year-old woman at Johns’ hotel room in Christchurch. Five days later, allegations of sexual assault emerged, prompting a police inquiry that ultimately resulted in no charges being filed.
The incident resurfaced seven years later through ABC TV’s Four Corners documentary "Code of Silence" (2009). While Johns declined an on-camera interview, he acknowledged involvement and maintained that all activity was consensual. The woman involved stated she felt socially coerced into sex following unwanted advances.
In May 2009, Johns publicly expressed remorse regarding the event and its repercussions on his family, admitting he had feared potential consequences for seven years.
After the documentary aired, Channel Nine suspended Johns from his roles as rugby league commentator and co-host on The Footy Show. Concurrently, the Melbourne Storm terminated his position as assistant coach indefinitely.
Film
Johns’ entry into entertainment began in 1999 when he portrayed the character Reg Reagan in In Search of the Holy Grail, a low-budget film produced for The Shoot Out 24 Hour Filmmaking Festival held in Newcastle. The project included fellow Knights players such as Andrew Johns, Matthew Gidley, Trent Watson, Danny Buderus, and Robbie O'Davis. Clips from this film were broadcast on the Nine Network’s The Footy Show.
The Reg Reagan persona was further elaborated upon in a 2000 article by the Sydney Morning Herald, depicting a stereotypical late-1970s Australian who smoked Winfield Reds cigarettes and drank KB beer. Fans of Johns at Cronulla embraced Reagan’s T-shirt slogan "Bring Back the Biff" during matches.
In 2006, Johns appeared as himself in Footy Legends, directed by Khoa Do. The following year, he took on his first feature film acting role as 'Jack', coach of the Newtown Jets, in The Final Winter.
Television
In 2002, Johns became a regular cast member on The Footy Show, where he performed as Reg Reagan and Trent, a flamboyant flight attendant from San Francisco. After retiring from professional play, he secured contracts with Nine Network and Sony Music Entertainment, taking on roles as a commentator and releasing the 2004 DVD "All of Me," which showcased comedic sketches featuring his characters.
Under the persona of Reg Reagan, Johns released the track "Am I Ever Gonna See the Biff Again?" in 2004, which humorously reflected on the reduction of physical confrontations in rugby league matches.
In May 2009, following the airing of a Four Corners investigation, Johns was suspended indefinitely by Nine Network and succeeded by Phil Gould. Although offered a return later that season, he opted not to rejoin. Subsequently, Johns declined a $600,000 yearly contract from Channel Nine to establish a production company alongside John Singleton.
Johns joined Channel Seven in 2010 to introduce a family-oriented NRL and entertainment program that premiered in March; however, it was discontinued after just one season.
By 2012, Johns had become part of Fox Sports (Australia)'s rugby league broadcasting team and began hosting his own show titled Sunday Night with Matty Johns.
Author
In 2004, Johns published Reg Reagan's autobiography titled This Is My Life through Pan Macmillan.
Radio
Johns commenced his role on Triple M Sydney's breakfast program The Grill Team in March 2011. His contributions included various character impersonations such as "Bruce," the producer for sister station 2Day FM's Kyle and Jackie O show; coal mining entrepreneur and Newcastle Knights owner Nathan Tinkler; as well as rugby league icons Andrew Johns, Brad Fittler, and Darren Lockyer, collectively dubbed the "Future Immortals Gone Nuts." He left the Grill Team on 7 December 2018. Currently, Johns hosts "Morning Glory with Matty Johns" on SEN radio. In June 2023, his brother Andrew Johns departed from the program following a public dispute related to comments Matthew made about Queensland ahead of the 2023 State of Origin series.
Personal life
Johns co-founded and co-owns Steel City Beer Company along with Andrew Johns, Danny Buderus, Kurt Gidley, and Matt Hoy. His sons, Cooper Johns and Jack Johns, have both pursued careers in rugby league.
Filmography
- In Search of the Holy Grail (1999)
- The Footy Show (co-host during the 2000s)
- All of Me (DVD release, 2004)
- Blood, Sweat and Beers (DVD release, 2005)
- Footy Legends (2006)
- The Final Winter (2007)
- The Matty Johns Show (hosted in 2010)
- Fox Sports Rugby League Coverage (host of Monday Night Football since 2012)
- Monday Night with Matty Johns (hosted starting in 2013)
- The late show with Matty Johns
Songs
- "Rugby League Outlaw" (2005)
- "Video Killed the Football Star" (2008)
Books
- This Is My Life (2004)
- From The Sheds (2008)