MARK down 4.33pm yesterday as the moment Joey hysteria struck again. With one $30,000 plunge, nervous bookmakers were sent into a spin for the third time in a month, as speculation mounted that champion halfback Andrew Johns would play against South Sydney on Sunday.
Gun-shy bookies suspended betting on the Knights-Rabbitohs game late yesterday after a flurry of interest - and money. According to Larry Hawke of Sportsbook.com.au that only means one thing - Johns will play.
"Money talks," Hawke said. "If they're backing Newcastle, he'll play. That's my opinion. When they back the other team, he's not going to play. That's the way it's worked so far."
Sort of, anyway. Part I of Joey hysteria struck in the lead-up to the Knights-Warriors clash in round four. Punters plunged on the Knights, markets were suspended, leading to speculation Johns would play. He didn't, and the Knights were well beaten.
A week later, betting was suspended again when news was leaked Johns had visited a leading spinal specialist in the lead-up to the Knights' match against St George Illawarra. Johns played on the Saturday night, however, and helped annihilate the Dragons.
And now this - one punter yesterday placed two bets of $15,000 on the Knights with Sportsbook to win a combined $26,250.
"At exactly the same time, all the other people started ringing up," Hawke said. "All the phones started going, all wanting to back the Knights all of a sudden."
The calls included a connection of Steve Fletcher, who cleaned up after the Warriors win.
"They're smart people," Hawke said. "They're professionals."
TAB Sportsbet, meanwhile, took three bets for a combined $40,000 to win almost $45,000 from a single punter.
"My belief is he won't be playing," TAB Sportsbet's Glenn Munsie said. "But once again, it all revolves around him."
Colin Tidy, who operates Betchoice.com, went further, saying: "What's the point of betting on a Newcastle game when a player like Andrew Johns can bob up in a team for which he was not named? I know the NRL will say the game isn't put on for betting purposes but the reality is there is huge interest even from the $1 punter who takes a FootyTAB. This is a major integrity issue. Not only the punters, but also the fans deserve better."
Bookmakers said they would open markets again when they had a better idea of whether Johns would play against Souths.
According to Newcastle club doctor Neil Halpin, Johns is optimistic of a surprise return at Telstra Stadium.
"I spoke to Joey today, and he said he was feeling a lot better," Halpin said last night. "He is optimistic about playing, without being certain. He said he was going to have a run on it today [Thursday]. I don't know how that went but I'll talk to him tomorrow [Friday]."
The 31-year-old suffered the ankle injury against the Cowboys in round six and will have a run today in a bid to prove his fitness.
"There was always some chance he would play," said Knights coach Michael Hagan, who named Jarrod Mullen at halfback to face Souths.
"At this stage, we'll see him tomorrow [Friday], and we'll make a decision. He ran alright, he wasn't in too much discomfort, but we'll see how he is when he has another run."
Johns, who missed last Saturday's thrashing by the Storm, would want one more run before next Friday's Anzac Test - his representative swansong.
But the feeling is he would not put that Test spot at risk by playing against Souths on Sunday, especially as he is expected to be one of the first picked for Australia despite his injury worries (the ARL on Wednesday issued a Test schedule - since re-issued - that already listed him as part of promotions).
The twist in this tale is the Telstra Stadium turf, the subject of much controversy this week after Manly blasted the state of the surface last Sunday. Large sections of the playing field were relaid this week ahead of AFL and NRL games this weekend.
There were concerns expressed yesterday that the possibility of the surface shifting would force Johns's hand.
"I haven't really spoken to him about that," Hagan said. "It's a matter for him to make that call - whether he's confident, and the conditioning staff are confident, that there's enough stability."
smh.com.au
