Andrew Johns‘ 16-year-old son Louis is following in his famous father’s footsteps, with the teenager reportedly signing his first professional deal with the Sydney Roosters. Zero Tackle is reporting that Louis Johns has been signed to a development contract by the Roosters, and will play in the Harold Matthews Cup (Under-17s) for the Bondi club in 2026.
Andrew Johns is a Newcastle legend and played 249 games for the Knights, as well as 23 State of Origins for NSW and 26 Test matches for Australia. However he hasn’t lived in Newcastle for nearly two decades, and is set up in Sydney with his family.
Andrew Johns is a Newcastle legend, but son Louis has reportedly signed with the Roosters. Image: Catherine Mahoney/Getty
Johns is based in Sydney for his TV job with Channel 9. Louis is a halfback who played his junior footy for the Paddington Colts in the Eastern suburbs – hence why he’s signed with the Roosters instead of the Knights.
The fact Louis has signed with one of Newcastle’s arch-rivals will be a hammer blow to Knights fans, with Joey an ‘Immortal’ for delivering two premierships to the Hunter region. Born in Cessnock, Andrew led the Knights to grand final wins in 1997 and 2001 and is widely regarded as the best player ever to lace up the boots.
Andrew Johns has ‘moved on’ from Newcastle
Speaking earlier this year, he opened up on his life in Sydney and explained why he would never be the right fit to coach Newcastle. There were calls for Joey to take on the role when Adam O’Brien’s tenure was coming to an end, but he said he was too entrenched in Sydney and would never move back to the Hunter.
“I live in Sydney now,” he said on his podcast with Brad Fittler. “I haven’t lived there now in Newcastle for 18 or 19 years, and I’ve moved on. I’m not on the ground, you’ve got to be there every day.
“I’ll never coach, because I haven’t got the personality. I live in Sydney and I love where I’m living. The drive up there, I couldn’t be doing it and I’m not moving back to Newcastle.
“I haven’t got the personality and I haven’t got the patience. It would be like watching Charlie Sheen come undone. It would be entertaining for everyone, but I’ve got a young family too and it’s not fair on them.”
Andrew Johns is a Newcastle legend, but has been in Sydney for nearly 20 years. Image: Getty
The sons of Andrew’s brother Matthew have also played in the NRL, with Cooper Johns playing 11 games for Melbourne and eight for Manly. Jack Johns played two games for Souths and 14 for Newcastle, but both have since stepped away from professional footy.