The Melbourne Storm have agree’d to release workhorse lock Dallas Johnson freeing him up for a lucrative move to the Catalan Dragons in Super League.
Johnson has played well at club, State and Test level over his entire career and won his second NRL Title in 2009 with the Melbourne Storm.
Johnson is only 26 years old and plays well above his weight. Funnily enough he made his debut in first grade in the same game Craig Bellemy coaching his first Melbourne Storm game, so its a bit of an end of an era there.
It would have been a difficult decicion for Johnson, to move away from such a successful club and leaving behind his State Of Origin jersey, but apparently the offer from the Dragons was simply too good to refuse.
Johnson will do well over in France, although I think the wider Super League community will under rate his work rate and value to the club.
He is a very good leader and trainer so hopefully he can show some of the French forwards how to get themselves ready for a season of football.
This is one of the reasons I would like to see more French clubs in Super League. It is a lot more desirable to top of the line Australian players to head over to the South of France than it is to play football in the North of England.
The lifestle is different, the weather is different, even the football culture is different.
When you look at some of the players the Dragons have already been able to attract in their short stint in Super League, you have to be pretty impressed. If Super League ended up with a few more clubs in France, I think it would become a real problem for the NRL.
