Warriors football manager Brian Smith has shed some further light on the fallout between the Kiwi NRL club and former player Shaun Johnson.

Shaun Johnson will be replaced by Mason Lino. Source: Photosport

Smith told Radio Sport Breakfast there was no salvaging the relationship between the Warriors and the Kiwi international when they met after he entered the conversation with one mindset only.

Rather than look at a potential new deal, the 28-year-old said he wanted out - immediately.

"We didn't expect [Johnson's demand for a release] for a response to what we were hoping was going to be a discussion about the future with him," Smith said.

"We didn't really establish [Johnson's worth] because Shaun was in a position where he could have done that."

Smith hinted during the interview Johnson's inconsistent form was the main reason behind the club's hesitancy.

"From our point of view, the sort of money that he was on, I think it's fair to say that it's going to attract some questions about performance," he said.

"So we didn't establish [what he was worth]. I can't say to you whether it was a million, or half a million. The process, Shaun took control of what he wanted to do and we didn't get that far."

While Smith wouldn't discuss what areas they were hoping Johnson would improve if he'd stayed at the club, he admitted the club was now left in a sticky situation in their halves.

"We're not [a better side] yet, no. There's some work to be done," he said.

"There's some decisions to be made in the next little while, but we're not really in any great hurry to do anything.