WHILE many of his NRL rivals were leading their teams to glory in first grade over the weekend, Shaun Johnson was playing a different role.

The 25-year-old superstar turned water boy for the day, acting as the trainer for the Manurewa Marlins under-10 team after they won a competition Johnson was running on his Facebook page.

“You’re going to run hard, tackle hard and have fun,” Johnson said on News Hub.

“If you’re ever thirsty just look for me and I’ll come and give you some water.”

The Kiwi international’s act of kindness wasn’t just for the young kids on the field, it was also to support the Marlins’ coach Zak Ward, who is wheelchair-bound after he was hit by a drunk driver last November.

Shaun Johnson plays water boy. Source: Facebook



“He’s a really inspiring sort of guy and for him to be hanging out with these kids is really special,” Johnson said of Ward.

At one stage in the game, Johnson donned the jersey of the opponents, the Tuakau Broncos, because the team was trailing by a wide margin.

Johnson decided to get involved simply because he had some free time and wanted to do something productive.



“I was lying on my couch at home and thought: ‘what am I up to this weekend?’” Johnson said earlier in the week.

“It was the first Saturday I had off this year and it’s run past my mind before.

“I wanted to get out, I wanted to hang out with some kids and be around a grassroots footy team.”

Johnson hopes to do the same with more clubs in the near future, but his next mission will be for the Warriors when they take on the Storm in Melbourne on Anzac Day.

