Sep 4th, 2019

Sep 4th, 2019

Rugby league Immortal Andrew Johns has revealed he would consider taking a role with his former side the Newcastle Knights after CEO Phil Gardner offered the club legend "any role" in the wake of coach Nathan Brown's departure.

Johns was scathing of the Knights' messy, public ousting of Brown just weeks out from the end of the regular season with finals football still on the line.

The Newcastle icon believed the club had "sabotaged" their campaign and demanded answers for fans off the back of a 46-4 shellacking by the Wests Tigers on the week it was announced Brown would not coach next season.

On Tuesday, Gardner denied those accusations and absolved his players of any responsibility for Brown's downfall before offering Johns "any role" at the club.

Nathan Brown (AAP)

"The players had no role in Nathan Brown's departure. None at all," Gardner told NRL 360.

"To my knowledge the players were not canvassed in the lead up to Nathan's departure. Certainly after Nathan decided to go, we discussed what we were going to do with the playing group.

"The players actually knew before me that Nathan was going to resign.

"We felt the players would lift for him and run through that series because he had resigned and we would end up in a good position at the end of the year. Unfortunately that didn't happen."

Johns, a one-club man and two-time premiership winner with the Knights, is widely regarded as the greatest ever to play the game of rugby league.

Johns and Pearce in Blues camp (AAP)

His support to the NSW Blues Origin campaign proved invaluable, and it would no doubt reap rewards in the Hunter region, but the 45-year-old said it was a role he would have to deeply consider.

"I don't know, obviously I'd have to give it a lot of thought," Johns told Wide World of Sports' Freddy and the Eighth.

"Obviously, I live in Sydney now and I've got a young family so takes up a lot of my time. I'd have to sit down with my family and have a chat about it.

"I understand the boss said they could pick any role, so I'd like to go up there as a CEO, as long as I only have to turn up twice a month. I'll work from home.

"I might go up, I might dust off the boots and make a comeback, how does that sound?"

NRL legend Andrew Johns (Getty)

NSW Blues coach Brad Fittler urged Johns to consider the move before adding some spice to Johns' "comeback" quip.

"I'd get Viliame Kikau to run at you, and then David Fifita," he laughed.

"The town needs you, brother."

Johns responded: "I'd be first NRL player to go off the field crying"

The Knights bounced back to form this week with a 38-4 thrashing of the Gold Coast in their first game without Brown and face Penrith in the final game of the season on Sunday.

They cannot make the top eight.