Andrew Johns makes huge admission over ugly feud with brother Matty

One of the NRL's most closely followed feuds looks set to be coming to an end after a momentous admission from Andrew Johns about the ongoing beef with his brother, Matty. The iconic rugby league siblings had not spoken for weeks after a bitter and public falling out on radio.

Matty revealed last month the brothers hadn't been on speaking terms for weeks after his brother Andrew took exception to the former's glowing praise of the Maroons and their coach, Billy Slater. However, Andrew revealed on 2GB’s Ben Fordham Live this week that he has contacted his brother and is ready to bury the hatchet now that the Origin series is over.

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The revelation came about after 'Joey' was asked whether he and Matty might be in line to replace Brad Fittler as Blues coach, following NSW's third series loss in four years. “Ah, no, that won’t be happening,” rugby league's eighth Immortal said. “We’re going to have lunch in the next couple of days. I rang him and said I’ll talk to you after Origin.”

Fordham responded by asking: “So you and Matty are having a lunch, you smoking the peace pipe are you?” Johns replied: “Well, not in those words but yeah.”

The news will no doubt come as a relief to league fans, who have been eagerly following developments in the messy saga ever since Matty's seemingly innocuous comments about the Maroons side left his brother fuming. Matty started by saying: “(Queensland coach Billy) Slater’s close to the best coach in the game. You just know how he explains, how he coaches, the intricacies, the players absolutely love him. Queensland know exactly how they’re going to play and who they need to pick to make that happen.”

Joey famously shot back: "Put your Maroon jersey on, you should have some at home. Just because you played four games and lost four doesn’t mean you need to sh-t bag NSW. I'm sick of you (pumping up) Queensland. Keep blowing hot air up their ar*es." That blow-up was in mid-May and the pair were at odds with one another since.

Johns brothers' feud has gripped league world

Joey reportedly quit his role on the SEN program because of the falling out with his brother, while Matty's no-show on an episode of Morning Glory show last month sent the rumour mill into overdrive. SEN host Matthew White addressed the drama at the time by explaining that Matty's absence was "pre-planned" and had nothing to do with the ugly saga around his brother.

It came after SEN chief executive Craig Hutchison reportedly tried to step in to broker peace between the brothers - sadly to no avail. Joey failed to make an appearance on SEN for two consecutive weeks, with Matty claiming his brother was "completely off me". Fox League's James Hooper then reported Joey had quit the Friday SEN program for the remainder of the year.

Matty also revealed on a Daily Telegraph podcast that he understands his brother wants to "take my head off" the next time they cross paths. “I’ve just heard through the grapevine that basically he’s said to people that next time he sees me, he’s going to take my head off,” Matty said at the time.

“Well, I just hope he’s learned to fight as opposed to the last time we had a little going over. No, I haven’t heard from him.” The pair have been involved in blow-ups before and Matty admitted it wasn't unusual for them to have lengthy spells without speaking, before eventually reuniting.

"The longest went for two years. That's the way the cookie crumbles. The show must go on," Matty said previously on his show. Thankfully for the brothers, their families and the rugby league community, this latest feud appears to be nearing an end.

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