Matty Johns' sad new revelation after falling out with brother Andrew
The high-profile rugby league brothers haven't spoken for months since a very public spat on radio.
Any hopes that famous rugby league brothers Andrew and Matty Johns were close to a reconciliation appear to have been wide of the mark, with the latter making a sad new reveal about the sorry situation. The brothers haven't been on speaking terms for months after a very public spat on radio over the State of Origin series.
Andrew - aka Joey - ripped into his brother after taking exception to the praise he heaped on Maroons coach, Billy Slater. However, Joey revealed on 2GB’s Ben Fordham Live last month that he had contacted his brother and was ready to bury the hatchet seeing as though the Origin series is a thing of the past.
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The feud kicked off on SEN's Morning Glory with Matty Johns radio program - which Joey used to be a regular on before May's spat. He took exception to Matty 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 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." The brothers have been at odds with one another ever since and Joey is yet to return to the show amid reports he'd quit.
It was thought at the time that Joey's absence from the radio program was only going to be temporary but News Corp has reported it is a permanent move. Matty has all but confirmed this in comments to Sport Confidential, while confirming the pair are yet to bury the hatchet over lunch, like Joey suggested they would last month.
Plans for Matty and Joey Johns to catch up 'put on hold'
“He hasn’t been spotted off Nobby’s,” Matthew told Sport Confidential. “Plans to catch up have been put on hold," Matty told Sport Confidential. We might see him at Christmas... might.”
Former Broncos star Denan Kemp is set to benefit from the continued absence of Joey on the radio by becoming a permanent fixture on the Friday morning panel. The league world has been eagerly following developments in the messy saga ever since Matty's seemingly innocuous comments about the Maroons side left his brother fuming.
News that Joey had quit the radio show 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.
Johns brothers have fallen out several times before
The feud had looked to be coming to a conclusion last month in the wake of the Origin series when Joey revealed on 2GB’s Ben Fordham Live that he was finally ready to start speaking to his brother again. “We’re going to have lunch in the next couple of days. I rang him and said I’ll talk to you after Origin,” Joey said.
That development came after Matty revealed on a Daily Telegraph podcast that Joey wanted 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. Sadly for the brothers, their families and the rugby league community, this latest feud still has no discernible end date in sight.
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