Johns calls it a day

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The Newcastle Knights and former Australia stand-off made the decision after being told he risked a catastrophic spinal injury if he played on.

Johns, who aggravated a neck injury in a freak training collision last Thursday, said: "I'm still in shock, to be honest. I'm totally numb."

He added: "It was really tough telling my family. I made an emotional call to my brother Matthew, but it was even tougher telling players.

"I've known the neck has been sore for a couple of weeks so the time is right. I'm just thankful I haven't suffered a really serious injury and ended up in a wheelchair."

Johns, who has a history of neck injuries, played a club-record 249 first-grade games for the Knights as well as playing 23 matches for New South Wales, 21 Tests for Australia and was a member of the Kangaroos' 1995 and 2000 World Cup-winning teams.

"Joey was one of the greatest players to play the game," said Australia Rugby League chairman Colin Love. "It was a privilege to have seen him play."

NRL chief executive David Gallop said: "For 15 years he has been a colossal figure in our game."

British legend Shaun Edwards described Johns as "simply the greatest player in the history of rugby league", a tribute echoed by Welsh dual-code international Jonathan Davies.

"Andrew Johns was one of the best footballers, if not the best, I have ever seen," Davies told the BBC. "His skills were phenomenal, he could win games on his own and would make the right decisions nine times out of 10."