What Johns told underfire Titan in the sheds

Legendary halfback Andrew Johns has revealed he was so impressed with the performance of multimillion-dollar playmaker Ash Taylor in the Gold Coast Titans' Round Two win that he joined him for a beer and congratulated him in the change-rooms.

While Taylor won't suit up until at least Round Six after fracturing his hand in the Titans' victory over the Broncos, Johns is clearly eager for his comeback match as he said the Queenslander's game against Brisbane was "a real step forward".

"In Round Two I was really impressed with Ash individually," Johns told Wide World of Sports' Immortal Behaviour.

"I thought he played really tough. Defensively he made some really strong tackles and forced errors, and I actually went down to the sheds and saw him. I said, 'Mate, it's so good to see you playing like that'.

"There is that player in Ash Taylor that footy fans can see, but we just want to see it week in, week out.

"I thought it was a real step forward for Ash.

"Disappointed he'll be out for three or four weeks because defensively he played so tough. I think as a half that's where you start the game – defensively. If you're aggressive and are getting your head in there and forcing errors, everything flows off your defence.

"So I feel sorry for Ash after the injury."

The 26-year-old is in the final season of a three-year contract worth a reported $1 million per year.

The indigenous star will give his chances of signing an extension a massive boost if he leads the Titans to their first finals berth since 2016.

Johns, a former NSW Blues captain, was baffled that he had actually had a XXXX Gold – Queensland's most treasured drop – after the Titans' win over the Broncos.

"You know you're thirsty when, one, you're drinking mid-strength, which in the Johns household you can get flogged for that, and two, drinking that stuff north of the border," Johns said.

"But when you got to go you got to go."

Tanah Boyd is set to play five-eighth and partner Gold Coast captain Jamal Fogarty in the halves in the Titans' Round Three duel with the North Queensland Cowboys on Sunday.

"He's a dummy-half, he's an out-and-out dummy-half. So I'd be saying to him, 'Just have a real running game. Don't worry about the ball-playing side of things'. That'll go to … Jamal Fogarty," Johns said.

"It's going to be a test because playing out of position from dummy-half to five-eighth is a big move.

"I think they'll play a different style where Boyd plays a bit of dummy-half and Jamal Fogarty pretty much plays on the ball."

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