He does, amazed the amount of times he goes to dummy half to take the ball up to give the forwards a rest.

Great talent but also a very down to Earth nice fella...think he will be a RL international within the next year or so...within the next 2/3 years he could easily be a cross code international...where the money is and who'd blame him. It's such a short career and he should maximise his earning potential like others have done.

He's an amazing talent, probably wasted at Wakefield (or any other super league club). He's certainly capable of making it in the NRL or Union and is no doubt worthy of international duties for either code.

This was a year ago today best try I have ever seen Wakefield score in super league. https://www.facebook.com/the18thmanUK/v ... 341714105/

This was a year ago today best try I have ever seen Wakefield score in super league. https://www.facebook.com/the18thmanUK/v ... 341714105/

Quote Wakefield No 1="Wakefield No 1"This was a year ago today best try I have ever seen Wakefield score in super league. https://www.facebook.com/the18thmanUK/v ... 341714105/'" Brilliant still makes the hairs stand up

Quote Wakefield No 1="Wakefield No 1"This was a year ago today best try I have ever seen Wakefield score in super league. https://www.facebook.com/the18thmanUK/v ... 341714105/'" Brilliant still makes the hairs stand up

I take real satisfaction from this one. I don't hav a bad record on here for spotting talent but I don't get them all right - sadly.



This lad I bet everything on from the start and I never doubted for a minute - you could just tell he was for real. Never understood the doubters of which there were many.

He's got superb raw talent and as has been said is very grounded.

He will be a true RL great - I just hope it's with us all through his career.

Agree with all that has been said and if he does leave Trinity I hope he goes over to the NRL and smashes it! Also I wouldn't be surprised to see a position change to FB/Centre in the future...

Every time Tom gets the ball, particularly when in our own half with some space you feel like he can go the length of the pitch, he has everything needed to make it



The guy is magic, I absolutely believe he will be Trinitys next England player

Tom Johnstone should be a dead cert for England's world cup squad. End of. If he played for Castleford he'd have as many if not more tries than Minikin or Eden. Unlike those two, he can break from deep and finish off himself on top of just finishing well inside the opposition's twenty.

Should it not be " if Wakefield Trinity played like Castleford he would have many more tries than Minikin or Eden who play for Cas"

Yes. Bang on.

Not getting drawn into the Cas or Wakey argument. However TJ is a fantastic talent but the one thing I've noticed in the games I've watched him is his concentration. At times he's out of the game for long minutes and its then he seems to lose a bit of concentration. I suppose its natural in a young kid especially when the crowd are chanting his name. I suppose he'll eventually grow out of it but if I was CC I'd be working on it.

The solution to me is to bring him in to the game more.

I know wingers take the ball up on kick return 1St or second but he needs running chances.

We need to play like Widnes did when Offiah played or even like Cas do now and get the ball wider as often as possible.

Every time he gets the ball in space out wide he causes havoc...problem for us is he doesn't get enough ball...nothing against BT as he grafts and makes good metres but he can't pass! Grix found him nicely the other night with a quality cut out pass...something we need to do more whilever Bill is inside him...think he's missing Max too as going forward those two have a great understanding...you can't drop Grix though way he's playing!



Would love to see TJ given a chance in an England shirt...a lot of quality wingers around at the minute but I truly believe he's potentially the best in the game...would make a dream pairing with Percival for me!

Never even vaguely noticed such a thing, quite the opposite if anything. Still if you feel the need to find a non existent flaw so be it.

Think that's a bit unfair on Tupou. He's given TJ a few decent passes this year including one that got knocked down last week but still led to a try.



Two things to remember with our centres at the moment. One they don't get anymore space than TJ because at the moment the way we move the ball wide is to pedestrian. With that in mind and the still greasy pitches the last thing Tupou wants is to see TJ pushed out to wide and bundled into touch. Great though TJ is he doesn't want to be to close to touch at the moment, hence the game becomes compressed.



I know Cas seem to be doing it at the moment but until we are producing quick ball in the middle like they do we won't imho.

Absolutely correct - they've got a much better hooker and hb combination - so the speed and quality of the build-up is what allows them to get the ball out wide; we're just not there yet.

The sad reality is he's unlikely to reach his full potential playing for us unless we undergo a significant change in fortunes, I just hope he's here as long as possible.

Tom is the type of player who would move to the next level in the NRL.. he might win more at another club but his game wont develop further.... but I hope he waits to be part of the new breed of Trinity Young Guns...



would love to see him, Crowther , Jowitt , Batchelor, Mazive... leading the influx of young stars we currently have in our academies. Even if its just for a couple of seasons

This is the problem with RL over here. We put too much pressure on players, TJ is not ready for the NRL come on, let him develop and develop in defence too. Denny Solomona couldnt scratch it in the NRL, and he was the best finisher ive seen in SL era. TJ needs time, look at McGillervry at Shudds, got better and better every year, now the number 1 winger IMHO. I hate to see a young player have too much pressure on them, you only have to look at Joe Westerman, he was amazing at 16/17, different class to anyone else at that age, and Sky were calling him the next Paul Sculthorpe (ridiculas comparison) and he never lived up to the hype. TJ will get there, but it takes time

I didn't say he was ready... I suggested that the NRL could take his game to a new level... whereas a move to another SL club would not... that said ... he IS ready!



he's at an age where he would be expected to be making an impression at first grade level in Australia... he is 22 this year; same age as Valentine Holmes, Jack Bird, Bevan French, Cameron Munster then one thinks of the Trbojevic brothers, Curtis Sironen who are around the same age... then the young guns at Penrith... Waqa Blake, Reagan Campbell-Gillard, Bryce Cartwright, James Fisher-Harris, Isaah Yeo, Dallin Watene-Zelezniak... all first grade regulars and all around Tom's age.. not counting the teenage sensation Nathan Cleary and the other teen monster at the roosters... Latrell Mitchell...



I think Tom has the stuff to stand amongst those as equals.



I still hope he stays a long time at Trinity

A lot of the other SL clubs won't have the luxury of seeing what we do of TJ. The lad has it all. Speed, strength, good in the air and great feet/agility. Good yard gains in our own half. Has a good pass and boot too we see on occasion leading to assists. His defence improved massively last year and he is very consistent. When was the last bad game he had?? He has it all.



In a way I'm glad that the SL doesn't get to see all this we see regularly. He's already sought after but there's more to his game and he's probably the best player to come through wakey since Gareth Ellis.

Indeed. I always remember a friend of mine's Dad telling me that at some time when Neil Fox made his debut or shortly after, he must have had a suboptimal game and he shouted 'You''ll never make a footballer while you've a hole in etc etc' at him

Good luck to Tom. The progress he's made is amazing

The perfect template for Tom is Gareth Ellis.

Gareth outgrew Trin, went to Leeds, outgrew Leeds, went to the NRL, proved himself over there without question.

And is still one of the best 2nd rows at 35/36.