The man referred to as the 8th Rugby League Immortal, Andrew Johns, has assisted in his first training session with Tonga in the lead-up to their test against Samoa this weekend.
The former Kangaroos and Newcastle's star has taken on a voluntary role as an assistant coach for the Mate Ma'a Tonga.
Rugby league immortal Andrew Johns. Photo: PHOTOSPORT
Head coach Kristian Woolf said Johns will assist the likes of Samisoni Langi and Feleti Mateo with the subtleties of the game and help them threaten the line a little more.
"It gave the group a real buzz when we introduced him," Woolf said.
"He certainly had some good tips, particularly for the halves, but for the group in general. That's what we brought him in for," he said.
"We want to obviously help the group prepare as best as possible for this game and if we can give our players a couple of things that they can take back to their club footy that helps them out as well then that's even better."
Tonga has lost the likes of Tuimoala Lolohea, Siosiua Taukeiaho and most recently Manu Ma'u to New Zealand representative duty.
Woolf said having someone with the standing of Johns around the camp could hopefully help retain talent and attract players for future Tongan squads.
One player who has caught the eye of other teams, including Queensland representative selectors is Broncos forward Joe Ofahengaue.
Joe Ofahengaue showing some strong defence for the Broncos. Photo: Photosport
Ofahengaue will turn out for Tonga this weekend at least and Woolf said he is the type if player the team is trying to attract.
"He's a very good player young Joe and he's getting better and better for the Broncos every week from what I see and he is getting more and more confident as an NRL player," he said.
"Our aim is to obviously be able to pick a team where every player in our team is a consistent NRL player. Once we get to that point, and we're getting better and better, we can be truly competitive on the international scale and start causing some hopeful upsets."
