It took less than 20 minutes for Andrew Johns to prove he's anything but a spent force in the NRL.

Johns made a successful return from a knee injury in Newcastle's 32-28 loss to Cronulla at Gosford Stadium on Saturday night, entering the fray in the 23rd minute and orchestrating a late fightback.

The 30-year-old was tentative early but warmed to the task as the trial match went on, showing enough in the game's final 20 minutes to suggest he could recapture his brilliant past.

He certainly made believers out of the Cronulla players, who clung to a four-point lead as Johns led Newcastle back from a 20-point deficit in the second half.

"He was brilliant," Sharks back rower Phil Bailey said.

"What did he put on us - 20 points in the last 20 minutes or so? He was upbeat, he was marshalling troops...Joey (Johns) was the difference.

"He was dominant, like he always is.

"If you knew nothing about rugby league you'd say `who was that No.7 ... he's better than anyone else out there'.

"As the score showed he tore us apart in the last 30 minutes when he started to get a bit of match fitness under his belt and started to get it all back together again.

"He was sensational."

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