Johnson shot an angry look at the coach's box when dragged by Elliott in the 49th minute of the Warriors' disastrous 62-6 defeat to Penrith on Saturday night.
His mood hadn't improved much when he returned to Auckland. He was the first through customs and moved quickly to exit the airport.
"Embarrassed, humiliated," Johnson said. "As a halfback, that's the last thing you want. I would rather get run over 20 times than get pulled from the field and let your teammates down like that.
"Certainly I was a bit off on attack ... but I know I wouldn't be the only one to say that."
He was poor. His last tackle options were off the mark, he missed touch with a penalty and missed two tackles and made a team-high three errors. But he was not alone in a dreadful all-round display.
It was just the second time Johnson had been substituted in his 48-game NRL career but the first since his debut season in 2011. Only a fortnight earlier, the 22-year-old was being lauded for the way he was learning how to direct the team around the park, his improving kicking game and maturity for landing a field goal in their 25-24 win over Gold Coast.
"My belief in Shaun is growing really quickly," Elliott said at the time.
A coach has the right to drag a player from the field at any time and Elliott clearly felt Johnson was off the pace. He probably also thought it would be good for Johnson's development.
Interestingly, Penrith coach Ivan Cleary, who handed Johsnon his debut in 2011 when at the Warriors, expressed surprise when both Johnson and Feleti Mateo were substituted.
"When you're that far ahead, you're thinking who's going to spark the comeback and those two guys are probably at the top of the list," he told reporters.
That's the same Johnson many believe the club should be built around and there have been calls for the Warriors to lock him into a long-term contract beyond his present deal which expires at the end of 2015. He is a player of tremendous potential and his development needs to be handled carefully.
Former Kiwis captain Hugh McGahan believes Johnson should be paired with Pita Godinet in the halves because the partnership with Thomas Leuluai isn't working.
McGahan said Godinet consistently makes a difference, providing the team with a spark when he is on the field. In his 43 minutes against the Panthers, Godinet made one linebreak, three tackle breaks, kicked for 90m and missed two tackles.
Elliott has resisted making wholesale changes for Sunday's match against Newcastle at Mt Smart Stadium, with Johsnon and Leuluai retained. Fullback Kevin Locke (back) and centre Dane Nielsen (ribs) have been slated to return with Glen Fisiiahi and Carlos Tuimavave dropping to an extended seven-man interchange bench that also includes Ngani Laumape.
It shapes as a crucial game for the Warriors, but they face a stern examination from a Knights side fresh from their 44-8 destruction of the Bulldogs on Sunday.
"We didn't compete in physical terms last week and that's simply not good enough in this competition," Elliott said. "If you don't measure up in the physical exchanges you'll be humiliated - and we were."
There were few who felt more humiliated than Johnson and he's determined to prove his worth.
"I'm very hungry to go out there," he said. "No more talking."
Warriors team to play Newcastle at Mt Smart Stadium, Auckland, on Sunday (4.05pm): (three to be omitted) Kevin Locke, Bill Tupou, Dane Nielsen, Ben Henry, Manu Vatuvei, Thomas Leuluai, Shaun Johnson, Sam Rapira, Nathan Friend, Russell Packer, Feleti Mateo, Simon Mannering (c), Todd Lowrie, Interchange: Ben Matulino, Jacob Lillyman, Elijah Taylor, Carlos Tuimavave, Glen Fisiiahi, Ngani Laumape, Pita Godinet.
