Delisted 20. Steve Johnson (2002-2015)

[Rustybugles]

Re: No. 20 Steve Johnson

how about when he tried to kick a goal lying on the ground when two team mates were running past him?

or when he was on the half back line and tenace was shouting at him how how he was and he still thought he had all the time in the world?

im waiting for the GF, when we are 3 points down and he marks the ball 40m out, the siren blows and steve johnson has only to kick a goal. what does he do?

a) play on
b) not make the distance

If you've followed Geelong for as long as I have - this is the stuff of nightmares! I just do not know what to make of him - he is danger itself. Exciting but unpredictable?

 

[sarah.13]

Re: No. 20 Steve Johnson

If you've followed Geelong for as long as I have - this is the stuff of nightmares! I just do not know what to make of him - he is danger itself. Exciting but unpredictable?

If the freak had of been traded every Geelong supporter would now be spewing!
Love him or hate him he certainly makes it worth while watching him.
Personally I believe by the time he finishes his career he will be one of the greats of GFC.

 

[Rustybugles]

Re: No. 20 Steve Johnson

No! I would never have supported trading him - though I'm told it gave him a fright - took himself off to the nearest pub for a fortifier! Seriously, I actually admire him for his personal turn-around even if he gives me a coronary every match!

 

[darren forssman]

Re: No. 20 Steve Johnson

I just do not know what to make of him - he is danger itself. Exciting but unpredictable?

this is so true...you just wait for a brain fade (some think brilliance).

even when he has a set shot you are wondering if he will try to baulk the man on the mark then kick to the opposition on the goal line.

 

[SJ]

Re: No. 20 Steve Johnson

this is so true...you just wait for a brain fade (some think brilliance).

even when he has a set shot you are wondering if he will try to baulk the man on the mark then kick to the opposition on the goal line.

Yeah but then he goes and jags a few that anyone else would miss. He's a match winner. Match winners win matches. I want to win matches. Simple.

 

[cats2rise]

Re: No. 20 Steve Johnson

Regarding the Grand Final comment.

If he was 35m out in front, I wouldn't want to look.

If he was 45m out on the wrong side on the boundary, standing on one foot while juggling hotdogs in one hand.... I'd back him in.

 

[darren forssman]

Re: No. 20 Steve Johnson

Regarding the Grand Final comment.

If he was 35m out in front, I wouldn't want to look.

If he was 45m out on the wrong side on the boundary, standing on one foot while juggling hotdogs in one hand.... I'd back him in.

yeah, i agree.

 

[TheTimeCometh]

Re: No. 20 Steve Johnson

Yeah but then he goes and jags a few that anyone else would miss. He's a match winner. Match winners win matches. I want to win matches. Simple.

debatable.

he can be a match-winner. so if he fades on what he should get, but get what most wouldn't, would you say that levels out?

 

[SJ]

Re: No. 20 Steve Johnson

debatable.

he can be a match-winner. so if he fades on what he should get, but get what most wouldn't, would you say that levels out?

I know where you're coming from, but you take the good with the bad. And the good greatly outweighs the bad in my opinion, and the gap is increasing week by week.

 

[TheTimeCometh]

Re: No. 20 Steve Johnson

agree he has lifted his all-round game.

just NO reverse spins on the half backline - PLEASE!

 

[chapmanmagic35]

Re: No. 20 Steve Johnson

I know where you're coming from, but you take the good with the bad. And the good greatly outweighs the bad in my opinion, and the gap is increasing week by week.

It outweighs it now. Hasn't in the past.

 

[Hairy Cat Mooney]

Re: No. 20 Steve Johnson

This man is on fire! I seriously reckon he has been the difference between our form at the very start of the year, and the form now. His performance on the weekend just shows how much hard work he has put in. The SJ of old would not have run a quarter of what he did on the weekend. Anyone reckon his a chance for AA next year?

 

[deadfish]

Re: No. 20 Steve Johnson

He was awesome today, Well done SJ, saw him out the other night, and he was on the waters


keep it up mate.

 

[SJ]

Freakish kid born for the big stage

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/sport/afl/story/0,26576,23392985-19742,00.html

Freakish kid born for the big stage
Scott Gullan | March 18, 2008 12:00am
In the first extract from The Mission, Scott Gullan's inside look at the Cats' 2007 season, we see what makes Steve Johnson tick.

STEVE Johnson was one of the late risers. He'd had the best sleep-in of his life. The previous night he'd almost polished off a block of chocolate and there were two bars left; he made short work of them as he flicked on the TV.

Johnson started watching a panel show as the guests were giving out tips for the Norm Smith Medal.

Former Kangaroos superstar Wayne Carey was next up. "Steve Johnson," Carey said.

"Oh, s---," Johnson thought.

The enormity of what lay ahead hit, and hard. "That's when I thought to myself, 'S---, this is pretty big now, this is Grand Final day. You are really involved in it now.' "

There were no streamers or banners up on the walls (in the MCG rooms) before the big game; no 'Eye of the Tiger' motivational songs being played. "It was pretty similar to a normal, regular sort of a game," coach Mark Thompson said.

Assistant Ken Hinkley had been in this situation as a player three times and knew more than most what the day meant. "Unfortunately, this game might be the undoing or the absolute making of a footy club," he said. "I arrived nice and early and everything felt relaxed, the players were OK.

"There were blokes taking 48 minutes to get their rubdown. Tommy Harley was doing his thing, making sure every part of his body was right. There were other blokes just doing what they do . . . and I had a bit of fun with Stevey."

He was used to Johnson's confidence in their normal muck-around conversations but even Hinkley was left shaking his head after their pre-game chat. When Hinkley asked his half-forward how he was feeling, Johnson replied: "I'm not worried about this game. This is my stage. This is where I do it, a full MCG on Grand Final day. Why do you think they put air in my lungs for?"

Hinkley couldn't top that. "I have got confidence and sarcasm, arrogance, all those things but he eats me," he said of Johnson. "Some people think he's kind of quiet but he's anything but shy when you know him."

It is no surprise to learn that Johnson's football hero was Peter Daicos. He had been a mad Magpies fan and spent hours out the front of the family home, opposite a golf course in Wangaratta, practising 'Daicos-isms' with his brother, David.

Two light poles 40m apart were the targets. Each time they hit one, a point was scored. Every kick was taken from where it landed.

Despite his freakish skills, Johnson almost didn't make the grade. He tried out for the Murray Bushrangers under-15 side and failed. He was injured before a trial game for the under-16 squad and was again rejected. The following year he wasn't even invited to try out for the under-17s.

He figured the problem was his ungainly running style. He shuffled, Cliff Young-style, and to many he looked slow. In reality he had an above-average aerobic capacity and covered the ground as well as anyone.

Johnson then implored two local running coaches to improve his technique. It worked andthe rest is history.

As he mucked around in the changerooms before the big game, having shots at bins, Johnson was enjoying a sense of belonging.

Before his suspension earlier in the year he had never felt that connection with his teammates.

"I feel like I am part of the team now," he said. "I can see that my teammates like having me out there."I have had my differences in the past with a few of those guys (in the leadership group). Now there is a mutual respect amongst myself and them and pretty much the whole group."

Tomorrow: What the players really said about each other to set up the premiership

 

[Partridge]

Re: Freakish kid born for the big stage

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/sport/afl/story/0,26576,23392985-19742,00.html

Sensational excerpt. I love players with confidence to perform on the big stage.

 

[catempire]

Re: Freakish kid born for the big stage

How good is this quote:

"I'm not worried about this game. This is my stage. This is where I do it, a full MCG on Grand Final day. Why do you think they put air in my lungs for?"

 

[SJ]

Re: Freakish kid born for the big stage

How good is this quote:

Possibly my next signature, it will be getting changed this Thursday.

 

[cancat]

Re: Freakish kid born for the big stage

He's a freak!

Young Gazza is a freak also. Varcoe shows some freaky signs too.

 

[sarah.13]

Re: Freakish kid born for the big stage

IMO it's a freaky team!

 

[ozgirl]

Re: Freakish kid born for the big stage

todays extract from the sun about the players assessments of each other
Link
http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/sport/afl/story/0,26576,23399403-19742,00.html

 

[I_am_geelong]

Re: Freakish kid born for the big stage

I love the detail about eating a block of chocolate the nite before. Very Steve. Not sure if its true.....but Ilove the story.

 

[CF]

Re: Freakish kid born for the big stage

Outlook

Proved his 2007 season was anything but a flash in the pan by turning in another outstanding year in 2008. Other than a premiership medal, it was a rewarding season as Johnson won All-Australian selection for the second successive year and was the Cats’ leading goalkicker. For the first time since making his debut in 2002, Johnson was able to play every game and his ability to create goals for himself or teammates out of nothing is extraordinary. Has plenty of good football ahead of him.

SEASON BY SEASON HIGHLIGHTS

2008
# Played all 25 games including second consecutive grand final
# Named in All Australian team for second time
# Had a career best 34 disposals in grand final against Hawthorn
# Led the Cats goal kicking with 53
# Booted 200th career goal in rd 21 vs. Nth Melb
# Had 20+ disposals in 13 games
# Equaled career best with six goals in rd 22 vs. Eagles
# Played for Victoria vs. dream team in AFL hall of fame game
# 100th AFL game came in rd 13 vs. Eagles, a 135 point win
# Finished 9th in best & fairest
# Ranked 12th in the AFL with 333 kicks
# Polled 11 Brownlow votes

2007
# Ended an unbelievable campaign with premiership and Norm Smith medal
# Selected in All Australian team for first time
# Played 20 games, losing only once
# Booted 49 goals, scoring at least one goal in every match
# Kicked four goals in grand final win and three in five point victory over Collingwood in prelim
# Booted five goals in win over Richmond in rd 18
# Career best 23 kicks and 14 marks came vs. Freo in rd 17 at Subiaco
# Finished 9th in best & fairest
# Polled 10 Brownlow votes

2006
# Played 15 games and kicked 30 goals
# Kicked 100th goal vs. St Kilda in rd 19
# Kicked four goals in a game twice (vs. Brisbane, vs. Melbourne)

2005
# Played 12 games including both finals
# Had 23 possessions and kicked two goals in Sydney semi final
# 50th AFL game in rd 22 vs. Richmond, a one point win at Skilled Stadium

2004
# Played 13 games including all three finals
# Kicked five goals in rd 22 win over Hawthorn
# Had career high nine tackles in prelim final vs. Brisbane
# Had first Brownlow vote in rd 19 vs. Richmond

2003
# Played 15 games
# Finished 11th in best & fairest
# Kicked career high six goals vs. Lions in rd 21, with five in third qtr
# Had 24 disposals in rd 17 vs. Nth Melb, his first 20+ game

2002
# Made AFL debut in rd 6 vs. Lions at Gabba, kicking one goal
# Kicked four goals in two games (vs. Coll’wood, vs. St Kilda)
# Member of VFL premiership team

2001
# Named to All Australian U18 team after playing with Vic Country at national titles
# Played TAC Cup with Murray Bushrangers

 

[CF]

Re: Freakish kid born for the big stage

 

[CF]

Re: Freakish kid born for the big stage

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[Pivo]

Re: No. 20 Steve Johnson

TWICE in the 2006 post-season, Geelong was the beneficiary of adverse medical reports that put enough doubt in the minds of opposition clubs to the extent that they were unwilling to risk recruiting players who became elite.
The first was the teenage Joel Selwood, whose questionable knee enabled the Cats to pick up a remarkable bargain at No. 7 in the national draft, when the prospective champion should have been either No. 1 or No. 2.
The second set of fateful X-rays belonged to Steve Johnson, whose dodgy ankle — broken in December 2003 when attempting to climb a fence at the Torquay pub that had refused him admittance — represented too great a risk for both Collingwood and Essendon.
Geelong had Johnson on the trading block. Opinions vary on the initial asking price — either a second or first-round draft pick, more likely second, as improbable as that now sounds.
Collingwood initially was "buzzing like a blue-arse fly", as one participant in the discussions put it, at the prospect of picking up Johnson, an enormous talent whose combination of off-field slips — literally, in the case of the Torquay incident — and the troublesome ankle (caused by the fence slip) created a rare opportunity.
Johnson has not missed a game at any level since. His pre-season suspension and exile from the senior team for a drunken arrest in Wangaratta, his home town, meant that he played four consecutive games in the VFL at the onset of 2007. He has played every senior game since, won the 2007 Norm Smith Medal and is on track for a third consecutive all-Australian guernsey.
Johnson has booted 21 goals in eight games this season and, much to Geelong's chagrin, is coming out of contract at season's end.
What ankle problem?
The Magpies were not concerned about Johnson's questionable character. Nor were the Bombers, then about to embark upon Kevin Sheedy's 27th and final season at Windy Hill; Sheedy had never hidden his weakness for scallywags and second chances.
Geelong had endured its terrible, turbulent season and was taking a stand of sorts — similar to the stance Essendon would subsequently take on its own hyper-talented trouble-magnet, Andrew Lovett. For Johnson, the penny didn't really drop until his suspension.
That only two clubs, the Pies and Bombers, showed serious interest is an indication of where Johnson sat at the end 2006, although Fremantle is understood to have discussed offering Paul Medhurst for the Geelong forward. Medhurst would be traded to the Pies as part of the Chris Tarrant deal.
The Magpies were sufficiently keen on Johnson that they sought to keep him away from Essendon — encouraging him to stay for longer at a meeting and keep the Bombers waiting. Johnson, who had not wanted out of Geelong, was nonetheless happy to join the club he had barracked for as a boy.
It rested on the medical report, which was less than positive. The Collingwood medicos, including a specialist, examined Johnson and his records, and concluded that there was a serious risk of him breaking down.
"The report of Collingwood's medical staff gave them enough cause for concern to back away," said Johnson's manager, Dan Richardson, who confirmed that neither the Pies nor Essendon had been concerned greatly with Johnson's off-field foibles. "There was really no issue with the character issue."
Essendon did not progress as far as the Magpies in its pursuit of Johnson, whom the Bombers had rated highly before he was drafted. Johnson met Sheedy and recruiting boss Adrian Dodoro, and the club examined his ankle situation. But, unlike Collingwood, it did not subject the forward to a medical examination.
Johnson was then 23, and while the Dons had picks 18 and 20 — ideal for this type of deal — they had finished 15th and weren't so hot for a mature recruit, who, as one Bomber official observed this week, wouldn't have been the difference between winning and losing a premiership in the short term.
For both Collingwood and Geelong, the hypothetical scenarios are more troubling. The Cats defeated Collingwood by five points in the 2007 preliminary final. Johnson booted three goals that evening on James Clement, a telling contribution in a game the Cats nearly blew.
His ankle still requires careful management. "The more recent prognosis is a bit more positive for the ankle than it was back then," said Richardson. "It may just be a result of 'Johnno' managing it a lot better."
How the mercurial Johnson might have fared at Collingwood or Essendon is one of those great imponderables of the game.
Geelong declined to comment on the history of the Johnson non-trade.

http://www.theage.com.au/news/rfnews/cats-get-benefit-of-the-doubt/2009/05/21/1242498868931.html