Paul Johnson stepping up?

[Rednecknow]

I saw Paul Johnson got a mention in the practice match report from the other week in Adelaide.

Where does everyone think he might fit in this year? Does anyone see any improvement in him from last year where he played only one game before breaking a leg.?

 

[DanielKerr4]

Massive improvement in Johnno compared with last year. In the practice games he has been a good option for us at CHF. He has great potential and i can see him being in our starting lineup against the doggies, if fit. Not very good in a pack mark situation but is like a rover as soon as the ball hits the ground, very good small man skills.

Should be good for us this year and in the future.

 

[Mead]

Johno has shown huge (and pretty surprising) improvement this preseason, to the point where I would say he'll get an opportunity to cement his place in the best 22 from round 1 onwards.

He's a fascinating player actually- on the surface, he's a big, scary looking bastard, who at first glance moves like the QE2, but he's surprisingly deft when the ball is on the deck out on front of him- I think its mostly down to him having a good instinct for what the ball is going to do next, but he is also very coordinated once he has the ball- adept at wheeling around and snapping, and bloody hard to stop on the lead.

The question marks over him since he was originall drafted are still there somewhat, namely his ability to take a contested pack mark- certainly he doesn't seem to have much of a jump, and does his best work with the ball out in front of him or on the deck- I reckon he's a 199cm version of Phil Matera

 

[Streaker]

The scarey thing about Johnson is that he doesn't turn 20 til June so there is a chance he may grow taller than his 199cm. We could also use him through the ruck rotation and have him resting in the forward line. With 2 crumbing smalls in Matera and Sampi we should go with a tall forward line.

 

[Mead]

Originally posted by West Coast Stre
The scarey thing about Johnson is that he doesn't turn 20 til June so there is a chance he may grow taller than his 199cm. We could also use him through the ruck rotation and have him resting in the forward line. With 2 crumbing smalls in Matera and Sampi we should go with a tall forward line.

Interesting you should mention that actually- apparently he was only 189 two years ago!

 

[thegur]

Originally posted by West Coast Stre
... With 2 crumbing smalls in Matera and Sampi we should go with a tall forward line.

as a side note, I'd still think we are wasting Sampi's sublime skills by leaving him in the FP, I'd be more inclined to push him up the ground ... perhaps there is a role for Adkins as that other crumbing small though?

thegur

 

[eagleye]

Originally posted by Mead
I reckon he's a 199cm version of Phil Matera [/B]

i certainly hope so if Matera was 199 cm he would be the best forward in the leugue no doubt about that

 

[Jabber]

Originally posted by Mead
The question marks over him since he was originall drafted are still there somewhat, namely his ability to take a contested pack mark- certainly he doesn't seem to have much of a jump, and does his best work with the ball out in front of him or on the deck- I reckon he's a 199cm version of Phil Matera

His poor contested marking is probably less of a hindrance to us than it would have been to other teams, thats probably why we picked him earlier than most expected him to go.
He looks a perfect foil for Matera. Contested marking is not important, bringing the ball to ground is all he needs to do so that either he, Matera or another running player can scoop up the crumbs. The fact he is big is a bonus as it takes a tall defender out of the equation.

 

[Ken Ackers]

he was actually taken much later than expected. mostly due to his percieved inability to take a contested mark

 

[Jabber]

Originally posted by Ken Ackers
he was actually taken much later than expected. mostly due to his percieved inability to take a contested mark

If he had a perceived inability to take contested marks, wouldn't you expect him to be taken later?

Sounds like your running a bizarro draft.

 

[no1bankteller]

Originally posted by Jabber


If he had a perceived inability to take contested marks, wouldn't you expect him to be taken later?

Sounds like your running a bizarro draft.

At the time of the draft he was considered a top 12 pick. I remember seeing both the Age and Herald Sun preview of 2002 draft and both of them had him top 10 at the time.

However teams shyed away from him because they saw his pack marking to be an issue.

 

[Hamburger]

Originally posted by no1bankteller
At the time of the draft he was considered a top 12 pick. I remember seeing both the Age and Herald Sun preview of 2002 draft and both of them had him top 10 at the time.

However teams shyed away from him because they saw his pack marking to be an issue.

Interesting that teams would shy away from someone 18 yrs of age who has not stopped growing yet because they cannot take a pack mark??.........what ever happened to coaching at AFL level???

What do all those skills coaching staff employed by clubs actually do then??

someone the size of Johnson has all the attributes to become a good KPP player, and with practice and good coaching may well turn out to be a very good contested marker.

while it is clear that to make the top 10 in the draft you have to already be an accomplished player, is it actually the case that taking a top 10 pick is any less risky than taking someone who is taken between 10 and 30?

MacDougall was a top 5 pick.......is it certain at this stage that he is a clearly better player than Johnson?

 

[theorangeapple]

yeh i think we got him at a bargin price. that was an awkward draft in many respects because i think alot of teams had 2-3 picks before our first. this meant that they took the best player with the first (upto around pick 8) and from then on took what they needed....leting johnson slip through. i think essendon was widely tipped to take him at their pick 10 or11 (??) but they went with jason laycock (also a tall) from tassie, i think because they felt he had more improvement in him than johnson, although not a better player at the time.

so i think it was the fact that he was not strong in the pack marking...plus the fact that he seemed to have already developed to his maxium potential which made him less attrative. good for us though because it seems that he did have more potential to grow into!

 

[Mead]

Originally posted by theorangeapple
yeh i think we got him at a bargin price. that was an awkward draft in many respects because i think alot of teams had 2-3 picks before our first. this meant that they took the best player with the first (upto around pick 8) and from then on took what they needed....leting johnson slip through. i think essendon was widely tipped to take him at their pick 10 or11 (??) but they went with jason laycock (also a tall) from tassie, i think because they felt he had more improvement in him than johnson, although not a better player at the time.

so i think it was the fact that he was not strong in the pack marking...plus the fact that he seemed to have already developed to his maxium potential which made him less attrative. good for us though because it seems that he did have more potential to grow into!

Yeah, the perception was that because he was physically very well developed for his age, he looked better than he actually was, and would struggle against AFL sized bodies.

I actually think we've done a huge amount of development work with him over the last year- have turned a big, relatively raw ruckman into a very handy looking CHF. which I think would have to have a lot to do with Johno being cluey enough to adapt to a new role.

 

[Monocle]

Originally posted by Mead
[
I actually think we've done a huge amount of development work with him over the last year- have turned a big, relatively raw ruckman into a very handy looking CHF. which I think would have to have a lot to do with Johno being cluey enough to adapt to a new role. [/B]

Mead you are correct in your assesment as Johno is a smart footballer.

Its interesting, that the perception is, that just because you are tall, therefore you must be a strong pack mark to be of any use.
Johnson leads well and is in fact a strong lead. He has the unique advantage that very few players as tall as him have anywhere near the skills below their knees that Johno has, so therefore his second efforts are those akin to a smaller player. Over and above that his use of his body in screening and protecting the crumbers is well developed.

So what is my point you may well ask?

It is this he will become a very difficult player for oppositions sides to match up on. Because of his size he demands a player of strong stature, but his opponent needs also to be nimble. If his opponent is very quick ,but not quite tall enough them Johnson will in fact be strong in the air albeit not in a pack situation. Johno ,I believe ,can cause the mismatches that Lynch at Brisbane and Lloyd at Essendon cause. If you dont get it right he will hurt you. So someone else in the side gets the benefit of who Johno draws as his opponent . For example Staker runs wild as McDougall and Johnson take the two best tall defender. Just as Bradshaw { or Pyke or White} do at the Lions when Brown and Lynch are covered.

Somtimes its not always what you bring to the side but also what you free up.

 

[Mead]

Originally posted by Monocle
Mead you are correct in your assesment as Johno is a smart footballer.

Its interesting, that the perception is, that just because you are tall, therefore you must be a strong pack mark to be of any use.
Johnson leads well and is in fact a strong lead. He has the unique advantage that very few players as tall as him have anywhere near the skills below their knees that Johno has, so therefore his second efforts are those akin to a smaller player. Over and above that his use of his body in screening and protecting the crumbers is well developed.

So what is my point you may well ask?

It is this he will become a very difficult player for oppositions sides to match up on. Because of his size he demands a player of strong stature, but his opponent needs also to be nimble. If his opponent is very quick ,but not quite tall enough them Johnson will in fact be strong in the air albeit not in a pack situation. Johno ,I believe ,can cause the mismatches that Lynch at Brisbane and Lloyd at Essendon cause. If you dont get it right he will hurt you. So someone else in the side gets the benefit of who Johno draws as his opponent . For example Staker runs wild as McDougall and Johnson take the two best tall defender. Just as Bradshaw { or Pyke or White} do at the Lions when Brown and Lynch are covered.

Somtimes its not always what you bring to the side but also what you free up.

Agreed- I wasn't being totally tongue in cheek when I said he was a 199cm version of Fido- aside from the height, Johnno has a similar set of attributes to him- not so great in the air, but very strong on the lead, good at gathering the ball with his back to the goals and swinging around, and seems to have a natural instinct for timing his leads to the ball- very Fidoish.

I'm really looking forward to seeing Johno play a lot of footy this year- he's a very good prospect, and pretty interesting to watch as well. since he isn't your typical big man- he and Doogs complement each other nicely.

 

[Monocle]

I'm really looking forward to seeing Johno play a lot of footy this year- he's a very good prospect, and pretty interesting to watch as well. since he isn't your typical big man- he and Doogs complement each other nicely. [/B][/QUOTE]

Mead thanks once again for your input.

My thoughts for the future. Whilst Doogs at FF and Johno at CHF are being thrown up as our prospective starters., I can see a time in the future when the roles are reversed . When Doogs puts a bit more weight on and matures he may well become the marking CHF we have never had. Like wise the fast leading, strong one on one Johno could become Lynch like at FF.

The interesting aside is , what pressure from their development can the likes of Gasper, Hansen, Staker and Seaby place on these two. For once we have healthy competition for key position players then we are well on our way to be a major force. In the back half I believe Glass and Lynch will serve us well.

my thoughts only.

 

[cartman]

i have high hopes for jono , and look forward to reviewing my mans games over the year. go jono

 

[Rednecknow]

Interesting hopes and dreams for Johnno, from just 1 very average game last year and breaking a leg, to holding down CHF.

I hope for all you're sakes he produces the promise he has obviously shown over summer.

I look forward to seeing how the boy goes.

 

[Monocle]

Originally posted by Rednecknow
Interesting hopes and dreams for Johnno, from just 1 very average game last year and breaking a leg, to holding down CHF.

I hope for all you're sakes he produces the promise he has obviously shown over summer.

I look forward to seeing how the boy goes.

Southern Bell: not at all based on last year, but more on his pre season form, although I would not think this is covered well in your press.

Hope Carlton bring you some joy.

 

[Rednecknow]

Originally posted by Monocle
Southern Bell: not at all based on last year, but more on his pre season form, although I would not think this is covered well in your press.

Hope Carlton bring you some joy.

No havent seen him mentioned on ESPN yet but its early.

Carlton havent brought joy for anyone recently that I know of, why would they for me I have no idea. Its not like Im seeing any games live this year bar the Granny.

 

[Streaker]

I was just looking back through Wisbeys profile of Johnson and a few things stood out.

1/ His official height and weight were listed at 197cm and 96kg meaning that last year he gained 2cm and 4kg.

2/ "Paul is a very strong, purposeful, steam-train lead. He hits the ball at top pace and has vice-grab hands if he can take the ball out if front. If you are even a metre behind him on the lead and the ball comes no higher than head height, he will mark it every time. And when he does he will hurt because he is such a reliable thumping kick, especially for goal."

3/ "For his size, his straight-line agility is outstanding and his straight-line pace is usually quite good once he has built up momentum. He is exceptionally clean-handed and reliable below the knee even within a pack or through serious traffic. .He is incredibly adept at half-volley pickups at top pace - either takes off the ground or diving marks. He regularly sets up play by charging through traffic, taking the ball amazingly cleanly, then feeding off."

4/ "If the ball presents a genuine overhead marking contest, Paul struggles big-time. He will always give you a big chance because he gives you unlimited access to the ball. He instinctively tends to run at the ball in such a way that he gets to a point underneath the ball and then jumps virtually straight up. He doesn’t have a feel for jumping up and INTO the ball. Nor does he steady at the last moment to shield the ball from the opponent’s reach. The bottom line is that Johnson is often not well-balanced at impact and, most importantly, the opponent doesn’t have to reach around Johnson’s body, let alone his arms, him for the ball. To compound things (or possibly connected) Paul often has hard hands overhead and struggles to even get hands to ball if he is coming from behind or mid-pack. Put simply, Paul‘s overhead marking usually consists of him running to the spot and jumping vertically straight up to catch. If he doesn’t have clear access to both those aspects, he is in trouble. Hence, he is usually in trouble overhead."

5/ "(Forward) style like combination of Molloy (Bris) and Cummings."

All of these comments seem to suggest that he should be at Full Forward. His weaknesses (overhead marking) could well and truly be a strength in a team that boasts small crumbing forwards such as Matera and Sampi (who I still see as a backman). Maybe we should be trying McDougall at CHF or at a pinch Full Back. Either way I see us having a more potent Forward line this year.

 

[thegur]

Originally posted by West Coast Stre
All of these comments seem to suggest that he should be at Full Forward. His weaknesses (overhead marking) could well and truly be a strength in a team that boasts small crumbing forwards such as Matera and Sampi (who I still see as a backman). Maybe we should be trying McDougall at CHF or at a pinch Full Back. Either way I see us having a more potent Forward line this year.

At the risk of seeming like a band-wagon jumper, I've been thinking about this for sometime ... mostly because I'd like to see Howser develop more as a Tarrant roaming around HF as opposed to being restricted to the goal-square. If he ever does fill out his potential, I think it's too much to be denied the opportunity to dominate and influence a game at CHF. Not saying he will get to Tarrant's level, but I could see him physically being in the same mold.

this of course combines well with the fact that by reports we have the makings of a FF in Johno (see West Coast Stre's post).

thegur