Ben Johnson

[conodie05]

I think Johnno will be named early in '10 and depending on his performance may find himself named emergency for the remainder of the year. There is a changing of the guard, and those coming in share the same attributes as Johnno, except they are highly discliplined and almost as good on either side of the body. That is what will keep Johnno out IMO.

I've loved watching his awkward yet effective style over the years, don't get me wrong! Going forward, I don't think there will be a spot for him unless required due to the unavailability of others.

 

[SIDE BY SIDE]

If he is in the best 22 is up to Wellingham and McCarthy in the end. The only spot for BJ now is a run with midfielder. Toovey has taken the small defenders role with Shaw so he wont go back there. Swan Ball Pendlebury Beams Sidebottom Didak Davis Obree will be our main ball winners so no room for him there. He cant play as a forward no room there. All thats left is a run with player and if Wellingham or McCarthy don't step up then he is safe.

I don't care how good he was or what he did back in 06 if he deserves his spot in 2010 then play him but if someone younger can do it just as good or better i would rather them in so we can get ready for the future.

 

[daics_35]

I love the man and i rekon he is in our best 22 instead of toovey but he can make stupid desisions from the backline.

 

[loki04]

Disagree with pretty much all of this. I think he has the ability to play a tagging role through the middle, and his clearance work is underrated. He has never been great overhead yet he made his mark as a defender in his earlier days.

If we are going to be challenging for a premiership in the next 1-3 years then you pick your side based on current form/ability not who is going to be good in the future and at the moment Johnson has all of the above covered.

He runs too offensively to be a good tagger when was the last time he restricted his opponent?

He has his good games and bad but for me he is in the 20 -25th range good depth player but has flaws, this side has too many players getting games that have big flaws but big heart.
never win a flag with a team with 5 poor disposers (can carry 2 max), we need more younger players taking over their roles.

 

[kbutcher24]

he is rubbish and lazy

wont play beyond 2010, too many guys r going to take his spot

 

[knightwheelrqr]

how can a fact be exaggerated?

[youtube]8EQP28e1jt4[/youtube]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8EQP28e1jt4

the clip proves my stat please watch it it took some time finding it

ok i agreed he is not the greatest disposer in the world but i believe he is a good kick and not a shit kick.

i believe he can provide valuable experience and adds to the team in crunch matches.

He isn't a horrible kick, would just say that his kick can be inconsistant.

And not dissing his ability to play in big matches either, just I wouldn't have called him an out and out matchwinner.

Would call him a "handy" player, but still is my 22nd man until someone else develops out of sight on our list.

I just rate his form from the mid 00s allot more when he was near our best player on our list. Back then he would run and carry out of defence better than anyone in the league. That is probably the only asset to his game that I really rate him for.

Would rate him ahead of players such as Wellingham, McCarthy, Toovey and those types of fringe players for now. But not ahead of Sidebottom, Beams, Thomas.

 

[Passion8pie]

Benny is a gun when fit.
i wont forget the TWO goals he kicked against Adelaide in the final,
He helped us with that win .
and dont forget either ,he was having a good game against Ablett in
round 3 and then broke his foot.

 

[Pie eyed]

Benny is a gun when fit.
i wont forget the TWO goals he kicked against Adelaide in the final,
He helped us with that win .
and dont forget either ,he was having a good game against Ablett in
round 3 and then broke his foot.

It was only 2 games ago too.
How soon we forget.

 

[charmer]

On exposed recent form Johnson doesn't deserve to be anywhere near the 22. Yeah the guys a great bloke and real trier but that isn't the criteria for getting a game. He has had some good moments last year the two goals one of the few highlights - but overwhelmingly he has been crap defensively, unreliable by foot (don't care what the stats say, he kicks long a lot, and I never see incisive kicks from him), is as outside as you get, and very one sided. I see him in one of three roles: A HBFer, winger or tagger. I see better options in all of those positions. I see guys like Macaffer, McCarthy, Buckley, Thomas, Blight, Barham among others all ahead of him in those roles.

lol Barham is one of the worst if not the worst disposer of the footy by foot on the list. What exactly has Blight done at AFL level that makes you think he is a better option than the experienced and hardened Johnson? What has Macaffer done in his AFL career so far? Besides playing a pretty good game against the crows (as did Johnson). What about McCarthy? Everyone was bagging him after the loss to the Saints in the QF. And Buckley? Not many people rate his selection in the draft.

So exactly how do you see those guys ahead of Johnson? I'll tell you how...their age. They're young players with little or no AFL experience.

And on "exposed recent form"...as an earlier poster stated, he polled 3rd highest in the last 9 matches of the season, only Shaw and Maxwell beating him. I'd say that pretty good recent form wouldn't you?

At training he has been working on his right foot kicking and I think we are going to see an even more dedicated Ben Johnson in 2010, he knows he has to improve to hold out the young guys in the 22 and I think it's going to be a very VERY good thing for him.

I love Johnno, always have and always will.

 

[mdc]

Every time this thread comes up, the same four arguments are regurgitated.

Argument 1: He played a good quarter against Ablett and kicked 2 goals in a final. (Ignore the rest of the games, though)

Argument 2: He was one of our most consistent players 4-6 years ago (Ignore the last 3+ years, though)

Argument 3: After a couple of years of being a lazy lush, he once again decided to be a professional in 2009, and for that we should be grateful. (Ignore that players 10 years his junior consistently show the same professionalism without 2-year hiatuses)

Argument 4: He supported us as a kid and bleeds for the club. (Ignore the fact most of our players bleed for the damn club, as is all-too-evident on gamedays)

Forgive me if I'm not convinced.

 

[rand corp]

His best and worst are two far apart for mine - has a string of very good weeks and long spells of ordinariness.

Lacks polish but does have experience.

Good depth and fall back player these days for mine.

 

[Dave06]

On exposed recent form Johnson doesn't deserve to be anywhere near the 22. Yeah the guys a great bloke and real trier but that isn't the criteria for getting a game. He has had some good moments last year the two goals one of the few highlights - but overwhelmingly he has been crap defensively, unreliable by foot (don't care what the stats say, he kicks long a lot, and I never see incisive kicks from him), is as outside as you get, and very one sided. I see him in one of three roles: A HBFer, winger or tagger. I see better options in all of those positions. I see guys like Macaffer, McCarthy, Buckley, Thomas, Blight, Barham among others all ahead of him in those roles.

At this football club, not one of those players comes even close getting a go ahead of Johnson. Macaffer kicks one goal in a final and all of a sudden is a top 22 player (in reality he is barely in our top 30 players), Mccarthy im a huge wrap for but completely unproven and the rest dont even get a sniff atm.

Think you need to watch a little more football before posting rubbish posts like this.

 

[Dave06]

Every time this thread comes up, the same four arguments are regurgitated.

Argument 1: He played a good quarter against Ablett and kicked 2 goals in a final. (Ignore the rest of the games, though)

Argument 2: He was one of our most consistent players 4-6 years ago (Ignore the last 3+ years, though)

Argument 3: After a couple of years of being a lazy lush, he once again decided to be a professional in 2009, and for that we should be grateful. (Ignore that players 10 years his junior consistently show the same professionalism without 2-year hiatuses)

Argument 4: He supported us as a kid and bleeds for the club. (Ignore the fact most of our players bleed for the damn club, as is all-too-evident on gamedays)

Forgive me if I'm not convinced.

Its a combination of all of the above. Dont ignore anything - take him for what he is. Everyone loved the guy to death until 2 crap seasons ruined his reputation, and everyone jumped on this bandwagon that he is a crap footballer.

He does bleed for the club, he did have 2 shit/lazy seasons (not 3+, 06 and prior was great, 07 08 crap, easliy in our best 18 in the games he played in 09) and did play an important finals role and he did do a job on ablett (dont underestimate that job).

Players 10 years his junior look up to him and learn from his mistakes. He wasn't a dep. v.c for just being alright at footy.

He has earned his place within our best 22 and until someone takes his spot based on form, he deserves to stay there.

 

[Boris the Contradiction]

Johnson may or may not be in our best 22 but there is no way he was in our best 18 players last year. There is also no way anyone could say he has "earned" or that he "deserves" the right to be in the 22 over others.

In most posters' best 22 for next season, Lockyer doesn't even make the bench. This is a player coming off a top quality season (flagged towards the end) who has only played a handful of bad games in our last hundred or so. Johnson who hasn't performed basically at all, has somehow "deserved" his spot? Johnson probably played 2 and a bit good games last season. That's out of 14. Wellingham did more than that, as did Sidebottom, Toovey, Dick, Goldsack. Cox even played more than 2 and a bit good games last season - he in fact had a better season than Johnson based on his first 6-8 games alone. When you add Ball and Jolly to the side the 22 gets harder to get into. Davis, Didak, Maxwell, Goldsack, Medhurst, O'Brien, Anthony, Pendlebury, O'Bree, Ball, Thomas, L Brown, Beams, Jolly, Wood, Wellingham, Sidebottom, Lockyer, Fraser, Cloke, Dick, Toovey, Presti, Swan and Shaw are 25 players who IMO are in the 22 ahead of Johnson based on what they have earned.

Johnson's experience is of course invaluable but I would prefer comparable output from a youngster who at least might have some upside and hopefully is a bit more reliable with his disposal. It's unfortunate as he's been a great servant for a long time but if he cannot be a regular GOOD performer this season I think it's curtains for him. Shirley at Adelaide was probably both Ablett and Judd's best opponent this season but was moved on because from an older player, a couple good games isn't enough. Earning your spot today doesn't keep earning you anything 3 or 4 years down the track and Johnno needs to start deserving to play for us again.

 

[Quicky]

lol Barham is one of the worst if not the worst disposer of the footy by foot on the list. What exactly has Blight done at AFL level that makes you think he is a better option than the experienced and hardened Johnson? What has Macaffer done in his AFL career so far? Besides playing a pretty good game against the crows (as did Johnson). What about McCarthy? Everyone was bagging him after the loss to the Saints in the QF. And Buckley? Not many people rate his selection in the draft.

So exactly how do you see those guys ahead of Johnson? I'll tell you how...their age. They're young players with little or no AFL experience.

And on "exposed recent form"...as an earlier poster stated, he polled 3rd highest in the last 9 matches of the season, only Shaw and Maxwell beating him. I'd say that pretty good recent form wouldn't you?

At training he has been working on his right foot kicking and I think we are going to see an even more dedicated Ben Johnson in 2010, he knows he has to improve to hold out the young guys in the 22 and I think it's going to be a very VERY good thing for him.

I love Johnno, always have and always will.

If you read my post I said I could see those players ahead of Johnson in any of the positions he may play on the ground i.e. HBF, Winger, Tagger.

Barham - I can see in the side ahead of Johnson as a tagger. Johnson is a terrible tagger. He has no defensive side to his game at all besides the occasional good tackle but he isn't accountable. I'm not excusing Barhams poor footskills - if you've read my posts in here i've been pretty critical of him in this regard - but as a tagger i'd have him in over Johnson because he is very accountable.

Blight - Well he's done nothing yet has he?? Hard to have done when he hasn't played a game. I'd still have him in the team ahead of Johnson as a HBF or winger. Reason being he is a better player than Johnson. He is hard at the contest, can take a mark, has beautiful footskills both sides, is quick. I'd prefer to see him developed ahead of giving games to an ineffective Johnson. Blight will be twice the footballer Johnson is - and thats no slur on Johnson.

Macaffer - I'd have Macaffer ahead of Johnson at HBF. Again he is a better footballer. Very tidy skills and great decision making under pressure. He showed that against Adelaide. I rate his performance in that game ahead of Johnsons. He also showed more in his limited appearances throughout the year.

McCarthy - I'd prefer him as a tagger over Johnson. He has all the qualities to be a great all round midfielder >> he's hard, good skills both side, good size, reads the play well and has pace. I'd like to see him tried as a tagger as I think he'd fit this role well and it's a good way for him to break into the side. Johnson again is a terrible tagger.

Buckley - I'd have him in the side ahead of Johson as a HBF or Winger. He wins alot of posessions and really takes the game on and breaks the lines. Something I think we lack and something Johnson hasn't offered for 4 years. Some people were critical of his selection - I think he was a great pick up.

I don't care what his votes suggest - he was rubbish last year. He hasn't played consistently well for 3 or 4 years and I think other players offer more. Look at MDC's post regarding his recent form.

LOL at his right foot kicking!!! If he hasn't got that right by now he never will. Be realistic.

At this football club, not one of those players comes even close getting a go ahead of Johnson. Macaffer kicks one goal in a final and all of a sudden is a top 22 player (in reality he is barely in our top 30 players), Mccarthy im a huge wrap for but completely unproven and the rest dont even get a sniff atm.

Crap mate. If you had watched more football you'd have seen the qualities in the players I mentioned and why they deserve a chance ahead of Johnson. Take the rose coloured glasses off and get over the romance of Johnson in the team - he's done sweet fa for three or four years. I really like Johnson and some of the things he's done at the club but that doesn't stop me from seeing the fact he's been god aweful for awhile now.

Think you need to watch a little more football before posting rubbish posts like this.

When you open a thread for debate expect some alternative opinions. If they offend you (even when they are well thought out) i'm not sure a public forum is the place for you.

 

[charmer]

If you read my post I said I could see those players ahead of Johnson in any of the positions he may play on the ground i.e. HBF, Winger, Tagger.

Barham - I can see in the side ahead of Johnson as a tagger. Johnson is a terrible tagger. He has no defensive side to his game at all besides the occasional good tackle but he isn't accountable. I'm not excusing Barhams poor footskills - if you've read my posts in here i've been pretty critical of him in this regard - but as a tagger i'd have him in over Johnson because he is very accountable.

Blight - Well he's done nothing yet has he?? Hard to have done when he hasn't played a game. I'd still have him in the team ahead of Johnson as a HBF or winger. Reason being he is a better player than Johnson. He is hard at the contest, can take a mark, has beautiful footskills both sides, is quick. I'd prefer to see him developed ahead of giving games to an ineffective Johnson. Blight will be twice the footballer Johnson is - and thats no slur on Johnson.

Macaffer - I'd have Macaffer ahead of Johnson at HBF. Again he is a better footballer. Very tidy skills and great decision making under pressure. He showed that against Adelaide. I rate his performance in that game ahead of Johnsons. He also showed more in his limited appearances throughout the year.

McCarthy - I'd prefer him as a tagger over Johnson. He has all the qualities to be a great all round midfielder >> he's hard, good skills both side, good size, reads the play well and has pace. I'd like to see him tried as a tagger as I think he'd fit this role well and it's a good way for him to break into the side. Johnson again is a terrible tagger.

Buckley - I'd have him in the side ahead of Johson as a HBF or Winger. He wins alot of posessions and really takes the game on and breaks the lines. Something I think we lack and something Johnson hasn't offered for 4 years. Some people were critical of his selection - I think he was a great pick up.

I don't care what his votes suggest - he was rubbish last year. He hasn't played consistently well for 3 or 4 years and I think other players offer more. Look at MDC's post regarding his recent form.

LOL at his right foot kicking!!! If he hasn't got that right by now he never will. Be realistic.

lol yes they all look like excellent players at VFL level don't they, hmm even Danny Stanley looked like an A grader down there.

hmm maybe Johnson didn't have a consistent year because he was out injured with a broken leg for 11 weeks?! Don't you think that might be it? Or do you just see only what you want to see. To come back from a broken leg and break into a side that was on a winning streak shows how he is rated internally don't you think?

lol Johnson hasn't supplied breaking of the lines for 4 years? in 2006 he won the Copeland trophy! I'd say that means he had a pretty good year. He had 2 bad years but has stepped up again and was playing well until he broke his leg - you can't say he had an inconsistent year when he wasn't playing for half of it! That's just ridiculous.

Oh and so you're saying that by working on a weakness in his game now it's too late? he won't be able to kick on his right boot well because he's been playing for 6 or so years? that's like saying a person who has been overweight for years will never be able to lose weight effectively because they have been overweight for x amount of years...they will never get it right because it's been to long. Rubbish.

 

[Dave06]

If you read my post I said I could see those players ahead of Johnson in any of the positions he may play on the ground i.e. HBF, Winger, Tagger.

Barham - I can see in the side ahead of Johnson as a tagger. Johnson is a terrible tagger. He has no defensive side to his game at all besides the occasional good tackle but he isn't accountable. I'm not excusing Barhams poor footskills - if you've read my posts in here i've been pretty critical of him in this regard - but as a tagger i'd have him in over Johnson because he is very accountable.

Blight - Well he's done nothing yet has he?? Hard to have done when he hasn't played a game. I'd still have him in the team ahead of Johnson as a HBF or winger. Reason being he is a better player than Johnson. He is hard at the contest, can take a mark, has beautiful footskills both sides, is quick. I'd prefer to see him developed ahead of giving games to an ineffective Johnson. Blight will be twice the footballer Johnson is - and thats no slur on Johnson.

Macaffer - I'd have Macaffer ahead of Johnson at HBF. Again he is a better footballer. Very tidy skills and great decision making under pressure. He showed that against Adelaide. I rate his performance in that game ahead of Johnsons. He also showed more in his limited appearances throughout the year.

McCarthy - I'd prefer him as a tagger over Johnson. He has all the qualities to be a great all round midfielder >> he's hard, good skills both side, good size, reads the play well and has pace. I'd like to see him tried as a tagger as I think he'd fit this role well and it's a good way for him to break into the side. Johnson again is a terrible tagger.

Buckley - I'd have him in the side ahead of Johson as a HBF or Winger. He wins alot of posessions and really takes the game on and breaks the lines. Something I think we lack and something Johnson hasn't offered for 4 years. Some people were critical of his selection - I think he was a great pick up.

I don't care what his votes suggest - he was rubbish last year. He hasn't played consistently well for 3 or 4 years and I think other players offer more. Look at MDC's post regarding his recent form.

LOL at his right foot kicking!!! If he hasn't got that right by now he never will. Be realistic.



Crap mate. If you had watched more football you'd have seen the qualities in the players I mentioned and why they deserve a chance ahead of Johnson. Take the rose coloured glasses off and get over the romance of Johnson in the team - he's done sweet fa for three or four years. I really like Johnson and some of the things he's done at the club but that doesn't stop me from seeing the fact he's been god aweful for awhile now.



When you open a thread for debate expect some alternative opinions. If they offend you (even when they are well thought out) i'm not sure a public forum is the place for you.

None of those players goes close to getting a game in front of Johnson. Barham gets the pill enough but struggles once he has it at VFL level. Not strong enough to tag the AFL's elite at the moment, not by a long shot.

Blight's form in the VFL last year was just OK, but nowhere near good enough to have earned a spot in the 22. I'm a huge fan of the kid and think he has the goods to be a gun, but not ready atm. There's a reason he hasn't played a senior game yet.

Macaffer showed three fifths of stuff all in every senior game he played this year except the Adelaide final. Again, if we are talking about earning spots he's a way off.

Jury is still out on McCarthy - again i'm a huge wrap for him but he still has a lot to prove. Could very well end up being a player that squeezes Johnson out of the team, but he's not yet.

Buckley is a different player to Johnson and there are question marks over his versatility. Has shown ability but has spent a long time under-done and has to earn his spot (as does everyone).


The part i've bolded is the same band-wagon Johnson bagging bull***t that almost everyone who knocks him carries on about which is why i said it is rubbish (and it is). He had a poor '07 and '08. THAT WAS IT! He was good in the majority of the games he played this year, and if you think he only had 1-2 good games this year then we must have been watching something completely different.

Johnson has more than earned his spot in our best 22. I'm not saying he's not going to be squeezed out at some stage but you can't just give a game to a lesser player simply because they are 22 not 29, especially in a position that isn't crucial to team structure.

Also suprised that you think he's such a 'terrible tagger'. Whilst he doesn't play the role consistantly i think he's done well when he has. I remember him and Daisy ripping Judd a new one in the second Carlton game.

I'm all for different opinions and whilst you obviously have put thought into most of what you've said, some of it is just plain wrong (see bolded quotes).

 

[mdc]

Also suprised that you think he's such a 'terrible tagger'. Whilst he doesn't play the role consistantly i think he's done well when he has. I remember him and Daisy ripping Judd a new one in the second Carlton game.

Vince had just about his best 2 games of the season against Johnno.
Cousins had close to his best game against Johnno.
Hodge ripped Johnno a new one after not even playing midfield for most of the year.
There are plenty of others.

These were all in the second half of the year, when he was supposedly in "good form".

The Adelaide final is a good example. You look at his 2 goals and say "great!", but completely forget that his refusal to man Vince in the first half went a long way to putting us 5 goals behind.

Also, this isn't really on topic, but you're completely wrong about Macaffer. He's shown a ton both in the VFL and in the seniors, which is why Malthouse always mentions him when he talks about the injuries we had last year. He is a best 22 player, and I'd be surprised if he wasn't in our best 10-12 players within 2 years.

 

[Quicky]

lol yes they all look like excellent players at VFL level don't they, hmm even Danny Stanley looked like an A grader down there.

All but Blight have shown themselves to be capable AFL players - and better than Johnsons current output IMO. Some like McCarthy and Macaffer look like they will be more than just capable. Blight hasn't had the chance to - not unusual given he's a first year player - but shows enormous potential.

lol Johnson hasn't supplied breaking of the lines for 4 years? in 2006 he won the Copeland trophy! I'd say that means he had a pretty good year.

Now you're inventing awards that he didn't win - clever stuff there

He had 2 bad years but has stepped up again and was playing well until he broke his leg - you can't say he had an inconsistent year when he wasn't playing for half of it! That's just ridiculous.

Sigh!! He was inconsistent in the games he played. He did some good things but overwhelmingly he was beaten by his direct opponents - as MDC pointed out. Given he doesn't offer much going the other way thats a problem. To me thats 3 bad years. In 2006 he came equal 2nd in the copeland so I was wrong about the 4th year.

Oh and so you're saying that by working on a weakness in his game now it's too late? he won't be able to kick on his right boot well because he's been playing for 6 or so years?

It's highly unlikely yes.

I'm all for different opinions and whilst you obviously have put thought into most of what you've said, some of it is just plain wrong (see bolded quotes).

I was wrong about the fourth year. We disagree on 2009. I don't think he deserves a spot in the 22 based on his recent form and our other options. It has nothing to do with his age at all. You think i'm basing my opinion on the potential of youth. I think you're basing your opinion on very past form (<2006). For example who in this 22 would Johnson replace??:

FB: ------O'Brien------Presti-------Toovey------
HB: -------Shaw-----N Brown------Maxwell-----

C: -------Davis--------Swan--------Beams-----
Fol: ------Jolly---------Ball---------Pendles-----

HF: ------Didak--------Cloke-------Lockyer-----
FF: -----Medhurst----Anthony------Macaffer----

Int: Wood/Fraser, Sidebottom, Thomas, O'Bree

That team is missing plenty of quality players I see ahead of Johnson.

 

[Return of the Pies]

Big call on Macaffer I would think, still needs to show it over a sustained period for me. As good as Johnno has been over his careeer, he just lacks the class that you need every player to have to be premiers. Our problem over the years has really been that we've carried too many 'battlers', with tons of heart but a lack of polish. I put Johnno, O'Bree, Toovey, Presti, L.Brown, Barham all into this category. Teams can maybe carry 1-2, but not 5+. For this reason, I believe if we are to reach the top, probably Presti and Toovey (or maybe Johnno) are the ones that will be there.

 

[charmer]

All but Blight have shown themselves to be capable AFL players - and better than Johnsons current output IMO. Some like McCarthy and Macaffer look like they will be more than just capable. Blight hasn't had the chance to - not unusual given he's a first year player - but shows enormous potential.



Now you're inventing awards that he didn't win - clever stuff there



Sigh!! He was inconsistent in the games he played. He did some good things but overwhelmingly he was beaten by his direct opponents - as MDC pointed out. Given he doesn't offer much going the other way thats a problem. To me thats 3 bad years. In 2006 he came equal 2nd in the copeland so I was wrong about the 4th year.



It's highly unlikely yes.



I was wrong about the fourth year. We disagree on 2009. I don't think he deserves a spot in the 22 based on his recent form and our other options. It has nothing to do with his age at all. You think i'm basing my opinion on the potential of youth. I think you're basing your opinion on very past form (<2006). For example who in this 22 would Johnson replace??:

FB: ------O'Brien------Presti-------Toovey------
HB: -------Shaw-----N Brown------Maxwell-----

C: -------Davis--------Swan--------Beams-----
Fol: ------Jolly---------Ball---------Pendles-----

HF: ------Didak--------Cloke-------Lockyer-----
FF: -----Medhurst----Anthony------Macaffer----

Int: Wood/Fraser, Sidebottom, Thomas, O'Bree

That team is missing plenty of quality players I see ahead of Johnson.

yeah, sorry got mixed up with the ANZAC Medal runner up in the Copeland but you don't just come second in the clubs B&F by being an inconsistent plodder.

I still can't see how Macaffer's 1 game v the Crows shows him to be a capable AFL player, how did he go on ANZAC Day? Barely got a touch. Jason Wild played a great game against the Bombers one ANZAC Day and he turned out to be really good
But I am a fan of McCarthy's I would like to see him in the 22, but not at Johnson's expense.

We will see re his kicking but it is extremely narrow minded to think that he will not be able to kick on his right just because it's not his first year in the system. Ridiculous statement, and I guess you don't teach your old dog new tricks either?

As for your 22, I'd have Johnson in above Macaffer and Toovey. i'd have Johnson and Rusling in.

 

[TheGreatGrundy]

Whoever is fit and in form should get the nod at selection over those who are not performing to potential. If Johnson qualifies for a game under these conditions then I am happy to see him play. To try to decide before the season starts who is deserving of a game is very difficult.

 

[Dave06]

I was wrong about the fourth year. We disagree on 2009. I don't think he deserves a spot in the 22 based on his recent form and our other options. It has nothing to do with his age at all. You think i'm basing my opinion on the potential of youth. I think you're basing your opinion on very past form (<2006). For example who in this 22 would Johnson replace??:

FB: ------O'Brien------Presti-------Toovey------
HB: -------Shaw-----N Brown------Maxwell-----

C: -------Davis--------Swan--------Beams-----
Fol: ------Jolly---------Ball---------Pendles-----

HF: ------Didak--------Cloke-------Lockyer-----
FF: -----Medhurst----Anthony------Macaffer----

Int: Wood/Fraser, Sidebottom, Thomas, O'Bree

That team is missing plenty of quality players I see ahead of Johnson.

Neither Toovey or Macaffer get a game ahead of Johnno - yes Caffs plays a different role but would rather see Thomas/Davis at FP and Johnno coming off the bench or on a wing. It's highly debatable whether O'bree would get a game ahead of him either with Ball in the team.

I don't rate anything Macaffer has done at AFL level so far. You talk about playing well consistently - nobody is more inconsistent than Toovey.

Based purely on last years form, I'd play him ahead of Medhurst. I think Medhurst will have a much better year this year and at his best is very important to us, but was terrible after his injury last year.

I think O'bree is starting to struggle at times and really showed that last year. Would be a toss of the coin if it came down to one or the other.

 

[Pie eyed]

Toovey makes terrible decisions when he has the pill, disposal is worse than Johnson's, and at the moment is one-dimensional. Yes they play different roles but with the verstility of our backline and midfield rotation (which Johnson ads to), gets in a long way ahead of Toovey.

I'm not getting into the "Johnson" arguement but this;

Toovey makes terrible decisions when he has the pill, disposal is worse than Johnson's

is completely wrong. You could have had a valid arguement in 2008 but Tooves has improved his decision making and even more so his disposal a great deal. I can even tell you why. He is more composed and has finally come to terms with the extra speed of AFL over VFL. With the confidence he is up to the pace he is less panicked and has the time mentally and physically to make the right decision most of the time and effect good disposal.
Towards the last half of 2009 Toovey was in the upper half of the team in terms of his disposal under pressure. Not to mention poise, as evidenced by burning off Aker and almost arrogantly having a bounce.. No mean feat in anyone's book.

Until Toovey shows his form off old I will not accept hacknied discrimination based on the past.

All praise to the Possum King. Hard work deserves some hard recognition.

Still firmly in the 22 until otherwise advised.

 

[lenny&carl]

Good ordinary players don't get to play forever. Even very-good ordinary players like Lockyer get tapped on the shoulder eventually. If Johnson's playing back to his best then he'll be in the team, but I would expect him to be superceeded by a younger model this year.