Geelong's Johnson suspended indefinitely
January 8, 2007 - 6:01PM
Errant Geelong forward Steve Johnson is on "his last opportunity" after the AFL club suspended him indefinitely.
Johnson must train and play with the club's VFL side until at least round six of the upcoming regular season after his double-indiscretion.
Police arrested him for public drunkenness in his home town of Wangaratta on Christmas Eve and Johnson then took more than a week to tell the club.
The Cats looked at trading Johnson at the end of last season and significantly, his team-mates played a major role in deciding on the punishment for his latest off-field incident.
"Steve has been given numerous chances and it is fair to say that he is now down to his last opportunity to prove that he wants to stay with the club," said Cats football manager Neil Balme.
"We understand that young people make mistakes in all walks of life, this includes AFL players.
"We do believe in allowing people to grow, learn from their mistakes and mature.
"We have provided ample opportunity for Steve to display the behaviour that we expect from all of our players - the ball is now firmly in his court to prove that he is worthy of a return to the senior group."
The club will not review the suspension until round six, at the earliest.
Christmas Eve was the second time in 18 months that police had charged him with being drunk in a public place.
He also badly damaged an ankle in 2002 while jumping a fence at a pub in Torquay, another incident where alcohol was a factor.
The ankle continues to be a problem for Johnson, a highly-skilled forward.
Johnson is potentially one of Geelong's most important players, but the punishment shows the club has lost its patience.
Geelong had to wait to decide on the penalty, after first learning of the Christmas Eve incident last week, because several top officials were still on holidays.
The Cats were expected to make the announcement on Tuesday, but regarded the matter serious enough for immediate attention.
After a disastrous season last year, Geelong is desperate to improve quickly and project itself as a disciplined team.
In making the announcement, the club added: "the player leadership group was given the responsibility of working through this issue and their recommendation was accepted by the club.
"He will not be invited back with the senior squad until such time as he proves that his attitude and behaviour have changed and that he is willing to be a responsible and contributing member of the club."
The Cats also said Johnson had accepted his penalty.