Michael Johnson

[Freoman]

Interesting to note in the Worst todat that MJ will get his first taste of playing on the wing tomorrow night in the intra-club match.

Will be going and watching with interest.

Who thinks that he will play in that position throughout the year? Does he have the tank to play in the midfield?

 

[Kapow!!!]

Keep him in the backs for the love of god!

 

[Kaitsey]

if freo think hes such a good backman, why move him from there.

 

[theGav56]

Yep, that will be interesting. Who will he be matching up on do you think?

 

[Ripper]

Interesting to note in the Worst todat that MJ will get his first taste of playing on the wing tomorrow night in the intra-club match.

Will be going and watching with interest.

Who thinks that he will play in that position throughout the year? Does he have the tank to play in the midfield?

The Worst is wrong. He was playing on the wing a fair bit at the end of 2006 with great effect.

 

[Val Venis]

Keep him in the backs for the love of god!

He would make a defender if he could play tight on his man, he defends too loosely and therefore is better suited to a winger role

 

[Ripper]

if freo think hes such a good backman, why move him from there.

Freo think that He is good , period.

 

[taz@freo]

I can't help but draw comparisons between Johnson and Goodes.... I think he would be great on a wing, but I don't know if we can afford to shorten out backline.

 

[masai]

The Worst is wrong. He was playing on the wing a fair bit at the end of 2006 with great effect.

Yes he was seen around the wing area doing a soft shoe shuffle on a regular basis.

This time of year experimenting is the name of the game, I would be upset if CC didn't try different directions.

 

[hoogs]

if freo think hes such a good backman, why move him from there.

With a fit Haddrill, it will work out better for us and will give Johnson a good apprenticeship before moving into the middle.

Parker Haddrill Hayden
Grover McPharlin Mundy
Peake <wings> Johnson

Thats the back 6, plus my top picks for the wing. Certainly no lack of height.

Yep, that will be interesting. Who will he be matching up on do you think?

Marcus Drum

 

[newlander77]

If fit it would be Gilmour matching up on him.

 

[theGav56]

He would make a defender if he could play tight on his man, he defends too loosely and therefore is better suited to a winger role

So, you think it would be easier for a player to learn how to play on a wing than to play tighter? Playing wing is a lot more difficult. Not only that, but if you had a picture and physical dimensions of Johnson and asked which position he was most suited to, a tiny proposrtion would say wing, a huge proportion would say Key Position. But, if it is definitely worth experimenting with, and if it works, terrific. I think it could be a useful shock tactic rather than a permanent position.

 

[macca69]

Parker Haddrill Hayden
Grover McPharlin Mundy
Peake <wings> Johnson

Thats the back 6, plus my top picks for the wing. Certainly no lack of height.

CC will think there's not enough run out of defence there IMO, he's big on that aspect. I suspect one of Grover or Haddrill will take FB, then Heath Black will slot onto a HBF. Other than that it looks pretty much spot on.

 

[newlander77]

It's all about rotations. I would not be dissapointed seeing James Walker back in the side if he can lift his game. He has been training damn hard in the pre season (as he does every year) and this has been noticed. He has earnt his chances in the pre-season games with the extended interchange bench.

 

[pinkus maximus]

CC will think there's not enough run out of defence there IMO, he's big on that aspect. I suspect one of Grover or Haddrill will take FB, then Heath Black will slot onto a HBF. Other than that it looks pretty much spot on.

agree with that. i actually think steven dodd could be in a bit of trouble if we remain injury free

 

[The Joker]

if freo think hes such a good backman, why move him from there.

If West Coast think Hunter is such a good forward why do they move him from there???

 

[inferno66]

agree with that. i actually think steven dodd could be in a bit of trouble if we remain injury free

I dont reckon thats the case. Steven Dodd is one of the best taggers we have. If he cant start in the defense he may tag someone in the opposistion's midfield

 

[Val Venis]

So, you think it would be easier for a player to learn how to play on a wing than to play tighter? Playing wing is a lot more difficult. Not only that, but if you had a picture and physical dimensions of Johnson and asked which position he was most suited to, a tiny proposrtion would say wing, a huge proportion would say Key Position. But, if it is definitely worth experimenting with, and if it works, terrific. I think it could be a useful shock tactic rather than a permanent position.

Are you saying Playing on the wing is more dificult than playing a KP? If so than you are making a fool of yourself

 

[theGav56]

Are you saying Playing on the wing is more dificult than playing a KP? If so than you are making a fool of yourself

No. Didn't you read my post? I said that I think it is easier for a player to learn to play tighter (which is what MJ needs to do to be succesful as defender according to you), than it would be for him to learn a new position as winger.

 

[dominguez]

With Grover and Haddrill to slot into the side that played in the pre-lim we have the luxury of moving Johnson out of the back 6. Whether he will make a good wingman is the $64,000 question.

If there was only room for Dodd or Matt Carr in the side I'd take Doddy without hesitation. Carr is currently the better stopper but Dodd has more strings to his bow and better skills which can hurt the opposition when we have possession. The last time I remember Matt Carr working off his man and applying scoreboard pressure was against Cousins in a derby when Jakovich was still playing.

 

[dugrene]

Yes he was seen around the wing area doing a soft shoe shuffle on a regular basis.
This time of year experimenting is the name of the game, I would be upset if CC didn't try different directions.

It's all about rotations. I would not be dissapointed seeing James Walker back in the side if he can lift his game. He has been training damn hard in the pre season (as he does every year) and this has been noticed. He has earnt his chances in the pre-season games with the extended interchange bench.

Between masai and wombat I'd say MJ has been pigeon holed. Mind you it's a big hole.
My guess is he will turn up in any amount of positions during his career.
TI no2.
Looking forward to tomorrow arvo to see my buddy turn it on.

 

[dockers_bengals]

With Grover and Haddrill to slot into the side that played in the pre-lim we have the luxury of moving Johnson out of the back 6. Whether he will make a good wingman is the $64,000 question.

If there was only room for Dodd or Matt Carr in the side I'd take Doddy without hesitation. Carr is currently the better stopper but Dodd has more strings to his bow and better skills which can hurt the opposition when we have possession. The last time I remember Matt Carr working off his man and applying scoreboard pressure was against Cousins in a derby when Jakovich was still playing.

I would have put them as equal except age and i agree with pink he could have trouble getting in.Mj will stay loose man in the backline but why not try different things while you can

 

[bushie]

I can't help but draw comparisons between Johnson and Goodes.... I think he would be great on a wing, but I don't know if we can afford to shorten out backline.

I agree with the comparison and I also agree with the posters who think we can afford to play him on the wing and rotate him through the true midfield at times.

This kid is special and I reckon that if we give him the chance to play in the mids he will shine even further.

Gonna stick my neck out here and say that I reckon MJ will win our B+F within 2 years and will be top 3, and maybe win, a Brownlow within 5 years.

He is an extraordinary talent and is wasted in the backline.

Injuries aside, we have the depth to cover for him moving north so to speak.

 

[hoogs]

CC will think there's not enough run out of defence there IMO, he's big on that aspect. I suspect one of Grover or Haddrill will take FB, then Heath Black will slot onto a HBF. Other than that it looks pretty much spot on.

Yeah was thinking a seventh defender in Black or a fit Schammer, maybe a Thornton might be an option, though with so much talent in attack do you think he might play the 6 back for most of this year?

 

[Dr Ralph Dagg]

So, you think it would be easier for a player to learn how to play on a wing than to play tighter? Playing wing is a lot more difficult.

C'mon Gav, you can't be serious. If that were the case Brett Burton would be an AA CHB. I don't know about you but when I played juniors the best players were always positioned down the spine.

Not only that, but if you had a picture and physical dimensions of Johnson and asked which position he was most suited to, a tiny proposrtion would say wing, a huge proportion would say Key Position. But, if it is definitely worth experimenting with, and if it works, terrific. I think it could be a useful shock tactic rather than a permanent position.

One of they issues raised By Connolly, and it reflects the modern game, is protecting the ball carrier. One of the reasons Judd gets the ball so often is that WCE players expend a fair bit of energy blocking for him like he was an NFL quarterback.

Stick Johnson in there at 195cm and there is a fair bit of weight, momentum and protection for the snmaller guys. Its the same rationale for putting Pav in at centre bounces. You'll notice Pav doesn't get his hands on the ball that often but stops people nailing Justin Longmuir when he's got his head over the ball.

There is also a match ups side. Coaches are always looking for mis-matches. As a wingman, Johnson is exceptionally strong overhead, as agile as any of them, and he keeps his feet to win the ball. And he can nail a chest out pass 60m to a leading forward. If he is one out with a 185-190 cm wingman in space at Subi he provides a phenomenal target. Even when he drops the ball he has that knack of getting it again.

He can also drop forward to provide another tall, marking target like Burton does. Imagine the defensive nightmares of trying to contain a rotation of Pavlich, Tarrant, Murphy with Longmuir and Johnson, and even Sandi dropping back.

Where he struggles is his straight line speed, and this is why he has trouble matching up. So the opposition could hurt us coming the other way. Maybe they figure better that happens further up the ground than in the defence.