steve johnson: 3rd quarter specialist?

[dharma bum]

Crucial goals against Brisbane and Sydney recently: 3rd quarter specialist?

 

[Rodion]

Steve Johnson has a knack for pulling vital goals out of nowhere, just when we need them. Recently that's just happened to be the 3rd.

 

[JUBJUB]

Originally posted by dharma bum
Crucial goals against Brisbane and Sydney recently: 3rd quarter specialist?

Don't forget his good 3rd qtr against Collingwood.

 

[LongBomb]

so good to have Johnno back in the side...

 

[catattack]

Not renowned for getting a great deal of the ball, but what he does get is usually in front of goal, which subsequently results in some of the most critical goals of the match.

For what he’s worth, I would keep him in the team basically every match.

 

[you_idiot]

Originally posted by Rodion
Steve Johnson has a knack for pulling vital goals out of nowhere, just when we need them. Recently that's just happened to be the 3rd.

Funny you guys should mention this... there was an article in today's (Monday's) Herald Sun about this very concept, and how the game against Sydney turned in the third term when Johnson stepped up and fired true.

And not just with the goals, either...

Johnson provides winning spark for Cats -- The Herald Sun

Johnson provides winning spark for Cats
19 July 2004
Herald Sun
Scott Gullan

SOMETHING had to give. The play had seemingly been cemented in the Geelong forward pocket for several minutes with players throwing themselves at each other, refusing to give an inch as if their life hung on the next possession.

It had been the theme all day – good, hard, tough, close-checking footy – but there was a sense of urgency about this particular contest given that the clock was deep into time-on and Sydney was clinging to a four-point lead.

After several failed attempts, Geelong captain Steven King managed to hit the ball out of the maze of players towards the danger spot at the top of the goalsquare. This was it. The moment had arrived. A hero was required.

Young Cat David Johnson reacted first and did the only thing he knows – he put his head down and threw himself at the bouncing ball. A desperate lunge by Swans defender Leo Barry was a fraction too late and he made incidental contact to Johnson which the umpire ruled high.

While fractionally lucky to get the free, which he converted to get the Cats back the lead with five minutes remaining, Johnson's courageous act gave an insight into why this Geelong team continues to flourish into a legitimate contender.

When it is your time to go, you go in this Cats side. It doesn't matter if you've been doing it for 10 years like a Brenton Sanderson or for five minutes like Johnson, you're expected to put yourself on the line for your teammates.

Johnson set the scene early in the game when he cut across in front of a Michael O'Loughlin lead, spoiling a certain mark by the Swan and getting crunched in the process.

Another young Cat, Tim Callan, took his lead early in the final term when he did exactly the same thing, but this time it was a rampaging Barry Hall coming the other way. Callan didn't flinch, he took the sickening impact and got the crucial spoil.

Geelong coach Mark Thompson attributes his young players' fearlessness to the club's role models.

"You would like to think that we recruit the guys that have got the ability to do it, but when you have got role models like Brenton Sanderson who has made a career out of doing that and Matthew Scarlett, Tom Harley is a really brave person," he said.

"When you're a young person (in a footy club) you always look up to the people who are there and we've got some good role models in that department."

It was a day of cameos apart from the sustained excellence of Sydney's Jude Bolton and Ryan O'Keefe, the dogged work ethic of Cat Cameron Ling and the enthralling battle between big guns Matthew Scarlett and Barry Hall.

When you talk about tough and fearless, Bolton has got just about everyone in the competition covered. The young Swan continually threw himself at contests yesterday, collecting 23 possessions in a head-to-head shootout with another star in the making, James Bartel.

To kick five goals on a day like yesterday was stunning from O'Keefe, who led the Cats defence a merry dance. Sanderson (twice), Harley and Joshua Hunt all had a crack but were found wanting, especially in the third quarter when the talented left-footer kicked three goals inside the opening 13 minutes.

Injuries were the story of the first half, with Swans ruckman Adam Goodes and Cats veteran Peter Riccardi going down.

Goodes wrenched his left knee 10 minutes into the game and looked in trouble, only to return 10 minutes later and battle through the game courageously with what was diagnosed as a medial strain.

Riccardi had ignited the lacklustre Cats after starting on the bench but he was finished 17 minutes into the second quarter after straining a hamstring.

Most of the Cat cameos came in the third quarter with half-forward Steve Johnson coming alive for two great opportunist goals and then Gary Ablett, who had been blanketed by Jared Crouch, brought the 20,000 crowd to its feet when he weaved his way free and drilled a goal around the corner from 45m.

Both sides had plenty of workman-like performances. Ling (26 touches) just kept running, Milburn (19) was tough as usual while Scarlett (12) took the points on Hall (13 and one goal) and King (13 and 30 hit-outs) wore down Jason Ball.

For the Swans, Barry easily beat Kent Kingsley, Tadhg Kennelly showed glimpses of his class while Ben Matthews (21) provided plenty of run along with Stuart Maxfield and Matthew Nicks.

In the end the lead changed four times in a thrilling final quarter before Johnson and then teammate Paul Chapman, thanks to a lucky bounce, iced the game and provided more evidence that this Cats team knows what to do when its moment arrives.