Steve Johnson suspended indefinetly...

[chapmanmagic35]

Steve Johnson has been suspended indefinetly by the club - he will not be invited back to the senior group until at least Round 6.

 

[cats2rise]

Get ********ed thats ********. Thats harsh IMO.

 

[CF]

I'd like to see your source for this info. But if true, as much as I love Dogs talent he deserves this. I have no sympathy for him as the club has made it clear to him that this silly drunken behaviour is not acceptable. Let's hope this is a wake up call for Dog and he gets his life together.

 

[jess_555]

What the?!?!?! I wasn't expecting such a HUGE punishment. That is almost over the top... is it? I don't like him anyway so good riddens! Serves him right for being such a ****************.

Looks like I will have $5 coming my way. No way he can make the top 15 of the best & fairest.

 

[cats2rise]

Jess_555 still will owe me $5 by the end of the year anyway.

 

[rizzo]

Get rid of him

 

[chapmanmagic35]

Get rid of him

No point now - should have done it three months ago if they really wanted to.

 

[cat_fanatic]

Punishment is so harsh because the club needs to look in control and be seen to have good discipline measures. Also needs to send a message to all players that cr@p will not be tolerated. He is being made an example of and its a good thing. I really like watching Dog play when he's on, e.g., rd 21, and maybe the message will finally be received by Steve.

 

[rizzo]

No point now - should have done it three months ago if they really wanted to.

Just flick him at the end of the year.

 

[jess_555]

Punishment is so harsh because the club needs to look in control and be seen to have good discipline measures. Also needs to send a message to all players that cr@p will not be tolerated. He is being made an example of and its a good thing. I really like watching Dog play when he's on, e.g., rd 21, and maybe the message will finally be received by Steve.

Your exactly right that he's being made an example of and it needs to be done. After thinking about it more i'm really glad the club has made this decision, I think it's in the best interests of the whole club. I'll be interested to see what happends when the next player steps out of line... will they keep the same firm hand? I hope so, coz if they don't we will end up like Collingwood/Carlton/Coasters and have many players running amuck.

 

[Go Hoops]

I'd like to see your source for this info.

Yep! So would I. Seems draconian to me.

 

[CF]

Cats suspend Johnson


January 08, 2007

GEELONG forward Steve Johnson will be out of the AFL until at least round six after the club suspended him indefinitely today.
The Cats punished Johnson after he was arrested for being drunk in a public place and then taking more than a week to tell the club.

Police arrested him in his home town of Wangaratta on Christmas Eve.

Johnson must now train with Geelong's Victorian Football League squad and he can play in that competition, but the Cats will not review the AFL suspension until at least round six of the home and away season.

"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," Cats football manager Neil Balme said in a statement.

It was Johnson's second arrest for public drunkenness in the last 18 months.

The forward also badly hurt his ankle when he jumped a fence at the Torquay pub four years ago in another alcohol-related incident.

http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,8659,21027920-23211,00.html

 

[WE Are Geelong]

In real terms SJ wont be ready for senior selection until round 6 anyway. Given he had post season surgery and the rest of the group seem to be 'flying' its what his training program and rehab is probably suggesting to the senior decision makers down there...thats my take on it anyway.

The whole thing is in his hands. He will be handy if he pulls his finger out fully for once.

 

[gokangas]

As an outsider can I say it makes your club look very strong - its a ballsy decision that says "no more crap". Congrats to the Geelong people who made the decision. it sets an excellent example to the rest of the list.

 

[cat_fanatic]

As an outsider can I say it makes your club look very strong - its a ballsy decision that says "no more crap". Congrats to the Geelong people who made the decision. it sets an excellent example to the rest of the list.

Yep, really ballsy - well put. He probably wouldn’t have been ready for AFL until round four or five anyway due to post season knee surgery. Great result for the club.

(just saw that had allready been said - my bad)

 

[ablettallica]

Good call by the club. Not in our best 22 anyway. Sends a strong message.

 

[Scarlett30]

Not in our best 22 anyway.

Your joking right?.....he is in out top 12

 

[Herbs]

It had to come, good to see management not just covering up the issue and hoping it'll go away. I'll be in Geelong in a week or so, if I see him I'll give him a kick up the arse myself.

 

[YOTC]

********ing idiots.

Say goodbye to the season boys, Our star is gone...

 

[micky_11]

HA HA HA, lol, nah that is a to harsh of a punishment i rekon,

 

[Go Hoops]

Just heard it discussed on AW. I couldn't fault the process whereby the leadership group discussed it at length - including an interview with SB. And the penalty was what they called for. I have no problems with a suspension and allowing him to only train with the VFL squad. Or the resultant financial penalty due to him not playing AFL. But not re-considering until round 6. Talk about cutting off your nose to spite your face.

BTW. Quite impressed with the way Neil Balme handled it.

 

[ezbian]

Excellant decision. It is these types of decisions that help to shape the culture of a club. Finally looks like some leadership is being shown.

For all those that think that the decision will be detrimental to our season, pull your head in. If it is good for Sydney and Nick Davis then it should be good for Geelong.

Well done Cats!

 

[Mooney_d'King]

He made his bed, now he's finally lying in it. That's a strong decision and something like it had to be made. Hopefully a no ******** policy can be applied in all areas of the club.

Bear in mind, the "indefinite" terminology is handy - if he shows himself to be dedicated then we could see him back after 6 rounds. If he goes off the rails cos he can't cope then one of our new young guys can get a chance and the club as a whole can move forward positively.

He is certainly mercurial and can do almost magic stuff, but the problem with that is that it means literally hot and cold, up and down etc. We need consistentcy from him, not the short attention span stuff that we see so often.

Good luck to him, I hope he can pull it together, but like a fair few people, he doesn't seem to be able to appreciate the gravity of a situation for very long.

 

[worthogs]

Good

About Blooody time. Show they are serious with this toool.

If he gets his act together well and good 6 weeks into the season he may even be fit. Sober up get aerobically fit and get rid of the cans during the week or sit abck in Shep next year drinking in the front bar spewing that you wasted your talents.

We dont need you!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Mr Sensitive]

my first reaction upon hearing news of the suspension was that it was rather harsh, but the more I think about it, the more I think the club made the right call.
Johnson has had several chances and this move really lets him know what the club thinks of him. It also sends a clear message to the rest of the list that stupidity is no longer tolerated at this footy club. Kudos to the GFC for sticking to its guns and not letting Johnson slide.