There have been few better performers on the Grand Final stage than former Geelong star Steve Johnson. Now an assistant coach with Sydney, Johnson reflects on the Cats’ triple treat of 2007, 2009 and 2011 and the roles he played.
Possessing one of the game’s sharpest minds, freakish skills on both sides of his body, and more than his fair share of self-belief, Steve Johnson had all the tools to be a Grand Final star.
But while the footy world lauded the three-time premiership forward for his natural ability and talent, what most don’t know about is the number of hours he put in to getting himself in the best possible shape mentally to be able to handle the pressure of the occasion.
He didn’t just jump into a phone box, slip on the Geelong hoops, and strut out on to the MCG in the form of a super-Cat in his four Grand Finals; Johnson’s real work was already done by the time game-day arrived.
Like a lot of major changes in a person’s life, Johnson’s came after he found himself in a negative situation.
Known for his love of a beer, a drunken incident on Christmas Eve in 2006 caused him to be punished by the club’s leadership group and suspended for the first five matches of the following season. He was on his last chance.
History will show that not only did Johnson turn his life around, he revived his career.
Nine months after his boozy night in his home town of Wangaratta, he stood on the podium on Grand Final day an All-Australian representative, a premiership player and a Norm Smith medallist after Geelong’s 119-point win over Port Adelaide.
