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I had a lot of belief in my own I possibly could. I learned how to ability. I knew if I could get my better look after my body and recover STEVE JOHNSON fitness to an acceptable AFL level I between matches. Since then, it’s all could play some good footy. I was been pretty good. drafted with (selected STEVE JOHNSON has been one at pick eight), James Kelly (pick 17) of the most entertaining players and Gary Ablett jnr (pick 40 under of the modern era. Blessed with the father-son rule), and we all drove freakish skills, he loves the big each other to improve from the word stage and rarely disappoints. He go, which fast-tracked us along. We I had a lot of belief played 253 games and kicked 452 were also thrown into senior footy from a young age as part of Mark in my own ability goals for from 2002-15 ‘Bomber’ Thompson’s plan to get STEVE JOHNSON and was a member of the Cats’ games into his young players. 2007, 2009 and 2011 premiership Thompson didn’t change a lot after teams, winning the the well-publicised internal review Medal in 2007. He has joined at the end of 2006 that nearly saw FLAGGING SUCCESS him sacked by the club. The way I kicked a couple of goals early in the Greater Western Sydney in 2016. he taught us, as individuals, to play 2007 Grand Final and from then on I footy was brilliant and also the way MAD MAGPIE just had fun all day. I was playing on he went about structuring training. a half-forward flank and the ball was What got me interested in footy But what did change was the buy-in moving down the ground so swiftly was going along to watch my of the players to what Mark and the and so often – I would have hated to local side, Wangaratta, with my old club were trying to do. be a Port defender. Every CHAMPIONS man, Terry. I can remember from the When was selected as single guy in our team contributed age of five I always had a footy in my captain at the start of 2007, he wasn’t that day and the hands, and I used to love getting out one of our standout players. But of all could have gone to any number of on the ground at quarter-time and the players, it was he who, internally, players. Even though I was awarded half-time and having a kick with my led the playing group the best and the medal, I was just so relieved to OF OUR mates. Some of my best friendships that’s why he was chosen. Tom drove get a premiership under my belt – have come from footy, so it’s always the standards of the club and he had finally. I think every player would been a happy place for me. the respect of every player on the list. like to say they could perform well I grew up barracking for PULL YOUR HEAD IN on the big stage of a Grand Final and Collingwood. I was fortunate that I am certainly no different in that my family were AFL Members, I made a few mistakes early in my regard. But until you get there, you so we used to travel down from career, which were well publicised. just don’t know how you’re going to Wangaratta to to watch The hardest thing for me during that handle it. the footy seven or eight times a year. time was trying to manage injuries at Once we tasted premiership success, In the early days my idol was Peter the same time I was trying to improve we were hungry and driven to win Daicos. Then, when he retired, my my fitness and my overall game. I more. That next pre-season was one idol became because was labelled inconsistent during that of our best and we had an outstanding he was by far the best player at period, but I always felt that that season, losing only one game (to Collingwood at the time. inconsistency came from me not being Collingwood by 86 points in round I can see how there are similarities able to put regular sessions together nine), but on Grand Final day things in the way played and on the training track. I was playing just didn’t go our way. Hawthorn how I play. In his day he was clearly a game, and then missing a week took their chances and that’s what it the best in the AFL at snapshots for of training because of injury, then takes to win Grand Finals. You have TIME goal, and the banana kicks and all playing a couple of games – it was a to be the best team on the day, and those different tricky attempts on vicious cycle that I couldn’t seem to unfortunately we weren’t. Two modern-day greats are goal, and I have no doubt I tried to break out of. I had no continuity in the I don’t think the disappointment of emulate him in some way. way I went about things. losing that game will ever leave me. I knew that I also needed to CALL ME STEVE It was very hard to cop and I used to celebrated in the re-release make some changes off the field in hate turning on the TV and seeing Geelong is a unique and ideal place regards to my behaviours, and those footage of Hawthorn celebrating to play footy. Leading up to the standards were set for me by the 2001 AFL I would have gone on the podium. It stung us all and of a book celebrating likes of Harley, ‘Lingy’ (Cameron it made us so motivated to get back anywhere to play, but when I was Ling) and . While selected by Geelong (at No. 24) I there again. they were very direct with me about Leading into the 2009 Grand the careers of football icons. was as happy as I could possibly be where I was going wrong, I knew because within a few weeks I knew Final, I felt we weren’t the best side that what they were telling me was in it that year – I thought St Kilda it was the perfect place to play footy. not because they didn’t like me: it The players become part of the had the better season. But, like in was because they all wanted me to 2008, where we had been the best furniture down in Geelong and the get better as a person. Their feedback people there are so used to seeing side through the year but had lost the was the key reason for me to turn Grand Final, I knew anything could us that it’s not a surprise when they things around, on and off the field. I do bump into us in the street. I’m happen on the day. We didn’t use was forced to take a good, hard look that 2008 loss as motivation because just ‘Steve’ to everyone there, not at myself at the end of 2006 and I ‘Stevie J’ – that’s a media tag. it was a new season. It was a gutsy began to prepare myself the best performance by us to win the 2009

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Grand Final, although I had a pretty poor game myself – I not only battled LAPPING IT UP: Steve Johnson crawled off the canvas with a a hip injury going into that game, but serious knee injury to kick four I also battled Steven Baker, who tried goals in the 2011 Grand Final. some very dodgy tactics on me in order to stop me going near the ball. He was hard to play against because he was such a good tagger. While he took the points against me, we won the Grand Final, so I was happy. When I injured my knee in the 2011 preliminary final against West Coast, it was a huge challenge to get myself fit for the Grand Final. Initially, when I suffered the injury I thought that I was gone for all money because the pain was excruciating. I could see my kneecap sitting a couple of inches away from the centre of my knee. But when I had scans two days later they said there wasn’t much structural damage, meaning I had done a lot of minor damage that had caused me to dislocate my kneecap. But if we could find a way to keep that in place and keep the swelling Having to leave home and move down then I would have a 40-50 per interstate certainly helped me to be cent chance of playing. sympathetic to recruits who joined That week I spent a few sessions the club from other states. I always in a hyperbaric chamber and I MATTHEW PAVLICH is an icon tried to give them a hand while they I was pretty was icing it every night: I’d done with Fremantle and remains the assimilated. I’ve always appreciated everything I possibly could, including what they did for me. Of the senior happy living a fitness test on the eve of the game, Dockers’ greatest player and players at the club, Shaun McManus but by the end of the week I could leader. He is the first WA-based was one who stood out in trying to in Adelaide still hardly walk. So the doctor put help me in any way – he was really player to play 300 AFL games, MATTHEW PAVLICH three injections in my knee, and has won a club-record six best inclusive and important early on for immediately I felt the happiest I and fairests and is a six-time all the young players. had ever felt because the pain was gone and I was able to run up the All-Australian. A powerhouse TOUGH INITIATION corridor. So I passed the fitness test. forward, he has played 336 games At my first pre-season training But then, once the injection wore off, and kicked 670 goals. He captained session with Fremantle, I passed out the knee felt really sore again. After Fremantle from 2007-15 but has and was rushed to intensive care. the Grand Final parade I went back stepped aside in 2016. That wasn’t the ideal way to start to the hyperbaric chamber and iced an AFL career! I passed out on the it again that night, and woke up in DRAFTED Aquinas College oval after a sixth the morning still not knowing if I 1km time trial. It was a warm and I’d be lying if I said it was total humid day and I had not prepared would be playing. I had injections an joy when my name was read out hour before the game and it was then myself in the same manner as I by Fremantle in the 1999 draft. There would nowadays. I wasn’t hydrated that I finally knew that I was going was certainly a tinge of sadness about to play. enough and my nutrition wasn’t having to leave , but good enough before a training The one positive was that by I knew there was a high possibility I focusing on getting my knee right session. That was a challenging start. would go to Fremantle because they But these days, kids come into all week, it took my focus away from had three picks in the first five that the occasion and I wasn’t as nervous a club having already been year. I was certainly excited by the screened and their training as I might have been otherwise. Of challenge it presented and I was quite the three premierships that I have sessions are modified as intrigued by the Dockers and they adapt to the demands won, that one is the most enjoyable in general because I didn’t know and rewarding because I thought of training at an AFL level. much about either, but to say that When I started, I was doing that I had lost the opportunity to I was over the moon to be drafted play in it. The fact that it was against full training sessions from the to Fremantle would be a lie – I was word go and I couldn’t handle it. But Collingwood, who I had supported as pretty happy living in Adelaide. My a kid, made it all the more enjoyable. I didn’t want to show any weakness, parents were even less enthusiastic so I kept pushing until I couldn’t It was also rewarding to win our than me, but at the same time they third flag because, given the success go anymore. knew I had been pursuing a football I quickly fell in love with the we had had over a five-year period, I career for a long time, so they were felt we deserved a third premiership. suburb of Fremantle. It’s a fantastic also extremely excited and proud at suburb to the south-west of Perth, DAN EDDY the opportunity presented to me. with a lot of ethnic diversity and

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so it was quite easy for me to HAPPY DAYS: embrace what Ross was trying Pavlich celebrates a goal with to drive because he was singing teammate Hayden from the same hymn book I had Ballantyne. been using. BIG YEAR The 2013 season was a big year for me. I had the birth of my first child, Harper Rose, and I played in a Grand Final. I had an interrupted year because of some surgery and other ailments, which really held me back. In hindsight, while it was a fantastic year for the football club to reach our first Grand Final, on a personal level it was quite a challenging year with being a new dad and dealing with injury setbacks. I still needed to lead the players as I dealt with my own challenges, and also to help the other leaders of our team who were out there on game-day when I wasn’t. It certainly produced an interesting dynamic for me, but one I tried to embrace. Getting a great mix of cultures. Quite an Fremantle: I’d started something to a Grand Final is a phenomenal eclectic bunch of individuals and here and I wanted to see it through experience and one I’ll never forget. groups have gravitated there. It has a and I wanted to be a leader in Although the result of the day great art and music scene and, being that capacity. So even though itself was obviously disappointing I’m on the water, it’s just a great place I was offered a chance to go home, for us, it was incredible to run out to live. There’s also a rich history I was never fully committed to there and have an opportunity at in football at both South and East leaving the club. I certainly see something you ultimately dream extremely Fremantle Football Clubs, with some myself as a Fremantle player of and hope to achieve. absolute legends of the game. through and through. We wasted our chances in that driven to game. We started really poorly FIRST GAME COACHING UPHEAVAL and our composure with the ball get one (a When I ran out for my first AFL , who was sacked at was a long way off our expected game (against Melbourne in round the end of 2010, brought some real standard. Not only did we miss five, 2000, at the Melbourne Cricket hardness and experience to the some easy chances in front of goal, premiership) Ground) I had a big smile on my face. club. He was involved in the rebuild we also turned the ball over a lot It was what I had always dreamed of and he put faith in younger players, around the ground. So we weren’t before I retire doing. I was fortunate that I had the and a lot of those players are part giving ourselves an opportunity to PAVLICH ball land in my lap in the goalsquare of our core group now. When Mark score and execute, despite having just a few seconds into the game. was sacked, I believe the players a number of inside-50s early on. Brendon Fewster tumbled a punt would have felt one of three things: Our ball use and our composure and I read it off the boot and had a they would either have been happy really let us down and Hawthorn goal from my first kick. I also goaled that there was change and a new capitalised on it going the other from my second kick after taking a opportunity for them; they would way. As the game wore on, we contested mark – so, two kicks, two have been disappointed because they worked our way into it and we goals, and I thought, ‘Gee, this is liked Mark and they saw it as a poor started to really dominate, but, easy!’ But I soon found out that the change for them; or they would have unfortunately, we let ourselves caper was pretty hard and I ended been quite unsure about whether down with some up having a pretty tough night it was a good thing or a bad thing. of our structures and our hardness playing on Melbourne’s captain, My challenge as captain and part of at the end which cost us the game. . I worked out very our leadership group was to try and It’s a bitter pill to swallow. quickly that there was a lot more to get everyone to see the upside – the AFL premierships aren’t gifted AFL footy than kicking two goals silver lining – to the change, and to you. I’m extremely driven to with your first two kicks. to get them to embrace Ross (Lyon) get one before I retire – I wouldn’t and his new philosophies really early be playing otherwise. There’s only STAYING LOYAL so we didn’t fall behind. It took our one job left and that’s to be a part There were a couple of times when team a little while to understand of the ultimate team success. I came close to leaving Fremantle. exactly what Ross wanted and what To play with a group that gives The first was in 2002, and then again CHAMPIONS: CONVERSATIONS WITH he was trying to implement. But his a really high level of effort day-in GREAT PLAYERS & COACHES OF a bit later on in my career. I explored broader philosophies on coaching, on and day-out is phenomenal – I’m AUSTRALIAN FOOTBALL BY BEN COLLINS AND DAN EDDY. PUBLISHED BY the offers, but I always thought team management and on life were inspired by them. SLATTERY MEDIA GROUP. RRP $49.95 there was unfinished business at running parallel to what I believed, BEN COLLINS

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