Steve Johnson (Australian footballer)

Steve Johnson (born 4 July 1983) is an Australian rules footballer for the Geelong Football Club in the Australian Football League.

Career

Early career

He was selected by Geelong with pick 24 in the 2001 AFL Draft. His first few years were plagued with inconsistency, injury and off field problems. A medium-sized forward, Johnson is renowned for his freakish ability on the field, where he has consistently wowed fans with his penchant for extraordinary goals.

2007

Johnson was suspended by his club for the first 5 matches of 2007 after he was arrested for public drunkenness in Wangaratta on December 24 2006. He returned in round 6 against Richmond where he went on to contribute 21 possessions and kick 2 goals in a match Geelong convincingly won by 157 points. He has since gone on to post career-best numbers across the board, capped off by All-Australian selection on the half-forward flank in September, 2007.

His 2007 season was capped off when Johnson lead the Cats to victory in the Grand Final, collecting a premiership medallion, and winning the Norm Smith Medal for best on ground in the Grand Final. Johnson was hailed as a feel good story for the year, with a good example of a player reforming after disciplinary action.

2008

Early in 2008 however, Johnson lost his drivers' license and was sentenced to 50 hours working with the TAC after he was clocked in over 70 km/h over the speed limit in a 50 zone. Teammate Shannon Byrnes was in the car at the time.

He...
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