Matthew Johnson, please stop taking on the tackler every time you get the ball

[lint]

He is slow of mind and body.

His default move is to take on the tackler, but that works a lot better in the final quarter than in the first half when players are fresh and his lack of speed and agility punish him.

He seems about two gears below the required intensity at this level. It's noticable when you watch him. I noticed it in the first quarter last week also. He seemed to be dawdling.

Some rare top tier players can float and make up their lack of burst speed with their mind (Mundy, Pendulbury, Mitchell, etc) but unfortunately at this stage the game is too fast for him in that area too.

Does he have the desire? Like Erasmus (and Fyfe) he is seeming a little one dimensional, as a one paced inside mid.

Looking at the 2021 draft when we had picks 10 and 21 after selecting Amiss, and given we already had Brayshaw, Serong and Young, some players we could have picked:

11. Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera
12. Josh Sinn
16. Darcy Wilmot
19. Jacob van Rooyen
26.Connor MacDonald
27. Jesse Motlop
36. Jake Soligo (inside mid though)

Perhaps this is one year where going WA only might have cost us. I do realise with the spectre of COVID, perhaps we were more wary of interstate players than ever before.

I note St Kilda had quite the draft with Owens, Windhager and Nasiah.

I guess by us taking two inside mids, hopefully one of them will pop.

 

[Cobbler]

There’s a genuinely high ceiling for Johnson.

He’s been infuriating at times, but mainly through attempting to be positive.

I wouldn’t be surprised if the coaching staff see this and have given him that license (possibly forced due to our other mids being horrid)

Agree with the general vibe of this post where he tries it too often or doesn’t just give quicker hands.

When he started he had a natural elusive manner. Now it seems he tries to force elusiveness.

When he finds the balance I think he’ll actually be great.

 

[PowerToThePurpl]

Nah f**k that. The amount of posts I see when a young player plays too safe then gets labelled as ‘vanilla’ and their ‘flair has been coached out of them’ but can’t back themselves to take on tacklers and weave threw traffic because of how it looks when it doesn’t come off - my god.

You think Chad Warner

1

Chad Warner

Age

23

Ht

185cm

Wt

82kg

Pos.

Mid

Career

Season

Last 5

D

7.0

2star

K

4.5

2star

HB

2.5

2star

M

1.5

2star

T

1.5

3star

CL

0.0

1star

D

7.0

1star

K

4.5

2star

HB

2.5

2star

M

1.5

2star

T

1.5

2star

CL

0.0

1star

D

7.0

2star

K

4.5

2star

HB

2.5

3star

M

1.5

2star

T

1.5

4star

CL

0.0

1star

has always had his innate ability to storm through opposition and kick ripping goals on the run? Or would Sydney fans rather he play safe and go with the easy option every time he got it?

Let the kid play. He’s gonna make mistakes and look bad at times of course, but when he pulls it off the bloke looks like prime Pendlebury, and we know he has that ability. I’d rather he back himself in and make mistakes than become another role playing mid.

 

[Firesharter]

I don’t have a problem with players making a couple of errors a game. We demand absolute perfection, which is just ****ing unhealthy. I’d rather see Johnno play his natural game and next year when he’s added a couple more kgs of muscle, he’ll get away with it

 

[CapitalA]

He’s a midfield Ethan Hughes. He is solid overall but has you tearing your hair out 1-2 times a game every week without fail.

He is way better than Hughes LOL

 

[Footskill]

Duffields take on MJ..pretty much what's been said in this thread

 

[apuchar]

You mean the one where young slipped over and he had to change direction?

Yeah I noticed that when i watched the second replay. He was ready to hand it off and noticed that Young was on the ground. He then froze and then tried to fend off two tacklers. That one wasn't his fault. The others were though.

 

[pK75]

He’s been played out of position, it’s no coincidence that his best game this year was against the tigers when Fyfe started as the sub and Johnson as inside mid, he’s not a natural winger and should be a permanent inside mid, but with Fyfe, Young, Serong and Bradshaw taking those spots he gets pushed outside. He looks alright as a half forward, I’d swap him and Banfield as he could attract a decent sized defender if he kicks a goal or two.

 

[EastcoastDocker]

Love both players and their styles of play but MJ and chappy would have to be polar opposites ball in hand. Moment chappy gets it he's moving or ball is out of hand either by foot or hand. MJ is mundyesque but just not quite there yet. It will come.

Should also be noted walker hasn't been caught HTB much lately while still being aggressive ball in hand

 

[Footskill]

He’s been played out of position, it’s no coincidence that his best game this year was against the tigers when Fyfe started as the sub and Johnson as inside mid, he’s not a natural winger and should be a permanent inside mid, but with Fyfe, Young, Serong and Bradshaw taking those spots he gets pushed outside. He looks alright as a half forward, I’d swap him and Banfield as he could attract a decent sized defender if he kicks a goal or two.

Yes. Agree. Let's see them swap. Would like to see banners more wing. Really think he can help coming out the back half when our defense are hemmed in and need an outlet

 

[Flour bag punter]

Hi Matthew,

Big fan. You have a lot of swagger and I expect at around 50 games everything clicks and you start to dominate. But there is a massive flaw in your game. You think you are still playing colts. When you get the ball, you have less time than you think, your sidestep is of no surprise to seasoned AFL players, and most of your opponents have 5+ years of preseason strength training behind them. You aren't winning this battle presently and it will be a few seasons before it's one you can consistently win. Concentrate on doing the team thing, offloading to a player in a better position, running to put blocks on in support. Try the fend off and tackle break on occasion, but try to play within your limitations. You're in the AFL now.

Hi Mathew,
Play your own game. Take the game on and develop the skills necessary to break the game open and provide something other than a popped handball over the top. Look at the way Simpson is developing a young Harley Reid , do you think he is saying stop the fend you have been caught in the tackle.
Already you are ranked in the top few tackle breakers in the AFL this season. Build your evasive skills and take your first instinctive option. Most of all keep the outside noise out of your head, just look at what it’s doing for Jye and Nat’s goal kicking.
Your job is to play unconstrained and build your skills as you move towards 50 games. We the supporters will stay in our lane.

 

[arsesmart]

I'd hazard a guess that it's a standard strategy that's implemented as part of the team plan to draw opposition players and transition outside (or as often allow a corridor option) to break lines.

You can see Johnson is still in development mode as his judgement and ability to break a critical mass of tackles isn't quite there. He seems to be getting better though as the season wears on. I think the coaches are willing to wear the bleeding that results in the short term for the long term gain.

 

[oldgoat]

Makes some very costly errors every game it seems but I like him. Certainly getting more of it this year, generally improving and getting stronger. He's still only 21 and we need to develop some younger mids.

On Pixel 7 using BigFooty.com mobile app

just turned 21
played 29 games
This time next year he graduates from his 50 game apprenticeship
Developing nicely!
Future A grader!

 

[apuchar]

He is slow of mind and body.

His default move is to take on the tackler, but that works a lot better in the final quarter than in the first half when players are fresh and his lack of speed and agility punish him.

He seems about two gears below the required intensity at this level. It's noticable when you watch him. I noticed it in the first quarter last week also. He seemed to be dawdling.

Some rare top tier players can float and make up their lack of burst speed with their mind (Mundy, Pendulbury, Mitchell, etc) but unfortunately at this stage the game is too fast for him in that area too.

Does he have the desire? Like Erasmus (and Fyfe) he is seeming a little one dimensional, as a one paced inside mid.

Looking at the 2021 draft when we had picks 10 and 21 after selecting Amiss, and given we already had Brayshaw, Serong and Young, some players we could have picked:

11. Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera
12. Josh Sinn
16. Darcy Wilmot
19. Jacob van Rooyen
26.Connor MacDonald
27. Jesse Motlop
36. Jake Soligo (inside mid though)

Perhaps this is one year where going WA only might have cost us. I do realise with the spectre of COVID, perhaps we were more wary of interstate players than ever before.

I note St Kilda had quite the draft with Owens, Windhager and Nasiah.

I guess by us taking two inside mids, hopefully one of them will pop.

Owens and Windhaeger were NGA. They still had access to them when we no longer did. Wasn't rocket science for them.

 

[apuchar]

Johnson is going to be a very good player in time, I imagine, I just think he has taken the play with freedom license a little too literally and to the extreme. We aren't in re-build mode so he shouldn't be free to stuff up this often without the possibility of being replaced (like Erasmus was for instance, for less). It all boils down to how long he takes to get the balance right. I personally don't think it should be open ended. We have finals to make and good Wafl performances to be rewarded.

 

[Footskill]

Johnson is going to be a very good player in time, I imagine, I just think he has taken the play with freedom license a little too literally and to the extreme. We aren't in re-build mode so he shouldn't be free to stuff up this often without the possibility of being replaced (like Erasmus was for instance, for less). It all boils down to how long he takes to get the balance right. I personally don't think it should be open ended. We have finals to make and good Wafl performances to be rewarded.

I think the coaches now have enough footage to sit him down and go..ok here it's ok to take the player on..here U needed to give the first option

If he still doesn't change he is not coachable and it's behavioural..then he needs to learn the hard lesson of being dropped

 

[arsesmart]

I think the coaches now have enough footage to sit him down and go..ok here it's ok to take the player on..here U needed to give the first option

If he still doesn't change he is not coachable and it's behavioural..then he needs to learn the hard lesson of being dropped

Well let's not get too caught up in the idea it's so easy out there. Decision making under pressure can be one of the biggest developmental leaps to make. I reckon they have given him a licence to take it on a bit, it seems he's (like the team) on an upward trajectory with it and likely they're willing to take the bleeding now.

 

[lint]

Owens and Windhaeger were NGA. They still had access to them when we no longer did. Wasn't rocket science for them.

Sure, I'd say Nasiah is so far looking markedly better than Erasmus, particularly for our needs, and two of their NGA picks (at 33 and 47!) are looking pretty good. They had a good draft.

 

[freo1]

The kid is 193cm and hasnt even played 30 games yet. I'd go as far as to say most of his games played to date have also been played out of position - just trying to get him experience in the team.

I love watching him play - he makes errors but has so much potential. His height and reach will make him a stronger weapon as he develops and when Fyfe eventually finishes.

Poor thread in my opinion - you're being highly critical over a remarkably small sample size. He's a kid, still learning, and i've seen him break many a tackle already. If i'm JL i'm telling him the opposite to the OP - keep taking the game on young fella, i'm backing you in.

 

[yakamoto]

Was Cripps better at that age? I like to dream that in 2-3 seasons he will have developed into a Cripps like player.

 

[apuchar]

The kid is 193cm and hasnt even played 30 games yet. I'd go as far as to say most of his games played to date have also been played out of position - just trying to get him experience in the team.

I love watching him play - he makes errors but has so much potential. His height and reach will make him a stronger weapon as he develops and when Fyfe eventually finishes.

Poor thread in my opinion - you're being highly critical over a remarkably small sample size. He's a kid, still learning, and i've seen him break many a tackle already. If i'm JL i'm telling him the opposite to the OP - keep taking the game on young fella, i'm backing you in.

Balance is all we are asking for. We have a better player sitting on the sidelines, for today and Johnson is stuffing up every second possession with unrealistic over-confidence and frankly very poor skills. Surely, a young player just tries and get the basics right first so we can continue to win games while he is learning. If he wants to be so expansive so early in his career, then go and practice it in the wafl and at training. I am hoping Freo are looking at making the finals this year, not constantly pushing things into the following year.

 

[Bigger]

I don't mind Johnno testing the tackle. That's pretty SOP these days, with tacklers scared to bring blokes to ground and umpies scared to blow the whistle. You either get away with it - which he is top 10 in the league at - force a stoppage or get pinged in a spot where you allow time to set up. He'll get better at breaking tackles and/or he will move it on quicker - maybe even both - but he has to learn how to do those things.

I do, however, mind his lackadaisical kicking. That one earlier in the season where he completely overshot Aish kicking backwards and hit the base of the point post could have cost us the game.

Take it seriously, bigfella. You kick backwards, you hit ****.

 

[Footskill]

I don't mind Johnno testing the tackle. That's pretty SOP these days, with tacklers scared to bring blokes to ground and umpies scared to blow the whistle. You either get away with it - which he is top 10 in the league at - force a stoppage or get pinged in a spot where you allow time to set up. He'll get better at breaking tackles and/or he will move it on quicker - maybe even both - but he has to learn how to do those things.

I do, however, mind his lackadaisical kicking. That one earlier in the season where he completely overshot Aish kicking backwards and hit the base of the point post could have cost us the game.

Take it seriously, bigfella. You kick backwards, you hit ****.

Yes, there will be times where it's good to take the tackler on , but there are other times where the first and better option was available.

Okay, taking on one tackler at the time but with two or three coming at you, safe to say most can't single handedly.

Also rather take the tackler on when in motion not stationary.

 

[freo1997]

This guy will be a beast and gun, he just needs to add lots more muscle and possibly work on his acceleration out of stoppages. He has such a high ceiling.

In saying that he may have to work on his craft in wafl for the rest of the year, as Brodie adds more atm.

 

[doppo]

I found Jlo's comments interesting regarding young players tending to lose focus on their roles and worrying more about getting a kick. The fact Johnson is holding his spot (compared to, say, an Erasmus) says to me that he's decent enough at performing his role despite being a bit rough around the edges in parts of his game.