Past Travis Johnstone (2008-2010)

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Re: Travis Johnstone

Lace Out said:
Could be worse though.

At least it means he's getting his hands on it a bit.
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Yep. He has the 2nd most kicks (37) in the league. Of those he has 11 inside 50s, which as POBT alluded to has a higher degree of difficulty.

Another stat of interest is that he is averaging 4.5 tackles a game, which is way up from previous years. He also rarely handballs (5 in two weeks).
 
Re: Travis Johnstone

every decent inside 50m pass that is marked by big brown is worth about 3 effective disposals. in two games he has shown his experience in getting the ball to the forwards.

and as pointed out, kicks into the 50 are hard with the flooding and such these days. 20 disposals and 4 tackles a game - what a bargin !!
 
Re: Travis Johnstone

POBT said:
I can't remember if I have said this or not but I reckon his clanger count is always going to be high because of the high risk style of his disposal. When he pinpoints a leading forward in a congested 50, we all gasp. A lesser player would bomb the ball to the goal square and hope for a result. It is a high percentage play in that it won't cause an immediate turnover but a low %age play in that you aren't particularly likely to score. He takes the punt and tries to engineer the result that will most likely lead to a kick on goal. In other words, he puts his teammates to advantage more effectively.

However, I think the corollary of that is that, when it doesn't come off, it hurts. If you are trying to pin point 1 teammate among 4 opponents, there is a risk that less than perfect disposal will lead to a clanger.

For me, we have so few players who can do what he does that I don't really mind that his clanger count is high. I reckon he'd also be pretty high on the "creates scoring opportunities which ordinary players can't see" rankings too.
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I agree.

He picks a target, and often the kick is spot on but is intercepted by an opposition player. This is considered a clanger.

This can mean two things. 1. Poor decision maker 2. Likes to roll the dice

I'd lean towards #2, I just don't think he likes to kick long to a contest when he knows he can hit anyone within 50m lace out. The key is having blokes to kick it to.
 

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Re: Travis Johnstone

Didn't get a lot of the footy last nigh (14 touches) but neither did anyone else. When he did get it he used it very very well, better than anyone else in the side. His disposal efficiency keeps getting better every week. I think Port Adelaide will suit TJ, they are more of an outside running team and he should often find himself in lots of space, obviously much more then against Sydney. Hopefully he tears it up next week.
 
Re: Travis Johnstone

Fairley said:
Didn't get a lot of the footy last nigh (14 touches) but neither did anyone else. When he did get it he used it very very well, better than anyone else in the side. His disposal efficiency keeps getting better every week. I think Port Adelaide will suit TJ, they are more of an outside running team and he should often find himself in lots of space, obviously much more then against Sydney. Hopefully he tears it up next week.
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Yeah, not much room for TJ to work his magic last night, but I noticed some nice off the ball things... shepharding, putting his body on the line.

Needs to work on his tackling technique though (along with a few others)... his endeavor was there, but very few of them stuck.
 
Re: Travis Johnstone

Lets hope he gets them 40 posessions and kicks 10 goals, but the latter Braddles would probably perform as he has kicked 8 and 9 goals in his previous two games V. the Demons.
 

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Re: Travis Johnstone

konstas_87 said:
was so impressed with TJ tonight, would not have picked him to be one of the players to step up in the wet conditions, great 2nd half:thumbsu:
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Amazed to see he had a game high 22 kicks tonight. (plus 2 handballs).

Just watched 4th quarter highlights on Bigpond....hit players on the chest regularly (including Browny for a crucial goal) with those low spearing footpasses.

Great stuff!!:thumbsu:
 
Re: Travis Johnstone

Really happy to see TJ doing well this year with the Lions. I've posted in this thread before about him in detail. As my name shows he is my fav player and I was very sad to see him go.

Played another great game tonight. His 2nd half was superb! Sydney game aside, I think he has been a good contributor for you guys this year, and would be in your top 5-10 players so far this season. Would I be right in saying that? Been great to see him stand up when you have needed him.

Hope you're enjoying his amazing kicking skills as I did for many years! :D
 
Re: Travis Johnstone

TJ has really shown a lot since he has been with us, as an avid supporter for many years (love silky skilled footballers) it is great that he has fitted in so well. He seems to have embraced the Matthews hard at the ball philosophy, we have seen him run back with the flight of the footy, chase, tackle and put his body on the line. Already our forwards have benefited from his exceptional passing. The only area i would like TJ to improve on is getting the ball and running with it instead of standing still and moving side to side to assess his options. Apart from that i am suitably pleased with swapping pick 14 for him.
 
Re: Travis Johnstone

Link

Johnstone cherishes maiden win
Author: Simon White
7:41 PM Tue 15 April, 2008

BRISBANE Lions coach Leigh Matthews deemed it "one in a thousand" and midfielder Travis Johnstone knows it was at least a once-in-a-decade result.

The Lions’ astonishing 20-point comeback victory over Port Adelaide on the weekend has captivated the football public.

But amid all the justified hoopla over the 67-point turnaround from late in the third quarter, one small statistic has gone unnoticed – Johnstone celebrating his first ever win in Adelaide.

In 10 seasons and 160 games with previous club Melbourne, Johnstone had never tasted victory at Football Park.

"I remember once at Melbourne we got really close and for most of the rest of the games we got punished – so it was great to finally have a win over there," Johnstone told lions.com.au

"It was just massive to be able to come from that far down and win, especially at an interstate ground.

"Most of the times Port Adelaide and Adelaide run right over the top of visiting teams in that situation.

"To stop that and actually come back and win was unbelievable. I was really pumped after the game."

While many Lions fans would have been despondent during a third quarter in which Port got as many as 47 points in front, Johnstone says he and his teammates were always optimistic of causing an upset.

That said, he admits some stern words from Matthews helped provide the necessary focus heading into the second half.

"At half time he did give us a bit of a spray but we definitely deserved it," Johnstone said.

"We all needed to step up and stop making the silly mistakes that we’d been making in the first half.

"We were confident that we had the fitness to run out the game strong and then when the rain came in the last quarter we knew what we had to do.

"Against Collingwood a couple of weeks ago we probably played around with the ball a bit too much.

"This time we just kept the ball going forward in the rain and concentrated on getting it quickly to Jonathan Brown and Daniel Bradshaw.

"Fortunately it all worked out."

The Lions will go into this week’s clash with an in-form Hawthorn with a respectable season record of two wins and two losses.

Much has been made of the Lions’ tough schedule, which pits them against six of last year’s top-eight sides in the first seven weeks of the season.

Had the Lions been offered their current record before the start of the home and away season, Johnstone believes they would have accepted.

"I think we would have taken it – when you look at the fact that we had trips to Perth and Adelaide in those first four weeks," he said.

"Those are two grounds that it’s extremely hard to win at and to have been able to get the points from one of them has been good.

"Looking back, we could have been 3-1, but both of our wins have been in close games so we could just have easily have been 0-4.

"When you think about it like that, 2-2 is pretty good start and gives us something to build on."

johnstone2fh9.jpg
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Re: Travis Johnstone

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Travis tunes into Brisbane
Phil Lutton
April 16, 2008

Brisbane Lions fans, take heart. Travis Johnstone forgives you.
If it makes you feel any better, he would have done the same thing if he tuned into the first three quarters of Brisbane's miraculous win over Port Adelaide last weekend.
"I probably would have turned over and watched something else," Johnstone admitted.
Luckily for the Lions, just as Port were busy switching off, Johnstone and co were storming home to inspire the stunning turnaround that erased a 47-point deficit late in the third quarter.
"I've never been part of something like that," Johnstone said of the 20-point away win that coach Leigh Matthews described as a "one in a thousand" result.
"That was amazing that win. Those interstate games, at halftime when you're down by 30-40 points, it's so hard to come back. They've got the crowd behind them and their confidence is up. It was pretty freaky.
"Nobody was getting their hands on the ball. Once we did we knew we'd give it a shake. But it was pretty surprising. We knew we had it in us but you actually have to do it. It was incredible."
The euphoria has started to subside amongst the Lions as they return to Matthews' favoured "emotionally neutral" state in the lead-up to the home clash with Lance Franklin's Hawks on Saturday.
For former number one draft pick Johnstone, who came to Brisbane this season after a decade at Melbourne, the win over Port is another boost in the impressive start to life as a Lion.
He is relishing his stint in the relative AFL backwater of Queensland, away from the ever-present glare of the AFL-mad public and media in the Melbourne fishbowl.
He may as well be singing from the same hymn book as Broncos forward Ashton Sims, who has morphed into a lean, mean smashing machine since his own move north of the border from the Dragons.
"It has been (a reinvention) for me. There is so much media scrutiny down there. I just think the weather, the training facilities are fantastic," Johnstone said.
"Here the trainers know pretty well everything and can help you out in so many areas. It's a huge benefit and can really help your game. You're actually excited to come to training."
Its not that his life at the struggling Demons has been consigned to the history books. Johnstone says while his soul is being poured into Brisbane's run at the flag, part of his heart will always remain at the club where he began his career, even if the manner of his departure wasn't a fairytale ending.
"I was there for 10 years. I started there and played for 10 years. It will always be in my heart. It's where I played most of my footy. It's hard to forget," Johnstone said.
"But coming up here has been a huge bonus. To come to such a successful club that's so professional with everything they do. I've slotted in pretty well I think."
Brisbane will be asking the busy Johnstone to continue his high levels of involvement against the Hawks, who are perched on top of the AFL ladder with four wins from as many outings.
Johnstone said against a team like Hawthorn, armed with Franklin's brilliance in front of goal, slipping behind like they did against Port would equate to football suicide.
"We haven't started well this season. Against Hawthorn, given how they are going at the moment, if they get a start on you they aren't going to let you have a sniff to get back into the game," Johnstone said.

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Re: Travis Johnstone

Lions want more from Travis Johnstone

A week of reflection looms for the Brisbane Lions' prized recruit Travis Johnstone.

And not just because he is lining up against his former AFL club Melbourne for the first time on Sunday.

Johnstone, 27, will no doubt feel mixed emotions before running out at the Gabba against a club he called home for 10 years.

But a sobering appraisal by Lions coach Leigh Matthews has given the classy onballer plenty more to chew over this week.

Matthews usually does not single out players.

But he surprisingly broke that rule on Monday, saying the veteran midfielder's first five games for the Lions had not produced the All Australian form they had expected when they snapped him up in a three-way trade.

"Unless we can get that kind of level out of him, then we'll be thinking he's got to get better," Matthews said in Brisbane.

"He has been a useful contributor but he was recruited to be a very good player, an All Australian type midfielder.

"And I'm not positive if he's achieved that. He should be still working to make sure there's better to come than what we've got to this point."

Matthews said Johnstone would probably be the first to agree.

"I couldn't think he'd be thinking 'I'm going fantastic' as opposed to 'I'm doing my bit but gee I can be better than that'," Matthews said.

"It's harder for an older player to change clubs, but he's settled in as best you can. He's a very, very capable player and at the moment he's just a capable player."

So what does Johnstone have to do to impress Matthews?

Quite simply, everything.

Matthews expected from Johnstone exactly what he did from other "gun midfielders" - to win the ball as well as deliver it.

"You've got to do it all. If you only do one or two aspects of the game than you are never going to be great - that's what the best do, the not so good do one or the other," he said.

"Your Chris Judds, Gary Abletts, Simon Blacks, the gun midfielders can win the contest in close but can still be involved in the flow of play - that's what everyone should be aspiring to."

Meanwhile, Matthews said the Lions (2-3 record) should be careful not to "fall into the trap" of trying to make an example of Melbourne (0-5) to get their finals campaign back on track following last round's 12-point loss to the undefeated Hawks.

"The last thing you should be doing is thinking 'we've got to win by a big margin'. That's the greatest trap, hopefully our players aren't immature enough to fall for that trap," he said.

In other news, Matthews feared Nigel Lappin would need a few weeks' break to recover from a tight Achilles that forced him to withdraw from the Hawks clash at the last minute.

http://news.brisbanetimes.com.au/lions-want-more-from-travis-johnstone/20080421-27jr.html
 
Re: Travis Johnstone

I've been pretty pleased with Travis myself.

Hasn't set the world on fire, but is contributing.

To demand 'All Australian' form this early on seems a little extreme. The article has no doubt been sauced up.
 

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Past Travis Johnstone (2008-2010)

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