Captain sees light in Tigers' tunnel
Jackie Epstein | July 13, 2008
KANE Johnson knows all about the highs and lows of football. The two feelings are poles apart - as the Richmond captain discovered in March this year.
After celebrating his 30th birthday, the two-time premiership player was arrested for urinating on the St Kilda Rd police station.
Out of character? A one-off incident? An embarrassing mistake?
They are all accurate.
"That was a tough time, but everyone goes through hard times in their life. At that time I felt . . . if I had lost the respect of the playing group or anyone at the club then no doubt I would have stood myself down, but I certainly didn't feel that way," Johnson says.
"The players made me feel I was still the man for the job and that's the way I felt about it, and I've moved on.
"To be honest it's something I don't really think about any more. It's one of those things in my life that you learn from and get bigger for it. Hopefully some good can come from it at some stage."
Johnson banned himself for one match and faced the leadership group, who ratified the self-imposed ban and added a $5000 fine.
He had no issue with his punishment or the major role played by the leadership group.
He said Sydney, which this week banished Barry Hall, had set the benchmark in that area.
"If it was someone else they would have gone through the process and I'm no different to any other player," Johnson said.
"That's the way it's got to be. We're all on the same level in that situation and I was very, very happy to deal with the leadership group and let them make a decision in the end on whether the punishment did fit the crime.
"I think that's a real positive for the club to be able to do that.
"As you see with Sydney and Barry Hall, it's a similar situation. No one's exempt. It doesn't matter whether you're the best player, or the middle player, or the youngest or oldest, everyone's in the same system.
"There's been a few clubs who have led that and Sydney has been the major one that has led that over the last five or six years.
"Obviously in football we follow the herd. If someone's doing something that's working we all have a go at it.
"Most leadership groups now have got people that help them, whether it's Leading Teams or Stealth Development.
"What that does is make the leadership group more confident to be able to make decisions and make calls on things, and the coaches are more comfortable to allow that to happen, and I think that's a positive.
"Leadership groups have got to take a bit of ownership of the club as well, because they're the ones out there doing it."
Johnson and his teammates continue to search for the right on-field formula - and, by Johnson's admission, they are yet to find it.
But he remains convinced he and the Tigers will taste success.
To what degree looms as a sticking point.
Premierships? Very hard to see, given he is 30 and out of contract at season's end.
Finals? Still probably a way off yet.
But Johnson is convinced the club is moving in the right direction. And he believes his mission is nearing completion.
"I think over the next three or four years the club's going to be an exciting place to be," he said.
"We've just got to get through this little patch where we're a bit up and down. We've just got to find our consistency as a group and I think we are really building something internally.
"Most people won't see that and won't agree, but I won't change my mind on that feeling that I have.
"I think to be a part of that and to be captain for a period of time is a good thing. I've really enjoyed it. Whether that continues, who knows, but I'm just concentrating on getting through the rest of this year and we'll go from there.
"My only goal before I finish is to be in a really good winning side at Richmond and play in finals. That's my main focus at the moment and if I can have that I'll be very happy with what I've been able to achieve."
Johnson knows time is the key - but he's very aware it is not in endless supply.
He arrived at Punt Road in 2003 as a two-time premiership player with the Crows.
The next season he was made captain and in his time at Richmond the Tigers have finished 13th, 16th, 12th, 9th and 16th.
Another disastrous loss - to Carlton two weeks ago - was understandably overshadowed by Graham Polak's serious accident.
Johnson said the worrying nature of the performance, when the club was celebrating its 100th anniversary, had not been forgotten internally.
"That's why we try not to get caught up in a lot of the media talk," he said.
"The game is analysed more than ever and there are that many TV shows and newspapers and people commenting on this and that.
"If you get caught up in that you're not really concentrating on the job. That game was disappointing for us but I don't think it has anything to do with (a culture of) losing games we should win.
"It was one of those games and we move on, and we don't let it affect us.
"We've got a whole new group coming through and it's really exciting for the club.
"We're focusing on West Coast (who they play today) and trying to start the next eight-week block off on a positive note."
To make finals the Tigers would need to win every game. Even then they may have left their run too late.
But Johnson knows the structures are in place for now and beyond. And he still feels he has a lot to offer in the role of captain.
"What we're doing and how do we do that - it's a big role but it's very enjoyable and you learn a lot -- you learn a lot about yourself and people around you. It's worth doing and for your after-football life as well, because you learn a lot of lessons."
http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/sport/afl/story/0,26576,24008757-19742,00.html
