Tigers should have Steve Johnson in their sightsJake Niall
The Age
August 27, 2015Stuart Dew was a contentious late career recruit. Alastair Clarkson wanted him, others were dubious. Clarkson won and so did the Hawks, since the straight left foot of the rotund Dew turned the 2008 grand final
Brian Lake was an easier call. The Hawks needed a power defender to man the monsters. Lake, then 30, was not giving a yelp for the Dogs. Hawthorn dangled September glory and the football life of Brian was transformed, as a Norm Smith medal and consecutive flags followed.
Lake and Dew brought home the bacon. Paul Chapman, who has just retired, couldn't. Essendon were not close enough to the premiership for Chappy to end his career with a flourish.
In late 2015, Steve Johnson finds himself in territory not dissimilar to his old teammate Chapman two years ago. Stevie's future remains up in the air, with no contract yet offered for next year. Johnson opted not to join the Giants last October, when an 11th hour trade was put to him.
In the event that Johnson wants to play on (likely) and the Cats reluctantly decide that they must cull him (50-50) – in part to pay for the incoming recruits (Lachie Henderson, Patrick Dangerfield), but also to accelerate their transition – there would be few clubs that stand to gain from skilful Stevie's trickery.
But Richmond are a rare club who could benefit from Johnson's deft touch. The Tigers are close enough to a flag to take short-term steps and have a need for a forward who can slot 30-40 goals.
No clubs should consider Johnson unless they satisfy the following criteria: One is that they are capable of winning the premiership in 2016 – a measure that counts out nearly a dozen teams.
They must have a need for a forward/midfielder of Stevie's type – albeit there's no one quite like him. Ideally, they should have relatively few oldies – which counts out Hawthorn, Fremantle, North and Sydney.
The Tigers have only two players on their list who will be 30 (just) next season, in Ivan Maric and Troy Chaplin; of their premier players, Brett Deledio, 28, is the oldest and might play until his middle 30s given his unimpaired athleticism.
Johnson, thus, is less of risk for Richmond, who only need offer him a moderate one year, incentive-based contract. They could pay him a base of $200,000 with match payments.
As an unrestricted free agent, Stevie would cost the Tigers zero in terms of draft; all they would be giving up is a modest sum of money for one year and a spot on their list.
The upcoming draft is said to be more shallow than Paris Hilton. Is Johnson for one year better than pick 80? I'd say yes, because the potential gains comfortably outweigh the risks.
The prospective downside of getting Stevie to Punt Rd would be that he would deprive a youngster, such as Ben Lennon, of senior games or minutes. But Lennon ought to be playing regularly in 2016 regardless of incoming personnel.
Stevie, obviously, is superior to Sam Lloyd, 25, and Kane Lambert, 23. That Johnson can be high maintenance off the park shouldn't concern the Tigers, whose head of football, Dan Richardson, managed Stevie for several years (they were spotted playing golf lately) and knows his warts well.
The other consideration is whether the Tigers land other recruits. They have not given up on Adam Treloar, who is favoured to join Collingwood, have entertained Chris Yarran, and have irons in a few fires. If they land one sizeable fish, there will be room for Johnson; if they net two, Stevie would be less appealing.
Richmond's forward line has improved since Tyrone Vickery's renaissance, but it is shy of premiership calibre in comparison to West Coast and the Hawks. Johnson, who can play on the ball, too, would give the Tigers more flexibility – assuming he performed – in their use of Dustin Martin and Brett Deledio.
Richmond people, including Brendon Gale, will recall the Tigers tried to top up with a sneaky old forward in Paul Hudson following a final four finish in 2001 – a decision that went south and became a cautionary Tiger tale of the dangers of overestimating the future.
Johnson showed last Saturday night that, when his body is right, he can still find a goal. The Tigers should be seriously looking at whether they can find a place for him.
http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/the-tigers-should-have-stevie-j-in-their-sights-20150826-gj8ggn.html
