Johnson dreams of a Tiger tatt
11 July 2003 AFL
By GRANTLEY BERNARD
FOR A bloke who was so desperate to leave, Kane Johnson can never quite escape Adelaide. Not when he glances down at his right ankle and the tattoo celebrating the Crows' back-to-back premierships.
"Shocking," Johnson said with a laugh. "We'd all had a few beers and everyone said, `Let's get tatts'. Bloody stupid, isn't it? They're good to remind you, but . . . I just wish I had got it somewhere else."
Somewhere else. That's where Johnson had wanted to be many times during his seven seasons with the Crows. Finally, he got that chance with a trade to Richmond at the end of 2002.
Johnson loves to travel and the simple trip from Adelaide to Melbourne might have been his most satisfying. Barcelona might be his favourite city to visit, but Melbourne is his favourite city to live and Richmond his favourite team to play for.
"My dream was to play in Melbourne," Johnson said. "I always wanted to do it and it's really good to play here.
"I probably stayed in Adelaide longer than anticipated because I formed a pretty good bond with the boys and it was hard to leave (but) I knew it was time."
There were all kinds of reasons why Johnson wanted to come home to the city he left as a 17-year-old. Although a sister lives in Italy and his mother in Brisbane, Johnson wanted to come home for family, to spend time with his dad and extended family.
He wanted to experience the cosmopolitan lifestyle of Melbourne, and a certain level of anonymity.
"Adelaide can get a bit boring, to be honest," Johnson said. "It was good for a couple of years and it's a nice and relaxing place, but there's not a hell of a lot to do there. Footy's always on you . . . they're footy crazy. You can't go anywhere without footy being in your face.
"The thing with Melbourne is you still get noticed a little bit, but . . . I can just sort of sneak around. I can be here (at the footy club) and then I can have my own life away from footy, which can break it up. You can get too much at times. I love playing footy, but when I'm away from it, I like to be away from it."
Johnson just likes to go about his business without fuss or bother. On and off the field. He's not shy, but he's not looking for the spotlight, either. He trains hard, plays hard, and does the best he can to improve.
In essence, Johnson has completed that cycle once already in Adelaide. He did it hard his first season with the Crows, actually dropping to the reserves at Glenelg. But when coach Malcolm Blight arrived, so did a clean slate. Johnson worked hard and became a regular.
Two premierships followed for Johnson and the Crows, but they happened so quickly Johnson doubts he fully appreciates the feat. What he does appreciate is what moving to Adelaide did for him personally.
"I grew up a lot," Johnson said. "I had to grow up very quickly. I was only 17 and you have to learn to live and look after yourself.
"I made a lot of good friends there and met a lot of good people and it helped my career in a way because it got me out of living here with my mates. It was probably the best thing."
Even so, Johnson could never completely fight off the homesickness. For seven years he tried to ignore that something inside pushing him back east, and in the end, enough was enough.
After telling the club he was done, Johnson gave his manager specific instructions about securing a trade. Then Johnson and his girlfriend Nicole set off to Bali, where they were to meet former Adelaide teammate Peter Vardy and his partner.
Sipping a beer at Paddy's Bar, Johnson glanced at his watch and, seeing it was 10pm, decided on an early night.
Less than an hour later, they heard a blast. Johnson thought it must have been a gas main exploding. But within 10 minutes, they saw injured people heading for the beach and word filtered through of the bombs that ruined Paddy's Bar, the Sari Club and hundreds of lives.
"I just freaked out," Johnson said. "I didn't know what was going on until I ran into a mate I used to play footy with and he said what had happened. We went back to the hotel and just hoped everyone we knew was safe. I couldn't sleep that night."
The three-week Bali holiday lasted four days. Johnson and Nicole headed for Queensland, turning on his phone just once a day to check for messages and trade updates. Finally he got the news: he was going to Richmond, the team he barracked for as a kid.
"It was more a relief than anything," Johnson said. "Just to get it over the line and then to come to Richmond was a dream. In the back of my mind, I always wanted to play here. This is my ideal place to play."
Johnson loves the history of Richmond. It's like he almost breathes it in every time he steps through the doors at Punt Rd. He loves the old black-and-white photos, the images of Tigers premiership teams hanging on the walls.
Certainly Johnson, who has added some experience, bite and consistency to the Tiger midfield, does not hide the fact he would love to win a premiership at Richmond. He was two when the Tigers last won a flag.
Winning flags with Adelaide was something. Winning one with Richmond would be something else again.
"It was good at the time," Johnson said of Adelaide's twin successes. "But now it's time to try and win another one at Richmond."
Which might just lead to another premiership tattoo. It might also be that Richmond is the place Johnson never leaves.
11 July 2003 AFL
By GRANTLEY BERNARD
FOR A bloke who was so desperate to leave, Kane Johnson can never quite escape Adelaide. Not when he glances down at his right ankle and the tattoo celebrating the Crows' back-to-back premierships.
"Shocking," Johnson said with a laugh. "We'd all had a few beers and everyone said, `Let's get tatts'. Bloody stupid, isn't it? They're good to remind you, but . . . I just wish I had got it somewhere else."
Somewhere else. That's where Johnson had wanted to be many times during his seven seasons with the Crows. Finally, he got that chance with a trade to Richmond at the end of 2002.
Johnson loves to travel and the simple trip from Adelaide to Melbourne might have been his most satisfying. Barcelona might be his favourite city to visit, but Melbourne is his favourite city to live and Richmond his favourite team to play for.
"My dream was to play in Melbourne," Johnson said. "I always wanted to do it and it's really good to play here.
"I probably stayed in Adelaide longer than anticipated because I formed a pretty good bond with the boys and it was hard to leave (but) I knew it was time."
There were all kinds of reasons why Johnson wanted to come home to the city he left as a 17-year-old. Although a sister lives in Italy and his mother in Brisbane, Johnson wanted to come home for family, to spend time with his dad and extended family.
He wanted to experience the cosmopolitan lifestyle of Melbourne, and a certain level of anonymity.
"Adelaide can get a bit boring, to be honest," Johnson said. "It was good for a couple of years and it's a nice and relaxing place, but there's not a hell of a lot to do there. Footy's always on you . . . they're footy crazy. You can't go anywhere without footy being in your face.
"The thing with Melbourne is you still get noticed a little bit, but . . . I can just sort of sneak around. I can be here (at the footy club) and then I can have my own life away from footy, which can break it up. You can get too much at times. I love playing footy, but when I'm away from it, I like to be away from it."
Johnson just likes to go about his business without fuss or bother. On and off the field. He's not shy, but he's not looking for the spotlight, either. He trains hard, plays hard, and does the best he can to improve.
In essence, Johnson has completed that cycle once already in Adelaide. He did it hard his first season with the Crows, actually dropping to the reserves at Glenelg. But when coach Malcolm Blight arrived, so did a clean slate. Johnson worked hard and became a regular.
Two premierships followed for Johnson and the Crows, but they happened so quickly Johnson doubts he fully appreciates the feat. What he does appreciate is what moving to Adelaide did for him personally.
"I grew up a lot," Johnson said. "I had to grow up very quickly. I was only 17 and you have to learn to live and look after yourself.
"I made a lot of good friends there and met a lot of good people and it helped my career in a way because it got me out of living here with my mates. It was probably the best thing."
Even so, Johnson could never completely fight off the homesickness. For seven years he tried to ignore that something inside pushing him back east, and in the end, enough was enough.
After telling the club he was done, Johnson gave his manager specific instructions about securing a trade. Then Johnson and his girlfriend Nicole set off to Bali, where they were to meet former Adelaide teammate Peter Vardy and his partner.
Sipping a beer at Paddy's Bar, Johnson glanced at his watch and, seeing it was 10pm, decided on an early night.
Less than an hour later, they heard a blast. Johnson thought it must have been a gas main exploding. But within 10 minutes, they saw injured people heading for the beach and word filtered through of the bombs that ruined Paddy's Bar, the Sari Club and hundreds of lives.
"I just freaked out," Johnson said. "I didn't know what was going on until I ran into a mate I used to play footy with and he said what had happened. We went back to the hotel and just hoped everyone we knew was safe. I couldn't sleep that night."
The three-week Bali holiday lasted four days. Johnson and Nicole headed for Queensland, turning on his phone just once a day to check for messages and trade updates. Finally he got the news: he was going to Richmond, the team he barracked for as a kid.
"It was more a relief than anything," Johnson said. "Just to get it over the line and then to come to Richmond was a dream. In the back of my mind, I always wanted to play here. This is my ideal place to play."
Johnson loves the history of Richmond. It's like he almost breathes it in every time he steps through the doors at Punt Rd. He loves the old black-and-white photos, the images of Tigers premiership teams hanging on the walls.
Certainly Johnson, who has added some experience, bite and consistency to the Tiger midfield, does not hide the fact he would love to win a premiership at Richmond. He was two when the Tigers last won a flag.
Winning flags with Adelaide was something. Winning one with Richmond would be something else again.
"It was good at the time," Johnson said of Adelaide's twin successes. "But now it's time to try and win another one at Richmond."
Which might just lead to another premiership tattoo. It might also be that Richmond is the place Johnson never leaves.
