2:49:39 PM Mon 17 March, 2003
Samantha Lane
afl.com.au
No longer an Adelaide Crow, Richmond's gun recruit Kane Johnson is out of the spotlight, suitably relaxed and loving it.
A life-long Tigers supporter, Johnson is well aware of the hysteria that captures Victoria during a home-and-away season, but having jumped out of the South Australian fishbowl, the 25-year-old is feeling markedly relieved.
"It's been very good. In Adelaide people are always in your face. It doesn't matter if it's during the week, off season, in season, going out for dinner, you've always got people talking about footy and that" said Johnson, who finished equal sixth in the Crows' best-and-fairest last year.
"Here I've been able to just ... when I'm at footy, I'm at footy. When I'm away it's my life. That's been the best thing."
"It takes the pressure off away from footy, and then when you're here you really get into it."
Johnson played with Ringwood and Eastern under-18s before making his début with the Crows in 1996, and already feels more comfortable in the surrounds of Punt Road.
"It's different from Adelaide. Richmond feels (like) more of a footy club, whereas Adelaide, because they haven't been around long run a bit more like a business. I just really like it being here. It brings me back to the grass roots and playing footy the way bit should be played. I've really enjoyed it so far."
Equally, the Tigers have been eager to ensure the potential lynch-pin to their midfield settles in effortlessly.
"It's been pretty easy actually. It's a really good club, and they've made it really easy for me with the transition. Coming home has been a really big plus for me. Coming back to see my old friends and family and that, and the club is really hungry for success and I just hope I can help in that way."
His undeniable football talent aside, something Johnson and Essendon recruit Justin Blumfield can offer their new club is premiership experience. They are the only two players on the club's list to have won a grand final, and Johnson is determined to pass on any useful advice.
"Obviously that's probably why they recruited me and Justin (Blumfield), just to get people in that have won premierships and get people that know how to get there and how to win them. And if we can just give them five per cent of that knowledge it's going to go a long way."
"Early on when I first came here I got a fair few questions about it - what was it like? But as much as I can tell them about how it was, it's going to make them even more hungry just to know how good it is to win one."
"After I did tell them they've just been striving harder and harder. And it we can just keep striving, if it doesn't happen this year, hopefully in the next couple of years we're going to get somewhere."
As to whether Richmond could win a premiership in the short-term, the 104-gamer was measured.
"That's hard to say, but I think if we can keep the talent that we've got here out on the deck week in week out, we're going to be a big show to make the finals and hopefully go on from there."
"There's no real set formula to winning a premiership. It's just a matter of getting the right group together at the right time and everything going well for you and working bloody hard."
"We've really worked hard over the pre-season and if we can keep everyone out there for the whole year, we'll go pretty well," he said.
Samantha Lane
afl.com.au
No longer an Adelaide Crow, Richmond's gun recruit Kane Johnson is out of the spotlight, suitably relaxed and loving it.
A life-long Tigers supporter, Johnson is well aware of the hysteria that captures Victoria during a home-and-away season, but having jumped out of the South Australian fishbowl, the 25-year-old is feeling markedly relieved.
"It's been very good. In Adelaide people are always in your face. It doesn't matter if it's during the week, off season, in season, going out for dinner, you've always got people talking about footy and that" said Johnson, who finished equal sixth in the Crows' best-and-fairest last year.
"Here I've been able to just ... when I'm at footy, I'm at footy. When I'm away it's my life. That's been the best thing."
"It takes the pressure off away from footy, and then when you're here you really get into it."
Johnson played with Ringwood and Eastern under-18s before making his début with the Crows in 1996, and already feels more comfortable in the surrounds of Punt Road.
"It's different from Adelaide. Richmond feels (like) more of a footy club, whereas Adelaide, because they haven't been around long run a bit more like a business. I just really like it being here. It brings me back to the grass roots and playing footy the way bit should be played. I've really enjoyed it so far."
Equally, the Tigers have been eager to ensure the potential lynch-pin to their midfield settles in effortlessly.
"It's been pretty easy actually. It's a really good club, and they've made it really easy for me with the transition. Coming home has been a really big plus for me. Coming back to see my old friends and family and that, and the club is really hungry for success and I just hope I can help in that way."
His undeniable football talent aside, something Johnson and Essendon recruit Justin Blumfield can offer their new club is premiership experience. They are the only two players on the club's list to have won a grand final, and Johnson is determined to pass on any useful advice.
"Obviously that's probably why they recruited me and Justin (Blumfield), just to get people in that have won premierships and get people that know how to get there and how to win them. And if we can just give them five per cent of that knowledge it's going to go a long way."
"Early on when I first came here I got a fair few questions about it - what was it like? But as much as I can tell them about how it was, it's going to make them even more hungry just to know how good it is to win one."
"After I did tell them they've just been striving harder and harder. And it we can just keep striving, if it doesn't happen this year, hopefully in the next couple of years we're going to get somewhere."
As to whether Richmond could win a premiership in the short-term, the 104-gamer was measured.
"That's hard to say, but I think if we can keep the talent that we've got here out on the deck week in week out, we're going to be a big show to make the finals and hopefully go on from there."
"There's no real set formula to winning a premiership. It's just a matter of getting the right group together at the right time and everything going well for you and working bloody hard."
"We've really worked hard over the pre-season and if we can keep everyone out there for the whole year, we'll go pretty well," he said.
