4 replies to this topic

[Caveman]

Brad Johnson has declared- this will be his final season and hopefully he has 3 more wins left to play in.

Brad was born on July 18th 1976. That was a Sunday, I remember the day before- the Saturday 17th July 1976. I was at home, both listening on the radio and running around the backyard with a football. I kept busy with the ball kicking goals between trees, hoping that it would be another goal on the radio.

That afternoon we played Richmond at Waverely- we were the designated home team and the final score was

Footscray 15.6.96
Richmond 12.21.91

it was a heartstopper, we kicked straight and the tigers didn't. This was to be Tommy Hafey's last game as Richmond coach against Footscray, it was also the last time that Tommy Hafey would lose as a coach in a game against Footscray until 1983.

My old man was there and I was waiting for him to come home that night to get the footy record and also to hear about what happened that afternoon.

So the next day Mr and Mrs Johnson became parents of a baby boy who would almost exactly to the day 18 years later, play for Footscray.

The first game in Brad Johnson's life was Round 17 away at Moorabbin the following Saturday 24th July 1976. Gary Dempsey did not play and the final score was

St Kilda 17.16.118
Footscray 15.14.104


So moving along 18 years to 1994. Footscray defeat Geelong at home in the game where Doug Hawkins breaks Ted Whitten's Footscray club games record. Hawkins makes it to 322, the first change since 1967 when Teddy Whitten senior broke the 271 games of Arthur Olliver.

The next week is another home game- it is Collingwood for Round 18 Saturday 23rd July 1994 and Tony Shaw of Collingwood is breaking their club record games total. So it is a big day for Tony Shaw and also for an 18 year old kid named Brad. He creates an immediate impression and the final score is

Footscray 13.9.87
Collingwood 7.13.55

The following week was a Friday night game against North Melbourne at the MCG. This is Brad Johnson's first game on the MCG, but we go down to the kangaroos, where Steve Kolyniuk endures a season ending knee injury during this match, which plays a substantial part in our loss to the kangas. The MCG will be where Brad Johnson's plays his final game, in 1994 his MCG debut was in this his 2nd game.

Brad Johnson is the last (playing not living) surviving Footscray footballer to have played for Footscray when the scoreboard said Footscray.

Brad Johnson is one of two men to have played on the Western Oval when it was called that before the ground name changed to the Whitten Oval, Dustin Fletcher of Essendon is the only other playing survivor to have played at the Western Oval, albeit against Fitzroy on Round 1 1995.

Ben Cousins and Barry Hall played at the Whitten Oval when Footscray was still playing games there, but Barry Hall (like Dustin Fletcher with Essendon) played for St Kilda against Fitzroy and not Footscray.

In 1997 Michael Gardiner now of St Kilda played there for the West Coast against the newly named Western Bulldogs. As did Ben Cousins who had played there the year before in 1996 for West Coast against Footscray.

But back with Brad Johnson:



Brad Johnson is the last surviving teammate of Doug Hawkins. Hawkins played at Footscray from 1978- 1994, so from 1978-2010 a Hawkins or Johnson was on the Footscray list.

Brad Johnson is the last survivor of a Footscray Premiership team- (the 1994 Reserves victory over North Melbourne)

Brad Johnson is the last survivor to play against Fitzroy- in Round 19 Sunday 4th August 1996

Brad Johnson with Dustin Fletcher are the last two men to play league football whilst Teddy Whitten was alive

Brad Johnson with Dustin Fletcher are the last two men to play league football before Fremantle entered the AFL competition.

Brad Johnson is the last survivor of a Footscray MCG Game against Carlton.Funnily enough if the Norhern Blues could have managed just one more goal last Sunday in Sydney then Brad Johnson (and 21 others ) would be taking part in the first Footscray v Carlton game on the MCG since 1996. This would also have become the first ever Footscray v Carlton final- anywhere.



Thanks Brad for all you have done and what you have represented. Just three more wins if we could to complete the fairytale.

No matter what happens have a prosperous, happy and relaxing retirement.

A true champion.

Brad Johnson

Cede Nullis

[Lisbon]

Great post. It'll well and truly be the end of an era when he retires. I hope the club keeps him around in some capacity, it's people like him that carry the spirit of the club and we can't afford to lose them.

[hilly84f1]

Well said CAVEMAN

Johnno a true champion of the club and the game!

[Amelia Jane]

Great Article. I really hope we can win for Brad Johnson. He is a superstar.

[Caveman]

Brad Johnson last night at the cricket ground equaled a Teddy Whitten record- for playing in winning finals matches.


Teddy Whitten:

1953: Essendon

1954: Geelong
1954: Melbourne

1956: Geelong

1961: St Kilda
1961: Melbourne


Brad Johnson

1997: Sydney

1998: West

2006: Eastern Magpies

2008: Sydney

2009: Brisbane

2010: Sydney


So Brad also has 3 victories over one club- Sydney. That surpasses the 2 that Teddy had over both Geelong and Melbourne.

Two of the six finals victories for Teddy Whitten were in games that put the club directly into the Grand Final- Geelong 1954 and Melbourne 1961. Brad Johnson hasn't done this just yet and next week is the last chance for that.

It needs to be said though that this record isn't a great one. Some Adelaide players would have 7 finals wins from two seasons- 1997 and 1998

But there it is.