Mark Johnson (footballer)

Mark Johnson

Mark Johnson while playing in his final season with Fremantle
Personal information
Full name Mark Johnson
Date of birth (1978-05-23) 23 May 1978
Original team(s) Diggers Rest/Sunbury/Calder U18
Height / weight 180cm / 80kg
Playing career1
Years Club Games (Goals)
1999 – 2007
2008
Totals		 Essendon
Fremantle		 194 (92)
14 (8)
208 (100)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 2008.
Career highlights


Mark 'MJ' Johnson (born 23 May 1978) is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played for the Essendon Football Club and Fremantle in the AFL.

Early life

Johnson is commonly known as "Mr. Sunbury", referring to the body building award he won as a teenager in his home town of Sunbury, Victoria.[1]

Mark commenced his junior football with Diggers Rest Football Club, before moving to Sunbury Lions.

He was drafted to Essendon as a rookie after playing underage with the Calder Cannons in the TAC Cup competition.

AFL career

Playing for Essendon during the 2007 AFL Season

Johnson was elevated from the Essendon rookie list in 1998, playing his first game in 1999. He was part of the 2000 premiership side, and won the W.S. Crichton Medal in 2002.

Known for his toughness, Johnson was part of the midfield duo known as the "Johnson Boys" at Essendon, the other member being Jason Johnson. The two are not related, however Mark does have a brother who plays in the AFL for Geelong, David Johnson.

He is a courageous player and sometimes his height and strength are underestimated by opposition players. That said, he played every match in 2006 and was just one of three Essendon players to do so; the others being Brent Stanton and Scott Lucas.

On 15 October 2007, Essendon announced that 29-year-old Johnson was to be delisted by the club, giving him the option of nominating for the national draft.[2] The decision to delist Johnson was unpopular to many Essendon fans who enjoyed Mark's 'hard at it' attitude to his footy.

In November 2007, Mark was training with rival club, the Kangaroos.[3] In the 2007 AFL Draft however, he was drafted to West Australian club, Fremantle, where he will be reunited with former Essendon team mate Dean Solomon, who was traded by Essendon in 2006, and Kepler Bradley, also delisted by the Dons at the end of the 2007 season.

Johnson sustained a career ending shoulder injury and on 20 August, Mark announced he would retire at the end of the 2008 season.

Mark played his last game in the round 22 game against Collingwood, which Fremantle won by 24 points.

He later sought compensation from the Dockers for his injury.[4]

Playing statistics

[5]
Season Team # Games G B K H D M T G B K H D M T
Totals Averages (per game)
1999 Essendon 28 15 2 1 131 79 210 47 20 0.1 0.1 8.7 5.3 14.0 3.1 1.3
2000 Essendon 1 24 5 4 269 124 393 102 39 0.2 0.2 11.2 5.2 16.4 4.3 1.6
2001 Essendon 1 23 10 2 250 89 339 84 48 0.4 0.1 10.9 3.9 14.7 3.7 2.1
2002 Essendon 1 24 5 2 247 142 389 109 78 0.2 0.1 10.3 5.9 16.2 4.5 3.3
2003 Essendon 1 24 8 4 257 165 422 107 98 0.3 0.2 10.7 6.9 17.6 4.5 4.1
2004 Essendon 1 20 17 11 162 117 279 54 57 0.9 0.6 8.1 5.9 14.0 2.7 2.9
2005 Essendon 1 22 29 12 265 133 398 106 84 1.3 0.5 12.0 6.0 18.1 4.8 3.8
2006 Essendon 1 22 9 4 212 146 358 99 64 0.4 0.2 9.6 6.6 16.3 4.5 2.9
2007 Essendon 1 20 7 3 180 131 311 98 49 0.4 0.2 9.0 6.6 15.6 4.9 2.5
2008 Fremantle 17 14 8 3 88 60 148 35 31 0.6 0.2 6.3 4.3 10.6 2.5 2.2
Career 208 100 46 2061 1186 3247 841 568 0.5 0.2 9.9 5.7 15.6 4.0 2.7

References

  1. ↑ BomberBlitz.com: Exclusive Interview - Mark Johnson Accessed on 11 December 2006
  2. ↑ Essendon FC: Essendon Delists three players 15 October 2007
  3. ↑ Matthews, Bruce; Mark Johnson keen; 14 November 2007
  4. ↑ http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/sport/afl/story/0,26576,25551459-19742,00.html
  5. ↑ Mark Johnson's player profile at AFL Tables
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