#20 Ash Johnson

[Magpietothemax]

To me form and class are different issues. Firstly form is flexible and you will have your good days and bad days during the season. I see it as a blessing to get the bad days out of the way early on and fire up to peak level for when the team needs you most, in the big games and to help make the finals in the essential must win games. But I totally agree that it was a particularly lazy game from him and his lack of running both ways was unforgivable. He has to pull his finger out and perform. He has to do more work than what he did.
However class is natural and he has shown that he has it. Just need the club not to panic and support him to perform at his best. His class will be evident.

Agree with all those who are refusing to give up on AJ just yet. Swooper as well who mentioned in the "Pies thumped by Swans"" thread that, with Dan McStay down, a weight of expectations might have built up during the preseason and fallen upon AJ's still inexperienced shoulders, and made it harder for him to perform. I am backing him in to make a response to this challenge, soon.

[stui magpie]

[quote="lazzadesilva"^[/quote]

I disagree. Ash has talent, not class. Nick Daicos has class.

History is littered with players with ridiculous levels of natural talent who were never able to harness it consistently. "Wasted Talent" is the phrase that comes to mind.

As I said in an early post, Ash's disadvantage in being picked up as a mature age player is he has got by til 24 on natural talent alone and never developed the work ethic required to use it consistently at AFL level. I have no doubt he trains hard and in games likely thinks he IS trying hard but that work ethic, the tackling, the sacrificial leads, just aren't natural to him.

I think the coaches need to send him back to the VFL and almost treat him like a kid with a bunch of simple metrics that he can understand that he needs to tick off each quarter. Not marks or goals but tackles, chases, smothers, all the 1%s. He can either learn to do what's required or join the ranks of the wasted talents.

[doriswilgus]

I don’t think he’s equipped to play the role that he’s been asked to play.He just isn’t big enough or strong enough to play as a key forward.He’s more of a third forward type.But unfortunately because the cupboard at Collingwood is bare of key position forwards,he’s been asked to play a role that he’s just not up to,and it shows.

[shawthing]

^

Geez wouldn't we be a much better side with the Mackay brothers at each end of the ground. But our recruits have had this infatuation with midgets when everyone else is going BIG.

[Culprit]

I don’t think he’s equipped to play the role that he’s been asked to play.He just isn’t big enough or strong enough to play as a key forward.He’s more of a third forward type.But unfortunately because the cupboard at Collingwood is bare of key position forwards,he’s been asked to play a role that he’s just not up to,and it shows.

Built like Tarzan plays like Jane. Isn't the first and won't be the last.

[doriswilgus]

I don’t think he’s equipped to play the role that he’s been asked to play.He just isn’t big enough or strong enough to play as a key forward.He’s more of a third forward type.But unfortunately because the cupboard at Collingwood is bare of key position forwards,he’s been asked to play a role that he’s just not up to,and it shows.

Geez wouldn't we be a much better side with the Mackay brothers at each end of the ground. But our recruits have had this infatuation with midgets when everyone else is going BIG.

Great point about our recruiting.

[pietillidie]

It's not about betting on someone coming good. It's about supporting someone as best we can while they have a crack and especially as they go through difficulties in the process. Plenty of players don't make it; that's normal and part of everyday life.

If the lad makes it, that's a bonus, especially for a forward line desperate for height. I'd have expected him to be next level after the pre-season, and I'm surprised the coaches hadn't seen this coming. But we don't know what's happened in his life of late, while the ankle might be worse than we know, or he himself has been downplaying it trying to get up, etc.

There's no controversy to be had here except the usual unsavoury types forgetting their already tenuous humanity and beating up on a potentially vulnerable lad.

[woodys_world69]

Put him into defence in the VFL for a few weeks. get him in a new position

a tall forward is a very difficult position

[piffdog]

Poor guy hasn’t been helped by the way the team has been playing either…
Could have helped himself by making a fist of the set shot he had Friday night, but the ‘problem with the team’ at the moment is not solely (in fact is hardly just) Ash Johnson.
Agree with previous post - he’s probably a third tall really. Think more Breust/Gunston who both had the first 7-10 years of their career in a) good sides and b) getting the third best defender. They can be key targets now because they’re mature players.

[masoncox]

Put him into defence in the VFL for a few weeks. get him in a new position

a tall forward is a very difficult position

Thinking the same thing.
Could he be a Backman.
Intercept the ball.....re Howe

[mgh3536]

Come on guys it’s horrid people are attacking him direct but in past few years he has been the beneficiary of our fast ball movement got heaps cheapies

Throughout that time he didn’t chase and still doesn’t

Thank for your efforts but let’s move on

[LaurieHolden]

Put him into defence in the VFL for a few weeks. get him in a new position

a tall forward is a very difficult position

Thinking the same thing.
Could he be a Backman.
Intercept the ball.....re Howe

Look I couldn't see it, he simply drifts out of games too easily. He'll be 27 y/o by October, and after 4 years in our system you would expect he'd have developed better game craft by now. I just couldn't trust him in defence on his application to date.
Might he be a challenge to coach?
Johnson comes in at 193cm and even if that option developed, he'd likely be competing against Markov @ 188cm, but more likely Tew Jiath @ 188cm and Jakob Ryan @ 189cm whom both possess a decent leap.

[Charlie Oneeye]

I reckon Reef, whilst not the ideal spearhead we are looking for, is a more natural leading forward than AJ.
So much development in him, could end up playing various roles right across the ground.
AJ is a 193 3rd F tall. I would like to see him play back in the VFL/pre-season before even dreaming about it.

[The Black and White Lion]

I've been calling for Ash to play a different role for a long time. He is a utility type player not a KPP. By far the best game I've seen him play was in the VFL in 2022 at the AIA centre where he was splitting time between second ruck and a high leading forward. He was mobile, forced to move around, get involved in the play and do different things. It was exciting, his leap in the ruck, his strong marking and conversion. That is the best version of Ash Johnson I have seen.
At AFL level he's never played that role to the best of my knowledge. He's been a 2nd Tall or 3rd Tall Forward pretty much the whole time stagnating in the pocket and not chasing the defender out when the ball's turned over.

Time for the coaches to help Ash embrace a new role also, one that gets him involved and so he can overcome the soft 2024 play so far. Otherwise, he will join that list of players with wasted talent as mentioned in the thread above.

[K]

...
At AFL level he's never played that role to the best of my knowledge.
...

He shared the ruck with Frampton against Essendon. The replay should still be available to watch.

There was one ruck contest against Draper in D50 where he just wrapped his arms around Draper and gave away an obvious free...