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Alan Johnson

Alan Johnson 1984 DOB: 20 November 1956

Debut: Round 1, 1982 against Sydney at SCG
Last Game: Round 15, 1990 against Geelong at Kardinia Park

From: Perth, Selection #1 1981 VFL Draft

Number: 9 (1982-1990)

Honours:
Best and Fairest - 1983, 1989
Grand Final team - 1988
Western Australia state player - 1982, 1988
MFC Hall of Fame - 2013
Life Member - 2014

Games: 135
Goals: 95
Career Statistics

WinsDrawsLossesWinning %
6606948.88

A regular in WA state sides, Johnson was a highly skilled winger in his early years. Drafted as the first selection of the short lived original national draft, he won the Demons Best and Fairest in his second year and was one the Demons' best in their early 80s dark era. He came with five years of WAFL senior experience, including two premierships. Midway through 1981 both Melbourne and Richmond made offers to sign him, but weren't able to get him out of WA and the Demons had to wait for the draft to secure his rights. He arrived on a three year contract.

After being a regular in his first three seasons Johnson ran into injury trouble, first in 1985 then in 1986 after first a ruptured calf kept him out for five weeks then he broke his thumb. On his third return he injured his shoulder and missed the last two weeks of the season. He had pondered returning to Western Australia at the end of 1985 but opted to stay. In 1986 he was restricted to 10 games by a serious calf injury but signed a two year contract extension.

In 1987, just as the side started to build towards a finals tilt, Johnson tore the hamstring from the back of his knee and missed the second half of the year. He recovered towards the end of the year but couldn't force his way back into a winning side for the finals campaign.

Returning as a defender in 1988 Johnson played 25 of 26 matches for the year, missing only round 1 and was one of the few Demons to come out of that year's Grand Final debacle with any credit.

Johnson became the club's oldest ever Best and Fairest winner when he took his second award aged 32 years and 315 days in 1989. His win came despite missing three weeks late in the season with a knee injury.

He lasted just one more season and retired at the end of 1990. A hamstring injury in a night series game had delayed the start of his year until Round 4, 1990. He hurt his calf and didn't reappear until Round 10, 1990, where he played six games in a row before dropping out of the side again. He missed the last six weeks of the season with damaged ligaments, and an attempt to break back into the senior side before the Elimination Final failed.

Melbourne retained Johnson on their list in 1991 and tried to convince him to return, but he was content to start a coaching career in the amateurs, including Old Trinity from 1991 to 1994 and Keilor Park in 2000. He led Old Trinity to B Section premierships in 1992 and 1994.

The father of Chris Johnson, Alan openly criticised the club about the circumstances surrounding his son's delisting and subsequent departure to Carlton. Johnson returned to the fold at the 2014 Annual General Meeting where he was named a Life Member.

YearGamesGoalsBrownlow
1982 17208
1983 18116
1984 16166
1985 13102
1986 1097
1987 962
1988 25135
1989 2046
1990 763

Lists
Family
First draft picks
Interstate recruits
WAFL

Video

Media
Inside Football - 02/07/1981
Inside Football - 20/03/1986
Age - 07/05/1986
Inside Football - 15/05/1986
Age - 16/07/1986
Age - 22/08/1986
Inside Football - 25/09/1986
Inside Football - 01/03/1989
Canberra Times - 25/02/1990
Canberra Times - 08/09/1990
Age - 28/03/1993
Age - 02/09/2000
melbournefc.com.au - 05/02/2015

Links
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