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By Adam Cooper
March 24, 2009
Western Bulldogs skipper Brad Johnson is using retired Hawk Shane Crawford as proof fairytale finishes are possible as he draws towards the end of his own distinguished AFL career.
Johnson is about to enter his 16th season but is delighted at how well the Bulldogs have prepared as they seek to advance on reaching the preliminary finals last year.
This season is a significant one for the star forward, who could assume his club's games record and finds himself the last remaining member of his contemporaries now that Chris Grant, Rohan Smith, Luke Darcy and Scott West have all retired.
While there are no immediate plans to follow his mates, watching Hawthorn provide Crawford with the ultimate swansong in 2008 gave Johnson heart he could still be part of the Bulldogs' first premiership win in 55 years.
“That's the No.1 aim,'' he said.
“That's why I'm hanging around and trying to do as well as I can for the team as well to strive and achieve that.
“You look at the way Shane Crawford finished his career last year and it gives you that little bit of resolve to think ‘Gee, wouldn't that be fantastic to end the last couple of years of your career to achieve the ultimate success'.
“`That was a drive of the other guys when they were here and hopefully I can continue that and we can achieve it for this club, which hasn't achieved it for quite a number of years.''
The Bulldogs' defeats to the Hawks and Geelong in last year's finals underlined the feeling there remains a gap between the grand finalists and the rest.
Johnson said his side used the “devastation'' of being eliminated by the Cats as a spur over the pre-season, and was impressed at how many of his team-mates had recorded increases in speed and strength entering the 2009 campaign.
That improvement meant the sky was the limit this season.
“It's the unknown at the moment,'' he said.
“We know we've prepared extremely well and we're ready to compete with any team in the competition.
“We know we can certainly do that and get a win on most occasions.
“You steel yourself up because you've done all the hard work and obviously we're ready to get stuck into it.''
Sunday's game against Fremantle at Subiaco will be Johnson's 325th, which will put the 32-year-old past West, who reluctantly retired last year, and leave only Grant (341) and Doug Hawkins (329) ahead of him.
Johnson said it was too early to think about taking the record, but admitted it carried more significance because of the standing he held his former team-mates in.
“I'd love to take it off Granty! Just joking there,'' he said.
“They were the guys I looked up to - Granty, Westy and Smithy (300 games) were the main three and Luke Darcy's (226) in there as well.
“The five of us played some fantastic footy together and a lot of footy together and they're my idols basically.
“That hasn't changed, I still look up to them immensely.”
AAP
March 24, 2009
Western Bulldogs skipper Brad Johnson is using retired Hawk Shane Crawford as proof fairytale finishes are possible as he draws towards the end of his own distinguished AFL career.
Johnson is about to enter his 16th season but is delighted at how well the Bulldogs have prepared as they seek to advance on reaching the preliminary finals last year.
This season is a significant one for the star forward, who could assume his club's games record and finds himself the last remaining member of his contemporaries now that Chris Grant, Rohan Smith, Luke Darcy and Scott West have all retired.
While there are no immediate plans to follow his mates, watching Hawthorn provide Crawford with the ultimate swansong in 2008 gave Johnson heart he could still be part of the Bulldogs' first premiership win in 55 years.
“That's the No.1 aim,'' he said.
“That's why I'm hanging around and trying to do as well as I can for the team as well to strive and achieve that.
“You look at the way Shane Crawford finished his career last year and it gives you that little bit of resolve to think ‘Gee, wouldn't that be fantastic to end the last couple of years of your career to achieve the ultimate success'.
“`That was a drive of the other guys when they were here and hopefully I can continue that and we can achieve it for this club, which hasn't achieved it for quite a number of years.''
The Bulldogs' defeats to the Hawks and Geelong in last year's finals underlined the feeling there remains a gap between the grand finalists and the rest.
Johnson said his side used the “devastation'' of being eliminated by the Cats as a spur over the pre-season, and was impressed at how many of his team-mates had recorded increases in speed and strength entering the 2009 campaign.
That improvement meant the sky was the limit this season.
“It's the unknown at the moment,'' he said.
“We know we've prepared extremely well and we're ready to compete with any team in the competition.
“We know we can certainly do that and get a win on most occasions.
“You steel yourself up because you've done all the hard work and obviously we're ready to get stuck into it.''
Sunday's game against Fremantle at Subiaco will be Johnson's 325th, which will put the 32-year-old past West, who reluctantly retired last year, and leave only Grant (341) and Doug Hawkins (329) ahead of him.
Johnson said it was too early to think about taking the record, but admitted it carried more significance because of the standing he held his former team-mates in.
“I'd love to take it off Granty! Just joking there,'' he said.
“They were the guys I looked up to - Granty, Westy and Smithy (300 games) were the main three and Luke Darcy's (226) in there as well.
“The five of us played some fantastic footy together and a lot of footy together and they're my idols basically.
“That hasn't changed, I still look up to them immensely.”
AAP
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