Steve Johnson Biography

Greater Western Sydney announces the departures Steve Johnson and Amon Buchanan from their coaching group.

"We thank Steve for his significant contribution to our club as a valuable component of our coaching group over the past two years," Giants General Manager of Football Jason McCartney said.

"We also thank Amon for his commitment and dedication to the club over the past nine years. Amon fulfilled a number of important roles in his time at the GIANTS."

After three seasons serving as an assistant coach with Sydney, Steve Johnson will return to the Giants as forwards coach ahead of the 2021 season.

Sydney assistant coach Steve Johnson says he has been helping Lance Franklin with expanding his flexibility as a goalkicker.

"What I try and do at training is give the players the opportunity to take shots from different positions with different kicks," Johnson said.

"At the end of the day, it's whatever they feel comfortable doing and if they've got the repetitions in and that's what they're comfortable with, well (they can) go ahead.

"It's good he's felt comfortable to take a couple of shots (in games) that he may not have in the past. He's been kicking pretty well this season and as long as he's kicking goals I'm happy."

Eddie Betts and Steve Johnson headline a list of 10 new AFL life members.

Betts, Jordan Lewis, Kade Simpson and the recently retired Johnson and Andrew Mackie automatically qualified for life membership having passed 300 AFL games.

The AFL announced on Wednesday it had also conferred life membership for "special service to the game" to former Commission chairman and Carlton premiership captain Mike Fitzpatrick, 1993 Norm Smith medallist Michael Long and dual Richmond premiership player and long-time broadcaster Rex Hunt.

Steve Johnson opens up about the frustration of being sacked by Geelong in his book 'Stevie J: The Cat with the Giant Story'.

"I was in a bit of a state of disbelief. Then the reality of the situation dawned on me," Johnson said of the moment he was told he would not be offered a contract for the following season.

"My lip started quivering a little bit as I looked around the room. I shook their hands and walked out.

"I didn’t want to be bitter at that moment, but I was. I had been sacked from my job.

"I’m a pretty proud person, and I still felt I was capable of doing my job.

"But I was embarrassed that my bosses had lost their belief in me. It was a crushing feeling."

Steve Johnson and Tadhg Kennelly will join Sydney as an assistant coaches.

"Steve Johnson and Tadhg Kennelly will bring new ideas and a fresh perspective whilst Rhyce Shaw's promotion from NEAFL coach to the senior coaching panel highlights how highly we regard him," Swans football manager Tom Harley said.

Steve Johnson couldn't produce his trademark September heroics against Richmond in what turned out to be his last match, but he's content with the way he exited the game.

There were emotional scenes in the Giants rooms after Johnson's final outing, with his wife, children and the rest of his close-knit family on hand to help ease the pain of defeat.

"They give you great support, and I'm pretty fortunate that my family has been to just about every game of footy I've played over my 16 years," he said.

"It's disappointing we're not going on next week but I just have to go and console them and let them console me, because I just love playing footy and this is the end."

Steve Johnson earns selection for the Giants in their crucial preliminary final clash against Richmond despite doubts over the fitness of his knee.

"There's been a bit of talk about backing up, but people are forgetting I had the most game time I've had all year the week before last," Johnson said.

"I'm certainly not expecting to kick another six goals. If I can go out there and play a role, and hopefully as a team we can put out a good performance and get the win, I'll be happy."

After being dropped for the Giants' qualifying final against Adelaide, Steve Johnson returns to the senior side with a bang, kicking a career-best finals bag of six goals against Sydney in the semi-final.

The 34-year-old has battled to get up for back-to-back games this season, and coach Leon Cameron said after the match that it's something Johnson will have to deal with ahead of GWS's upcoming preliminary final against Richmond.

"It's been a weekly struggle, sometimes he gets up and sometimes he doesn't," Cameron said.

"Sometimes we've got it right and sometimes we've got it wrong when he's played and his knee is really sore, and clearly he struggles with that.

"We've got to make sure we make the right decision because the stakes are huge (next week), and that makes it even more important."

Steve Johnson announces his retirement, effective at the end of the 2017 season.

Johnson, 34, has battled a debilitating knee problem that has forced him to miss several games in 2017, and has struggled to perform at his usual high level on a consistent basis.

"It's pretty clear that it's been a real struggle with my body and not being able to back up week in, week out," he said.

"I've had games where I've played some decent footy but then I've had to have a week off, so it's been a bit of a grind.

"I feel very content that I'll be leaving the game with nothing left in the tank and I've gotten every last inch out of myself, so to some degree that's very satisfying."

Tim Taranto says GWS teammates Toby Greene, Devon Smith and Steve Johnson have contributed significantly to his development.

"When I first walked in the door I noticed how good Toby was, he'd tear it apart at training," he said.

"I just think he's an absolute stud, and the best one-on-one player in the competition with his marking and the way he uses his body.

"Devon has been really helpful to me. We live close to each other, so he takes me to games and gives me a lot of advice.

"Then there's Stevie, who is still teaching me how to kick, his leadership and knowledge is just invaluable, and he's always in the right spot at the right time.

"There's a lot of talent here and you'd be silly not to try and learn as much as possible from them, and put it into your own game."

A car belonging to Steve Johnson has been involved in a high-speed pursuit across Sydney that only came to an end after it was rammed by a police vehicle.

Officers gave chase after spotting the stolen Ford Falcon on the Princes Highway at Carlton, in southern Sydney, about 7.15am Saturday, but had to pull back due to safety concerns.

The vehicle was then seen speeding along Henry Lawson Drive at Milperra, in Sydney's south-west, about fifteen minutes later. But it wasn't until it reached Riverwood that they were able to bring it to a stop.

A small brick wall of a property on Belmore Road was damaged in the chaos, as stunned residents emerged to investigate the commotion.

"Dead set, I thought I was at Bathurst speedway because of the noise and the sound," one witness told the Nine Network.

Greater Western Sydney coach Leon Cameron admits that playing Steve Johnson in last week's win over Richmond may have aggravated the veteran's knee soreness.

"We rolled the dice with him last week even though he probably shouldn't have played, the knee is getting pretty bad at the moment," Cameron said.

"There's no doubt we probably pushed it too far with him, and if we had have had a couple of guys that were ready to play AFL footy, we would have gone down a different path.

"His knee just seems to be blowing up a bit throughout and at the end of the game.

"It's restricting him a little bit, but hopefully we can get it right over the next seven to 14 days."

Steve Johnson tallies 24 disposals and kicks the match-winning goal in the last minute of the Giants' match against Collingwood.

Critics in the media had questioned Johnson's age and skills in recent weeks, but the mercurial forward received support from GWS coach Leon Cameron as well as former coach Mark Thompson and teammate Jimmy Bartel.

"There's been plenty of good things said about me over the years, so you have to take the good with the bad," Johnson said.

"It is nice to hear people come out and support you, the ones that know you really well, and know what type of character you are … and it does give you some belief.

"I'm not picked on the side based on credits in the bank, I'm picked to play a role each week."

Steve Johnson's manager Craig Kelly says there is significant interest in his client as a coach after he retires.

At the end of last season, with his decorated career seemingly coming to a close, Johnson travelled to Melbourne to be interviewed by several clubs and was presented with two firm offers.

A third Melbourne club was keen to bring Johnson on board at a later date, while GWS has previously expressed an interest in keeping the master forward at the club as a coach.

"He was definitely wanted by three clubs and he is committed to wanting to go down that path," Kelly said of Johnson.

"People have identified when they've met with him that he gets it and he understands it.

"He knows he's got developing and stuff he needs to do, and the reality is he's going to have to do that when he finishes because he just hasn't got enough time at the moment."

Steve Johnson says Greater Western Sydney's heartbreaking preliminary final loss to the Western Bulldogs played a major role in his decision to backflip on retirement.

"Six weeks before the end of the year I'd basically told the club that I'd be hanging the boots up," Johnson said.

"I hadn't definitely made my mind up but when I saw the look on the boys' faces, and the opportunity we'd missed, plus knowing that I probably had a little bit more to give, I decided I wanted to stick around to hopefully help this club try and win a premiership.

"It was really hard to see the boys upset, but it was good in a way to see them hurting so much, because it tells you something about how much it means to them."

Greater Western Sydney forward Steve Johnson will miss a good chunk of pre-season training after rupturing a tendon in his thumb in an innocuous accident.

Johnson will have surgery on his left thumb next weekend and will remain in a cast for six weeks.

The 33-year-old suffered the injury reaching for his phone in a bag.

"This is certainly one of the more unusual injuries, but Steve is a professional and coming into his 16th pre-season, we have no doubt he knows how to get himself ready for the season proper," Giants general manager of football Wayne Campbell said.

"While he won’t be able to participate in full training for a few months, he’ll still be able to work hard on building his fitness base throughout the pre-season."

Steve Johnson will miss Greater Western Sydney's historic preliminary final after accepting a one-match suspension by the Match Review Panel.

Johnson was charged with rough conduct for a high bump on Sydney Swans opponent Josh Kennedy, which was graded as careless conduct, with medium impact to the head.

Steve Johnson says he's excited about being part of the Giants' maiden finals campaign.

"Part of my motivation is to try and help them go as far as they possibly can," Johnson said.

"I couldn't think of better side to do it with.

"They've obviously been through a lot of heartache throughout their first five or six years as a club, and if anyone deserves it, (it's) some of these guys that gone through some absolute beltings early in their careers.

"They haven't forgotten, they're really motivated by trying to get to the big stage."

Steve Johnson says he has not considered his playing future beyond 2016 and is focused on helping playing his best footy in the Giants' maiden finals campaign.

"I won't be making a decision based on emotion, whether we bow out in the first week of the finals or make it to the fourth week of the finals," Johnson said.

"I think it's important to have the discussions with Leon (Cameron) and the club as to where they think I'm at playing wise, and list wise, and then for me to weigh up whether I've got the motivation to go through another pre-season and keep going back to the well again.

"There's much more important things going on at the moment than my future, which is exciting for the club."

Steve Johnson looks set to be sidelined until round 16 after succumbing to a nagging foot problem.

Johnson collected 27 possessions and kicked 2.3 in the Giants' win against the Swans, but GWS coach Leon Cameron said post-match that his gun forward has been battling to get up for games over the past month.

"He was terrific in such a big game but he's an old warrior, just a competitive man," Cameron said.

"We probably should have rested him a few of weeks ago, and I was disappointed I didn't make that decision."

Ex-Cat Steve Johnson will return to Simonds Stadium for the first time as a Giant but says his focus is on winning the game.

"It's just important that we go out and play a brand of football that can hopefully stand up against a team that is rarely beaten down in Geelong," Johnson said.

"I know first-hand because I've been involved a lot of those times. That’s the challenge for us, and we're really looking forward to it."

Steve Johnson celebrates his first game against his former club Geelong with a win as a Giant.

"I'm really comfortable that I'm a GWS Giants player now, but then the Geelong team song comes on and you get some mixed feelings," Johnson said.

"It probably took me a quarter to work into the match. But once you get out on the field, you cop a couple of hits, you get a couple of kicks and it was just another game of footy."

Johnson booted two goals and had 23 disposals in his side's upset 13-point win at StarTrack Oval.

In his first game for the Giants in their season opener against Melbourne, Steve Johnson tallied 23 possessions while kicking 2.2.

The former Cat, however, has came under plenty of heat by media commentators for ignoring teammates in better scoring positions inside 50 during the first half against the Demons.

"I wouldn't want to be judged on one week," Johnson said in response to the criticism.

"If it's a thing that continues to be a trend, well then you guys (the media) can go as hard as you want, but at this point in time, internally we've addressed what we need too and we expect there to be some improvement this week."

Giants co-captain Phil Davis praises Steve Johnson's impact at his new club.

"He's come from a footy club that has had a huge amount of success over a long period of time and he's brought a wealth of knowledge over about individual talent and work and how to become a great player," Davis said of Johnson.

"Also about how a great team operates, so we've been very fortunate he's had a huge influence in the first few months he's been here and we look forward to that continuing in training and hopefully into games."

Steve Johnson says he is looking forward to some solid form for the Giants in 2016.

"I’m confident I can put in a really good pre-season this year and play some better footy at the Giants than I did with the Cats last year," Johnson said.

"I'm not setting any limitations on the length of my career. I’m going into the season looking to play good footy and help them play in their first finals series.

"While you have to understand the end is getting nearer, it’s something I’m not spending too much time on. It’s a priority to come here and play some good footy."

Steve Johnson says he looks forward to being a "bit of a sideshow" alongside the young forward stars at his new home, Greater Western Sydney.

"At times I questioned whether I would or wouldn't (continue) but after taking my time and letting the dust settle, I felt like I still had the drive to play AFL footy," Johnson said.

"I obviously chose this club because I thought it would be a great fit for me and a great fit for them."

Steve Johnson is traded to the Giants in exchange for the Giants’ fifth round selection in the 2016 NAB AFL draft.

Giants coach Leon Cameron said that Johnson's experience would be valuable to the club's younger players.

"We've got some exciting young kids as everyone knows but they're only at that 70 to 80-game mark and we're looking for some more experience in that area of the ground," Cameron said.

"We've got Will Hoskin-Elliott who we were looking forward to making some really big inroads this year, (but) unfortunately Will's had some shocking (injury) interruptions with pre-season, and (has) always come in underdone.

"I think he (Johnson) can really help Will in his development of his game."

Steve Johnson tours the GWS facilities but Giants coach Leon Cameron says that no official deal had been put to Johnson.

"He spent a couple of hours with us to see where he's at with his coaching, and where he is with his playing career as well," Cameron said.

"It was a good two or three hours that we spent with him but I'm sure he's going to catch up with a few other clubs as well.

"He's in a pretty good space and he's probably weighing up his future."

The Brisbane Lions have held preliminary talks with Steve Johnson regarding a playing role that would lead into a coaching position.

"The Brisbane Lions certainly thought it's a fairly young team so bringing in an experienced captain/coach type player for a year that would then go into a coaching role … is that something valid?" Brisbane director of football Leigh Matthews told 3AW radio.

"I know the club has spoken to Stevie about that concept but I don't think there's even been offers made or anything like that, it's really sounding out an option that would be worthy of discussion."

Gary Ablett says he is keen to see former Geelong teammate Steve Johnson at the Suns.

"I'm pretty sure he is keen to go on for another 12-24 months with a coaching deal afterwards," Ablett said.

"That is something the club will talk to his manager about and if we feel he is the right fit then he will be running around for the Gold Coast next year."

Steve Johnson says he's open to extending his AFL career at another club next season.

"I still feel like I have got a bit left in the tank," Johnson said.

"If the right scenario came, where a club thought I could fit in well to their system, I would certainly consider that.

"But until those opportunities arise and they are put in front of me, I guess I won't know."

Steve Johnson says he will let his emotions settle before deciding whether to try to continue his career at another club.

"As the game finished yesterday, the last 16 to 18 hours have been about enjoying the moment with my teammates," Johnson told Channel Nine.

"It has been outstanding the way the boys got around us yesterday and made us feel really special.

"When the dust settles, I'll weigh up what I'm going to do next."

Geelong sends off its departing premiership trio in style with a resounding 39-point win over Adelaide at Simonds Stadium.

At the end of a tough week that saw Steve Johnson, James Kelly and Mathew Stokes told their contracts would not be renewed, the Cats came out purring, kicking five goals in the first quarter to set up the win.

They eventually ran out winners 17.17 (119) to Adelaide's 11.14 (80) and celebrated a Johnson mark and goal late in the last quarter with a group hug involving every Cat on the ground.

The mercurial Johnson finished with 2.6, Stokes had 33 disposals and a goal while Kelly had 30 disposals and nine tackles.

"It's an emotional day for those of us who really care, and there are a lot of people who are in that camp. and I thought it was a fitting celebration of three really influential people on Geelong's success," Geelong coach Chris Scott said.

Steve Johnson will play his last game for the Cats against Adelaide on Saturday but is yet to call time on his AFL career.

"Many people will be asking what I'm doing next year," Johnson said.

"Once I've finished this weekend, I'll be looking at the options available to me within the AFL industry."

Darcy Lang is named the round 21 NAB Rising Star nominee after running himself ragged collecting 16 disposals during the Cats' draw against the Saints.

Lang says he has formed a tight bond with Cats veteran Steve Johnson who has been one of his mentors this season.

"I've worked with Stevie closely this year, just on forward positioning and running patterns and things like that," Lang said.

"He's been pretty good for me, learning the snappers and a couple of other things as well."

Cats coach Chris Scott says Steve Johnson will be an automatic inclusion for his 250th game when Geelong plays Hawthorn in a blockbuster at the MCG.

"I feel like in the last five years I have had the best seat in the house to the Stevie J show … our supporters love him and he's been a little underrated for the impact he has had on this football club culturally," Scott said.

When Scott arrived at the club in 2011 he was not surprised by what Johnson could do on the field, but noted that the veteran could explain his creativity better than most.

"I knew he was a genius on the field. The part that surprised me a little bit is how conscious it is. Some of those magicians on the field do it without knowing how they get it done," Scott said.

"He can explain to me exactly what he is thinking, which makes for an entertaining conversation."

Steve Johnson's 250-game celebrations are on hold after he accepted a one-week suspension for striking Brisbane Lions midfielder and former Cats teammate Allen Christensen.

Steve Johnson has struggled with form after a foot injury interrupted his pre-season but Geelong coach Chris Scott remains confident the 31-year old will return to his best soon.

"He is still a valuable member of the team at the moment and I'm looking forward to seeing the way he plays in the next couple of weeks, next couple of months," Scott said.

"He is a very proud player and he'll be doing everything he can to improve. I still have great confidence in him that he will get through it."

Steve Johnson has escaped suspension and can instead accept a $1000 fine for his off-the-ball hit on Hawthorn midfielder Sam Mitchell in Monday's clash at the MCG.

In the only incident penalised for the Match Review Panel out of the Easter Monday match, Johnson's hit was classified careless conduct with medium impact to the body.

It means his existing bad record of two matches suspended in the past two seasons doesn't come into play.

Joel Selwood will lead the Cats for a fourth season after the club revealed a reduced leadership group for 2015.

Harry Taylor has been named vice-captain, while Tom Hawkins and Andrew Mackie remain in the group.

In what is expected to be his last AFL season, veteran Corey Enright has returned to the group after a two-year absence.

Steve Johnson, Mathew Stokes, James Kelly and Mitch Duncan have been left out of the reduced squad.

"We look forward to working together. We've got a job to do and we're really looking forward to getting down to it," Selwood said.

Steve Johnson says he rejected a lucrative offer to join Greater Western Sydney in last year's trade period in the belief he could win a fourth premiership at Geelong this year.

"I believed I had a really good opportunity to play in a premiership again next season at Geelong and that's pretty much as far as I considered it," Johnson said.

"I was flattered by the offer from GWS to come up there for however long it was, but I'm certainly happy where I am at the moment.

"It probably wasn't the time for me to really look at that sort of thing."

Steve Johnson could miss the rest of Geelong's finals campaign after his foot injury flared again during the Cats' 36-point qualifying final loss to Hawthorn on Friday night.

Having missed three matches with soreness in his right foot, Johnson started the game against the Hawks in brilliant fashion, tallying nine disposals in the first quarter.

But he gathered just eight more touches for the game as his foot problems curtailed his ability to have an impact on the game.

"I don't think it was a lack of match fitness," Geelong coach Chris Scott said after the match.

"I think he's got a sore foot. That foot's going to be a problem for us, I think."

Steve Johnson is confident he'll be available to play in Geelong's cut-throat semi-final next weekend, despite speculation his season is over.

After being sidelined for three weeks with a stress reaction in his right foot, the Cats star returned to the side in Friday night's qualifying final loss to Hawthorn.

Johnson started the game in brilliant fashion gathering nine disposals in the first term, but failed to have an impact for the rest of the match after his foot issue flared up.

"I might be in a bit of doubt but I'm pretty confident I'll play," Johnson said.

When questioned whether the injury had worsened after Friday night, he replied "no, not at all".

Geelong coach Chris Scott says the club will take a conservative approach with Steve Johnson who remains troubled by a foot injury and was still using crutches.

"The plan was always to keep him off his foot for as long as possible, hence the crutches," Scott said.

"He can walk around fine, (the medical staff) just think it will help him more not to be weight-bearing."

Steve Johnson is on crutches with a foot injury and is in doubt for Friday's clash with Carlton.

"Stevie came off the track today with a bit of foot soreness from the game (against Fremantle)," club physio Mark Young said.

"We're going to send him for some scans and then pending those results we'll make a scan later in the week."

Steve Johnson is free to face Fremantle in Saturday night's blockbuster clash at Simonds Stadium after North Melbourne full-back Scott Thompson gave key evidence at the Tribunal on Tuesday night.

Johnson was offered a one-match suspension by the Match Review Panel for kneeing Thompson, but the Cats elected to challenge his charge, risking an extra week on the sidelines.

The gamble paid off for the Cats, who successfully argued there was insufficient force in the blow to warrant a charge.

Thompson was called by the Cats to give evidence, telling the Tribunal he had suffered broken ribs in round 18 and wore an AFL-approved guard to protect the injury against the Cats.

Geelong argued Thompson's reaction after contact was made to his ribs was due to the existing injury – which Johnson was not aware of – rather than the force of the blow.

"I'm relieved by the result, I got a fair hearing, and I think the correct decision was made," Johnson said.

"We found out [about Thompson's injury] later, but I'm glad he came in … it helped my case, no doubt."

Steve Johnson will face the tribunal on Tuesday evening after the Cats opted to contest his one-match suspension for kneeing North Melbourne's Scott Thompson.

The Cats thought long and hard about the decision on Tuesday morning, but they are adamant that Johnson's contact with Thompson did not involve enough force to warrant a report.

"My position is that we would have to be absolutely adamant that there's been a travesty of justice here for us to even consider risking losing Steve for another game," Geelong coach Chris Scott said.

"Given the fact that there was a 300-game umpire two metres away, and he didn't see the need to even pay a free kick, then I think that would work strongly in our favour.

"The way the system works, for us to plead our case on this one, in what is a very innocuous incident, we have to risk Steve not only missing the biggest game of the season for us this week, but missing a really big game the week after for something that is, in the way footy's played, absolutely inconsequential."

Steve Johnson says he is likely to get into coaching at the end of his playing career having already completed various courses on coaching.

"I've shown a liking to it for quite a long period of time and I want to be prepared to be able to go straight into a job within football when I finish," Johnson said.

"I don't know whether I'm 100 per cent on coaching, but at this point in time that's probably what I see myself doing."

Steven Johnson extends his contract with the Cats to remain at the club until the end of 2015.

"I love playing footy here and I really couldn't think of playing anywhere else so it is a very easy decision," Johnson said.

"I love the young players that are coming through and I think the club is in a positive position to even take steps forward again this year."

Cats coach Chris Scott expresses disappointment after James Podsiadly becomes the latest Cat to cop a suspension this year along with Jimmy Bartel and Steve Johnson.

"We accept that the game is sometimes a line-ball thing when it comes to these incidents," Scott said.

"But to stand up here and say, 'They've been really line-ball and it's not as if we've got a huge problem, they're all one- or maximum two-week things,' kind of misses the point a little bit.

"We've put ourselves in a position now where we need to be extremely careful. Now Pods has hurt the team by not being available this week.

"So collectively – the players, coaches and administrators within the Geelong Football Club – we need to work harder to address these things."

Geelong coach Chris Scott says the club won't punish Steve Johnson over his latest suspension, his third this season, this time for kneeing Demon Nathan Jones in the chest.

"It's frustrating for all of us, it's frustrating for our supporters, but the person who's most disappointed and most frustrated is Steve," Scott said.

"He understands the situation better than anyone, he doesn't need the media commentators or the so-called experts to reinforce how silly he's been."

Steve Johnson's fails to overturn a two-match ban and will miss matches following a high bump on Pearce Hanley in the Cats' loss to the Brisbane Lions at the Gabba.

In an interview with Mike Sheahan, Matthew Scarlett reveals that he nearly walked out on the Cats at the end of 2006 when the club was considering replacing Mark Thompson with Daryn Cresswell as coach.

"I'd heard that a few of the board members had already thought that [Cresswell] was going to be our next coach and he'd already been chosen," Scarlett said.

"I think I'm a pretty good judge of character and I was just hoping that that wasn't the case and I was going in to bat for Bomber.

"I said that if Bomber had left I would have left and I'm sure there would have been a lot of other players who would have left as well."

Scarlett also admits that he and Steve Johnson did not have the best of relationships earlier in their careers.

"I thought sometimes Stevie would be playing for himself and Stevie was annoyed with me with some of the things I was doing as well. We didn't have a lot of respect for each other," Scarlett said.

"I probably didn't understand Stevie and he didn't understand me, but once we built that relationship now we're really good."

Steve Johnson will undergo knee surgery and miss three weeks after injuring himself in a VFL practice match.

"He just fell on the knee a little bit awkwardly and thought he'd be fine," Cats coach Chris Scott told Fox Footy's AFL 360 program.

"But it hasn't pulled up all that well at training this week. Only a minor procedure was required, so we decided to do that straight away."

Steve Johnson will miss the Cats' round 1 clash with Hawthorn after accepting a one-match ban for striking Hayden Ballantyne during Geelong's NAB Cup match against Fremantle.

Steve Johnson may be under scrutiny by the Match Review Panel after landing a blow to Docker Hayden Ballantyne's midriff during the Cats' clash with Fremantle in the NAB Cup, leaving the small Docker forward hunched over in apparent pain.

"I didn't really see what happened. I know he (Ballantyne) was down for a long time, but I was more concerned with how quickly he got up and set up the next goal," Geelong coach Chris Scott said.

"He didn't look too bad, did he?"

Geelong football manager Neil Balme criticises the Match Review Panel after sanctions to Steve Johnson and Paul Chapman on the eve of the finals.

"In my view, those sorts of things are either obvious or they're not," Balme said.

"If someone intentionally whacks someone, well, I think we're all happy with him getting weeks.

"But when we've got to look through it and say 'Maybe this happened and maybe it didn't', it's very hard on the players."

Geelong suffers a major blow ahead of the finals after forward Steve Johnson is offered a one-match ban by the Match Review Panel for rough conduct against the Swans.

Geelong forward Steve Johnson remains in doubt for Friday night's clash with Hawthorn after being concussed following a bump by Adelaide's Scott Thompson.

"The indications are positive, but it would be unlikely that the indications would be really negative," Geelong coach Chris Scott said.

"He doesn't have any tangible symptoms at the moment, but that doesn't mean he'll pass all the tests later in the week."

Scott Thompson comes under scrutiny for a bump on Steve Johnson which resulted in Johnson being concussed in just the opening minute of the Cats' clash against Adelaide.

Thompson's teammate Jason Porplyzia says a suspension for star midfielder Scott Thompson would be "a disappointment for the game".

"[It was] just unfortunate where the hit took place that Steve Johnson went down. It was just a football contest in my opinion," Porplyzia said.

"If the contest is for the ball and the player's objective is to go for the ball and something happens because of that, you'd hate to see that come under scrutiny and for guys to miss games because of that.

"It would be a disappointment for the game if things went down that path."

Adelaide midfielder Scott Thompson has escaped sanction for his bump on Steve Johnson.

Mercurial forward and Geelong favourite Steve Johnson has inked a new deal with the Cats.

"I'm very happy to be remaining at the Cats for another two years," Johnson said.

"I'm excited to be a part of such a successful club and look forward to being a part of an exciting future at the Cats."

Geelong's Steve Johnson says he has to answer to coach Chris Scott if his flair comes unstuck.

"He doesn't give me a licence. He doesn't come up to me and say 'Stevie, you're allowed to play on instinct totally'," Johnson told One HD's AFL Game Plan.

"But I probably give it to myself at times. Sometimes it comes off and I look great. Other times I'm up in the review meeting on a Tuesday being asked 'Stevie, what the hell have you done here?'"

Geelong's mercurial forward Steve Johnson hints at retirement and discusses life after footy, which he hopes will include coaching.

"When I finish footy I want to get into coaching, because football is what I do know best," Johnson told The Conversation on CatsTV.

"It's what I feel comfortable talking about. But you never know. I watched Open Mike (on Fox Footy) the other night with Mark Ricciuto, and he always said he wanted to coach when he finished footy as well.

"But then different priorities come up when you get to the end of your career."

Steve Johnson reveals that he risked further injury by having up to six injections during the 2011 Grand Final.

"I don't care if I ever walk again as long as I get this premiership," Johnson said he told the physio.

"It was probably one the happiest 10-second periods for me on the day, was just knowing that my knee was numb, you're back to 100 per cent."

Steve Johnson is named as part of the Cats' 2012 seven-man leadership group headed by captain Joel Selwood.

"Just being an older player among the group now I see it as my role to try and pass on as much knowledge as I can to the young players," Johnson said.

"It's just nice that my standing within the group has shown through and I can be part of this [leadership] group and help Joel and the club go forward."

Steve Johnson's 2011 premiership jumper is reposted back to the club after it went missing last week.

"I'm ecstatic that I have the jumper back," Johnson said.

"It is something that is very important to me and all that matters is that it was returned."

After suffering a sickening knee injury, Steve Johnson makes a remarkable recovery to kick four goals in the Cats' 2011 grand final win over Collingwood.

"He was close to not playing," Geelong coach Chris Scott said.

"We probably made the final decision around about 10 o'clock this morning. But I can honestly say this, and I said this to Steve, I didn't doubt him.

"We spoke at length, a number of times, about what it would mean to go into a game injured. He guaranteed me that if he couldn't do it, he wouldn't play. And I believed him 100 per cent of the time."

Geelong star Steve Johnson has completed a miraculous recovery from a knee injury to play in the Grand Final.

Chris Scott says the club will wait until Friday to fully test Steve Johnson's knee before the Grand Final.

"He's coming along pretty well, but we're really not going to have anything definitive until Friday," Geelong coach Chris Scott said.

"At the moment, we think he's a chance. He certainly hasn't been ruled out, but he's certainly not a definite starter."

Scans have cleared Geelong forward Steve Johnson of any structural damage to his wrenched knee.

Johnson will use a hyperbaric chamber through the week in a bid to prove his fitness for the upcoming grand final confrontation with Collingwood.

"It is Steve Johnson, and he's been playing on one leg for his whole career," teammate James Kelly said.

"You're not really sure what he's capable of. I think if there's any question mark they'll probably say 'no', but at the end of the day that's up to Steve and the coaches."

Steve Johnson leaves the field with a knee injury during the preliminary final against the Eagles but the Cats are hopeful he will be recover in time for the grand final.

"I saw the replay, and it didn't look good to me, so obviously we were really disappointed," Cats coach Chris Scott said after the match.

"But the doctors certainly haven't ruled him out, so I guess that's a positive."

Cats coach Chris Scott hits back at critics of Steve Johnson in the media who have labeled him selfish.

"That's not true," Scott said about the accusations.

"He's one of the most team-oriented players in the game. We've all seen the way he can dish off and his goal assists are first class."

Steve Johnson kicks a career-high 7 goals against Gold Coast at Metricon Stadium.

"I think when we work as a group together, one of us is going to get out and have a good night and Steve Johnson was sensational," teammate James Podsiadly said.

"His work rate was fantastic, he was everywhere."

After various indiscretions against Geelong's Steve Johnson, St Kilda's Steven Baker faces a record 12-week ban handed down by the match review panel which can be reduced to nine games on an early guilty plea.

Geelong forward Steve Johnson continues his rehab on his troublesome hip and won't be ready to train with teammates until mid-January.

"With the way things finished up last year his hip was pretty ordinary at the end of the year," Geelong assistant coach Nigel Lappin said.

"He had some surgery just before the end of the season so he has been just starting to get back into his rehab. Steve should be training in mid-January."

Geelong forward Steve Johnson says his hip is getting better every day and that he will be fit to contribute to his side in the 2009 Grand Final.

"I've been pulling up really well from each session I do - day by day it's just been improving, so it's been great that I've been able to recover and give myself the opportunity to play tomorrow," Johnson said.

Cat Steve Johnson moves freely during training to suggest he is ready to take his place in the side to face Collingwood in their preliminary final.

"Stevie was running around like a little kid, he was loving being out there and feeling good," teammate Cameron Ling said.

Geelong's Steve Johnson says an operation by Hobart's Dr Michael Pritchard on his injured hip may have saved his season.

"When I went into surgery I was pretty much prepared for the worst news, that I would miss the rest of the year, that's how sore it was," he said.

"But the surgeon did a great job and pretty much as soon as I had it done it felt better and I was able to work pain-free."

Geelong coach Mark Thompson says forward Steve Johnson is only one week away from playing after undergoing surgery on his hip.

"He's already knocked on my door, asking if he can play, but we probably won't play him this week," Thompson said.

"He's a very good chance to play next week, which is remarkable I know, and you probably won't believe me, but that's the truth."

Steve Johnson faces a major challenge to play again this season after undergoing surgery to his hip, with a preliminary final return the best-case scenario.

"It is not impossible, but he is really, really cutting it fine," leading sports medico Dr Peter Larkins said.

"He won't be able to train for two to three weeks and will be targeting the preliminary final or Grand Final."

Geelong forward Steve Johnson seeks the aid of a Tasmanian hip specialist to address injury concerns that has threatened his season.

After consultation with a hip specialist from Hobart, Steve Johnson undergoes a hip arthroscopy on Friday after aggravating the injury two weeks ago.

Johnson hopes to recover from the surgery in time for the finals.

"The procedure will give Steve the best chance to return and play at the level that we are used to," Cats general manager of football operations Neil Balme said.

"Without the surgery it is unlikely he could have played through the finals as it had deteriorated to the point that he could not play without significant pain and restricted movement."

Carlton's Jordan Russell performs an excellent defensive job on Cat Steve Johnson, restricting the mercurial forward to just 13 possessions and no goals in the Blues' big win over Geelong.

"There were a couple of rumours going around before the game that he might miss out. I was really looking forward to the challenge. He's a gun player and he's shown that over the last couple of years. I was looking forward to the duel." Russell said.

"I've played up forward a fair bit in my time so it was nice to go back, do a job and help the side out."

Geelong's Steve Johnson is now on the fourth line of betting for the Coleman Medal.

"He's just been consistent every week," TAB Sportsbet's Gary Davies said.

"He's probably been the most consistent forward because he's usually got a couple every week ... and then of course he kicked six on the weekend.

"His price is probably reflective of his consistency throughout the year."

Six kicks, three handballs, six marks and two goals on a night when you spend 85 per cent of the game on the ground is not a bad night at the office.

Nor is it a performance to set the world on fire. Unless you're Geelong's Tom Hawkins.

"We don't expect too much from Tommy," Cat forward Steve Johnson said.

"If he can come in and just play his role, if he's lucky enough to kick a couple of goals that's great. But if he can just play our structures, drag a good defender, take a couple of grabs, well, he's done his job."

Port Adelaide's Dean Brogan and Geelong's Steve Johnson will contest their penalties from the Match Review Panel.

Brogan was charged with a rough conduct offence against Essendon’s Andrew Lovett and will challenge his two-match suspension.

Johnson was not suspended for attempting to strike Hawthorn’s Luke Hodge but will contest the 60 demerit points he was given. He was originally given 80 demerit points but his five-year good record saw the penalty reduced by 25 per cent.

Geelong's Steve Johnson doubts all the Cats' key forwards can play in the same side, but he thinks the 2008 runners-up will be better for it.

Geelong is poised to bring Steve Johnson, Cam Mooney and Darren Milburn back for this Saturday's quarter-final clash with Port Adelaide.

Steve Johnson loses his licence for 12 months and is fined $500 after pleading guilty to speeding on his way to a golf course.

Steve Johnson is instructed to undergo road trauma education as part of his punishment imposed by the Geelong leadership group after being charged with exceeding the speed limit last week.

This will involve at least 50 hours of working with crash victims and their families over the coming months.

"What is important to us is that Steve be motivated to change by taking action that he has to initiate and follow through on," Geelong captain Tom Harley said.

"We believe that 50 hours working with victims of road trauma is a significant additional sanction for what he has done."

Johnson expressed remorse over his actions, saying, "What I did was completely unacceptable. I have no excuse, no words to explain it. It's up to me to start again and prove myself."

Cats president Frank Costa said that to sack Johnson would be counter-productive despite many believing that Johnson was on his last chance after being suspended by the club for several weeks following an indiscretion last year.

"Sacking is not in the question," he said. "It won't do the boy any good and it won't do the club any good. We have just got to make sure the punishment is right. This has hit him so hard that I would be surprised if we heard of any trouble from Steve Johnson in future."

Geelong's handling of Johnson's charge is later praised by the AFL Players' Association.

"It's a very thoughtful and a very carefully considered sanction," AFLPA chief executive Brendon Gale said.

Steve Johnson is charged by police for driving at speeds of 128kph in a 50kph zone.

Cats teammate Shannon Byrnes was a passenger in the car that was en route to a golf club in Eastern Gardens.

Geelong CEO Brian Cook expressed disappointment in Johnson's action via a statement on the club's website.

"We are extremely disappointed that Steve was found to have exceeded the speed limit in this manner.

"Steve has worked hard over the past year to regain respect but this is a major setback in this regard."