Steve Johnson reveals story behind 2011 Grand Final fitness test, Torquay pub injury

Steve Johnson knew things were bad when he jumped off a fence at the Torquay pub and shattered both ankles. But it could still get worse — he had to tell coach Mark ‘Bomber’ Thompson.

Geelong champion Steve Johnson also revealed the reaction of coach Mark “Bomber” Thompson to his misadventure a the Torquay pub.

Johnson had attended a going away party at the venue for former Cat and Eagle Mitchell White late in 2003 — his second year at the Cats — and planned on hitting the town with friends.

“There were no taxis around so I said, ‘Boys, it’s going to be hard to get a cab so let’s just go back into the pub’, but when we went to go back into the pub they said, ‘No, it’s a lockout’.

They weren’t letting anyone back in,” on the podcast Dyl and Friends, hosted by GWS player Dylan Buckley.

That’s when Johnson hatched the plan to jump over the hotel fence.

“I call it a fence, it was probably more of a roof, that toilet block at the Torquay Pub is pretty high,” he said.

“I didn’t appreciate how high it was when I jumped off. I was first to go, I should have asked one of my mates to go first.

“As I landed I knew it was pretty bad. I stuck the landing perfectly, if I was a gymnast they would have given me a 10, but there was no give. It was straight on to the concrete and I knew straight away I’d broken at least one of my ankles.”

Live stream the 2019 Toyota AFL Premiership Season on KAYO SPORTS. Every match of every round. Live & anytime on your TV or favourite device. Get your 14 day free trial >

X-rays revealed he had shattered both ankles, an injury so bad doctors told him he might never play footy again.

But more pain was to come when he had to tell the coach what he’d done.

“I can still remember when I called him he’d spoken to the doctor after they’d already got the X-rays back, and he said, ‘Steven, this is going to cost you millions of dollars’. I didn’t really know what he meant by that.”

Johnson missed the first 12 rounds of the 2004 season but returned to kick 23 goals as the Cats made a run to the preliminary final.

GENIUS: HOW HAWKS FOOLED TIGERS AT 2004 DRAFT

LAST SUPPER? TRUTH BEHIND WOOSHA MEETING

WHISPERS: ST KILDA’S TOP SIX TRADE TARGETS

Johnson also revealed how a cheeky deal with teammate Taylor Hunt paved the way for Steve Johnson’s matchwinning performance against Collingwood in the 2011 Grand Final.

Johnson kicked four goals as the Cats stormed home to win by 38 points, inflicting the Magpies’ third loss of the season on the biggest stage.

The Cats star says he thought he was “no chance” of playing after hurting his knee in the Cats’ preliminary final win against West Coast.

“I’ve never been in such excruciating pain ... I was sitting on the stretcher, seeing my knee completely shift to the side of my leg,” he said.

Johnson dodged an ACL tear but suffered a dislocated kneecap and damage to the surrounding tendons.

He spent much of the week in a hypobaric chamber and the crunch came the day before the game, as media helicopters circled above Kardinia Park for the Cats’ final training session.

“I turned up to training on the Friday and I thought, ‘I’m no chance of getting through this fitness test’,” Johnson said.

Andrew Mackie, Joel Selwood and Steve Johnson with the 2011 premiership cup.

“I went down into the doctor’s rooms and he put four injections in my knee, and I’m thinking surely this is not going to numb the pain. Within about 20 seconds I stood up ... I jumped up and down and I couldn’t feel it and I said, ‘I’m going to play’.”

But coaches wanted to see him perform on the field and assigned teammate Hunt to put Johnson through his paces in a series of drills.

“I got pretty well with Taylor, we were good golf buddies, and I said, ‘Listen Taylor, you’re no chance of playing so just go easy on me all right, don’t be a hero’.

“I looked in great shape, he sat off me and I was marking the ball, dodging around witches hats, so I passed that test ... but I woke up Grand Final morning in a fair bit of pain.”

More painkilling jabs did the trick and Johnson had the difficult job of telling emergency Shannon Byrnes: “you better put your suit on, I’m going to play.”

Originally published as Steve Johnson reveals story behind 2011 Grand Final fitness test, Torquay pub injury