Local footy 2021: Ben Johnson signs with EDFL club Roxburgh Park

Three former AFL stars with a combined 758 games at the elite level will take the field in the EDFL’s second tier in 2021.

Ben Johnson played 235 games for Collingwood over 14 seasons.

First Heath Shaw, now Ben Johnson.

A fortnight after his 2010 premiership teammate put pen to paper with East Keilor, Johnson has linked up with Roxburgh Park in another recruiting coup for the Essendon District Football League.

It comes after Lynden Dunn joined West Coburg as a playing assistant coach in November, setting the stage for an engrossing Division 1 season.

It means three players with a combined 758 AFL games will be showcasing their skills in the leagues second tier.

Johnson played 235 games over 14 years at the elite level, establishing himself as a reliable performance in defence and through the midfield.

Ben Johnson, trains in Melbourne last year. Picture: Michael Dodge

The 39-year-old has family ties at Roxburgh Park – which is also known as the Magpies – through nephews Zac, Luke and Nathan Reichelt.

Johnson hit the track with his new teammates on Wednesday and displayed encouraging signs.

“Everyone who knows AFL footy knows Ben Johnson and what he’s done,” Magpies coach Micheal Farrelly said.

“He’s class off-field as well, the character he is … he’s fitted in very well and he’ll be awesome for our boys just with that experience.

“My first thoughts were that he’s in phenomenal shape. He has certainly been in the gym and – in his words – getting back to peak fitness to the level he’s able to at his age.

“He trained last night, trained really well and was pointing guys in the right direction.

“We have a little intraclub once a week which he participated in, and he was moving well and got his hands on it a few times.

“It’s nice to see him run around and the boys definitely noticed his presence straight away.”

While Johnson’s ability is a significant plus for the 2018 Division 2 premier, Farrelly said his star signing’s leadership would be the main advantage.

Farrelly said it was unknown how often Johnson would take the field, with the club focused on easing him back into competitive football.

“He hasn’t played proper local league football in a few years, so he will do the training, a couple of praccy games and just see how the body’s feeling,” he said.

“He’s got a few outside commitments as well … but we’ll see how he feels and let him dictate (his availability) a little bit.

“Obviously it will be a minimum of one (game), but the maximum, who knows.”

Roxburgh Park will face flag favourite East Keilor on May 1 in Round 4, a match-up which could draw a huge crowd if Johnson and Shaw are available.

Heath Shaw has signed with East Keilor. Picture: Supplied

“It will be a very interesting evening if we can get them both telling a couple of stories,” Farrelly said with a laugh.

The Magpies have secured a long list of key inclusions after scoring three wins in 2019.

Raaf Rachrache, Matt Patane, Trent Fisher, Brad Dimech, Matt Coomans, Daniel Boudoloh, Nathan Reichelt, Brenden Egberts, Matt Maccarone and Tom Mason will be new faces this year, likely leaving Farrelly with some pleasant selection headaches.

“I think it’s a huge credit to everyone involved in the club,” he said.

“We’ve worked (hard) to turn our reputation around and try and become a successful club – and by successful we don’t mean winning every game.

“The positive we take out of it is that no one’s leaving, everyone’s coming down and enjoying the vibe and loving being a part of it.”

Roxburgh Park will host Sunbury Kangaroos in the opening round on April 10.