EFNL Premier Division 2023: Tim Johnson to join rare 200-club at Vermont

Vermont’s Tim Johnson will join exclusive company this weekend as he marks a major milestone. The former captain reflects on 15 years in the top-flight, including the best he’s played with ...

It’s a milestone 15 years in the making for Vermont’s Tim Johnson.

The former captain will become just the 11th player in the club’s 103-year history to play 200 senior matches when he runs out against arch-rival Balwyn this weekend.

The feat follows teammate Robbie Ross, who achieved the honour in May, joining Aaron Nummy (251 games), Mark Cullen (250), Andrew Dwyer (248), Grant McCarthy (230), Ryan Mullett (229), Craig Gislingham (227), Lee Bidstrup (221), Craig Coghlan (218) and Todd Power (210).

Tim Johnson will become just the 11th player in Vermont history to play 200 senior games. Picture: Christopher Chan

Cutting his teeth in the juniors at Heathmont, Johnson shipped up Canterbury Rd to Vermont for the under-18s, marking his first senior year in 2008.

Frustration plagued the early years of his career amid persistent hip and groin injuries, casting doubt over whether his stay at senior level would be a lengthy one.

“I was sort of thinking maybe my body’s just not up to playing footy,” Johnson recalls.

More than a decade on and he hasn’t looked back as he prepares to punch his ticket into the Eagles’ scarcely populated 200-club.

“It is a big honour and I’ve been very lucky to play at a club like Vermont, hang around as long as I have and have some success along the way,” Johnson says.

“The place has always been a great place to be … the people there are great and that’s what makes it an enjoyable place other than the on-field stuff.

“I play sport because I’m competitive and want to achieve things, and it (Vermont) has always been very professional and aspirational.”

Tim Johnson featured in two grand finals in his first two years of senior footy - pictured in action during the 2008 decider versus Balwyn.

Current senior coach and former teammate Adam Parker commends the 34-year-old’s longevity and loyalty.

“For him to get to 200 games, especially with the injuries he had early on in his career, and to be as loyal as he has been, it (Saturday) is going to be a pretty big day for him and hopefully the boys turn up again.”

For a stretch, Johnson was the last remaining player in the line-up from the coveted 2009 premiership side – when the Eagles banked just two wins from their opening seven starts.

Hoisting a cup at just 20 years of age in his second year of senior footy, eight seasons would pass before Johnson could experience the premiership thrill again in 2018.

It’s an eternity in Vermont terms – flush with 21 senior cups in the Eastern Districts/EFL era – with its longest wait between flags endured from 1972 to 1981.

Only Johnson and Robbie Ross remain from the 2009 triumph.

“The longer I’ve played, the more I’ve grown to appreciate how hard it is to win a premiership – particularly because over the next nine years there were a lot of near-misses with prelims and grand final losses,” Johnson says.

“The 2018 premiership was probably one that I appreciate a little bit more as an older player who’d come to learn how tough it can be.”

Vermont celebrates the 2018 premiership. Picture: Andy Brownbill

The “near-misses” included grand finals in 2012, ’16 and ’17.

“I look back over some years where we’ve probably not been as fancy – 2015 was the first year I was captain, we’d lost a lot of players from the year before and internally and even on the outside people weren’t expecting much from us,” Johnson recalls.

“We had a good season with a young team and made it to a preliminary final ... that season and others like it, I’m quite proud of.

“I’ve been very lucky, playing at a club like Vermont, a disappointment is considered a preliminary final or a grand final, some blokes don’t get to play in many finals and I’ve been very spoilt that my lows in football are only making it halfway through a finals series.”

Johnson cites the club captaincy as a “big highlight”, leading the Eagles from 2015 to ‘17.

“It’s still something I look back on with a lot of pride that I was able to captain the club and that I was put forward by my teammates and coaches at the time,” he says.

“That was a period where there was quite a bit of transition as well and the club had lost quite a few experienced players at the end of 2014 … we were building up as a young team trying to create a new era of success and it was certainly a period that I’m very proud of.”

Johnson in action this season. Picture: Field of View Photography

The captaincy is not bestowed lightly at a club as decorated as Vermont, previously held by the likes of Eastern league legend Ryan Mullett and five-time club champion Lachie Johns in years gone by, with Johnson regarding the two Chandler medallists among the best he’s played with.

“There’s probably 15 to 20 you could easily rattle off,” Johnson says.

But one player stands head and shoulders above the rest – as he used to on match-day, literally – high-flying forward, Matt Greig.

Vermont’s Matt Greig takes a trademark grab.

“I don’t think I could think of anyone more talented that I’ve shared a footy field with,” Johnson says.

“His aerial power and ability to kick long goals and everything like that – he’s the sort of footballer you love to go and watch.

“When I was in under-18s, I used to love hanging around and watching the seniors just to watch him.

“Even as a teammate sometimes I probably did just sit back and watch him because he was just that incredible.”

And he hasn’t forgotten the esteemed rollcall of coaches, from David Banfield, Kris Barlow and Steve Cochrane to Harmit Singh and Adam Parker.

Johnson receiving Vermont life membership, pictured with David Banfield (left) and then-president Michael Rennie (middle). Picture: Supplied

“They’ve all been fantastic influences on me and I consider myself very lucky to have had very knowledgeable and supportive coaches the whole way through,” Johnson says.

“But also all my junior coaches at Heathmont had a fantastic, positive influence on me as a footballer and as a person.

“(Banfield) was fantastic for me as a young player – he lived and breathed footy and instilled that in me about what you need to know other than the instincts of getting the footy.”

But the former skipper regrets not lifting a cup with coach Steve Cochrane in 2016, when the Eagles fell to Balwyn by 12 points in the decider.

Johnson tangles with Balwyn’s Danny Hughes during the 2016 grand final. The Eagles meet Balwyn in a 1 v. 2 clash this weekend. Picture: Steve Tanner

“We were pretty unlucky not to win a premiership under ‘Cockers’ … he was the one that gave me the opportunity to be captain which I’m really grateful for,” Johnson says.

“One of the disappointments I suppose was we weren’t able to get over the line in the 2016 grand final which was his last game as coach.”

Steve Cochrane calling the shots at Vermont in 2016. Picture: Stuart Milligan

People and success go hand-in-hand at Vermont, Johnson says, with “too many to name individually” when recounting those who’ve played a part in his 15-year stay.

“My parents (Len and Anne) have been big supporters and influences on my life and in my sport and still come along to my games and support in the freezing cold as does my girlfriend Jasmine, so I appreciate their support,” he says.

“But it’s teammates, coaches, officials, trainers, right through – it’s a fantastic place to be regardless of how we’ve been going on and off the field, and that’s first and foremost the thing that I value the most – it’s probably the thing that leads to that sustained success that we’ve had.

“There’s a lot of people who’ve made my time at the club really special – I just feel very grateful for what a lot of people have done for me along the way to help me.”