Steve Johnson’s former coach Mark Thompson says write the Giant off at your peril.

THERE is no denying the Steve Johnson’s J-curve is trending the wrong way but former coach Mark Thompson believes there is still life in the old Giant.

Steve Johnson hasn’t been in good form this season.

THERE is no denying the Steve Johnson’s J-curve is trending the wrong way when it comes to almost every key statistical category compared to last year.

He is down on SuperCoach points, goals, disposals, ground ball gets, score involvements and kicking accuracy sparking suggestions Johnson may have played one season too many.

Johnson’s former coach at Geelong, Mark ‘Bomber’ Thompson believes there is still life in the old Giant.

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Thompson says critics are writing the mercurial forward at their own peril and the GWS veteran who turns 34 in July can still have a big say in how far GWS progress in 2017.

In encouraging signs for the Giants, Johnson played his best football of the year against St Kilda last week picking up 14 first half possessions but ran out of supply in the second half as the Saints surged.

“People who say he’s lost it have jumped the gun early,” Thompson told the Saturday Telegraph.

Mark Thompson and Steve Johnson after the 2007 Grand Final.

“You don’t do that to good players like Steve. Critics got into Gary (Ablett) as well. They have egg on their face.”

Few people know Johnson better than Thompson who coached him for nine of his 14 seasons at the cattery including two premierships (2007 and 2009) and three grand finals.

Thompson says criticism of Johnson’s erratic performances are missing the point and the good clearly outweighs the bad.

“I cannot believe people have said he wasn’t his normal self and that he was fumbling and choosing wrong options,” Thompson said.

“I’ve watched him play this year and he’s not doing any more bad things than when he was at the top of his game. He’s always fumbled, sometimes he’s handballed it before he’s marked it. He does the impossible, there is nothing new here.”

Thompson believes what he got from Johnson and what Leon Cameron continues to get is decision making few can compete with.

Steve Johnson after the loss to St Kilda.

“He has a different picture of the game than most people,” Thompson said.

“What he sees is opportunities and that’s where he runs to. So he’s never going to be setting up in case we lose the ball. He’s not thinking that, he’s thinking about the three per cent chance that might come out. That’s what he does.”

In 2007 Thompson famously suspended his star forward for a large slice of the pre-season as he tried to curb his partying ways. It worked when Johnson came back to help the Cats to the premiership later that year winning the Norm Smith Medal in the grand final.

“We got on well,” Thompson said.

“I was quite tolerant, I loved watching him play. I didn’t get as angry with him as some people did. I’d give him a message if he’d done something wrong but he knew if he’d stuffed up.”

Originally published as Steve Johnson’s former coach Mark Thompson says write the Giant off at your peril.