‘The Hawks are the best club on earth’: young star’s premiership win against the odds

Wearing his hero Cyril Rioli’s number 33 on his back, Cebby Johnson has triumphed against the toughest of adversities, joining his idol as a Hawthorn premiership player.

Hawthorn Victorian Blind Football League Premiership player Cebby Johnson in full flight. Picture: Supplied

WEARING his hero Cyril Rioli’s number 33 on his back, Cebby Johnson has triumphed against the toughest of adversities, joining his idol as a Hawthorn premiership player.

Competing in the inaugural Victorian Blind Football League Grand Final, Johnson’s Hawthorn team won against the undefeated Bulldogs.

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The Premiership marked an incredible story of determination and perseverance, after Johnson lost his sight when he fell from a 6m roof in August last year.

The 15-year-old said he was grateful for the opportunity Hawthorn had provided him with.

“The Hawks are the best club on earth, they care about helping people and I know they have helped me,” he said.

“If it wasn’t for the blind league, I wouldn’t be able to kick goals anymore — it would be really good if all the football clubs (had) blind teams like the Hawks and St Kilda.”

The fall, which saw Johnson plummet through a skylight and onto concrete, damaged his optic nerves and left him with a fractured skull and broken nose and eye socket, with his blindness expected to be permanent and total.

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The first season of the four team competition saw each team play each other three times, before the top two faced off in the Grand final with the Hawks overcoming the undefeated Bulldogs, claiming the first ever VBFL Premiership.