The Aspley Hornets have bolstered their on-field leadership for the 2012 NEAFL season with the signing of AFL veteran Travis Johnstone.
The 31-year-old former Melbourne Demons and Brisbane Lions 209-game midfielder has switched from the Redland Bombers for what will be his second season in the second tier competition.
And already coach Russell Evans is trumpeting Johnstone’s value to his young side.
“We all know he’s a quality player whose use of the ball is exceptional but what I’ve noticed in his short time with our group is his involvement with the younger players,” Evans said.
“He does a lot of coaching out on the training track which will translate to terrific leadership on match days.”
Evans remembers well an example last year of what he hopes will be a huge on-field bonus for the Hornets this year.
“We played Redland three times last year and beat them twice. The one time they beat us Travis Johnstone was a really outstanding general for them,” the coach recalled.
“They (Redland) went through him a lot, especially coming out of the back half, and he controlled where the ball was going really nicely.
“His leadership influence out on the ground was extremely positive and this was an area where we struggled at times last year, especially bringing the ball in from fullback.
“If we can get the same sort of thing happening this year with us it’ll be really important.
“We‘ve already seen it at training. He takes control of certain drills that determine the way we set up kicking in from fullback and that’s a role I’ll be keen to use him in.”
Johnstone, originally from Dandenong in Melbourne, was the No.1 pick overall in the 1997 AFL National Draft and played 160 games Melbourne (1998-2007) and 49 games with the Lions (2008-10).
He finished equal 6th in the Brownlow Medal in 2002, won the Demons’ B&F in 2005, and was highly regarded for his kicking and his ability to read the play.
Signed by Redland for 2011 in the face of approaches from several rival clubs, he struggled with a nagging knee injury and played only 11 games with the Bombers – the first two and the last nine.
He also filled a coaching role and was the official coach of record in Round 8, the week after first-choice coach Matt Francis split with the club and before replacement coach Greg Seton-Lonsdale took charge.
It was a landmark day for Redland as they beat competition heavyweights Southport by 73 points – their first win at Fankhauser Reserve in 11 years in the senior competition.
Evans confirmed that Johnstone’s knee is now 100 percent and he is settling steadily into training at Graham Road.
“He’s only doing about three-quarters of the work and has a little way to go in terms of his weight but we all know Travis Johnstone three-quarters fit will still be a pretty dangerous player.
“I just like the way he goes about it. He doesn’t just talk to the senior players – he engages really well with all the young kids.
“We were a very young squad last year, especially in the midfield, and with Travis and Matty Payne joining players like Micah Buchanan we’re starting to get a good balance of youth and experience.
“We’ll use him in a utility role – a bit in the back half and rotate him through the midfield. Basically, we’ll use him wherever we need a bit of a spark.”
Last Modified on 14/02/2012 12:51