How Stevie J ‘tricked’ Cats into early return from ban

Former Geelong star Steve Johnson has explained how he cheekily tricked coach Mark ‘Bomber’ Thompson into letting him return a week early from a club-imposed suspension in 2007.

Johnson was exiled from the club at the start of the season after a series of off-field indiscretions left his career well and truly hanging in the balance.

After several weeks of hard work turning his life around, Johnson told 3AW’s Footy: Then and Now podcast he thought he’d try his luck during a meeting with Thompson before the club’s Round 6 clash with Richmond.

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“I was suspended for six weeks but we were two (wins) and three (losses) and I went into Bomber Thompson’s office and said ‘I think the suspension said I could be back in Round 6’ and he said ‘yep, that’s right’ (and) I was in,” Johnson said.

He kicked two goals and had 21 disposals in his return as the Cats thumped the Tigers by 157 points.

Geelong didn’t lose again until Round 21, when Port Adelaide snuck over the line against the Cats by five points at Kardinia Park.

Despite the defeat, Johnson said it wasn’t the Power who the Cats viewed as their biggest threat heading into the finals that year. 

“I probably thought it was Collingwood and the preliminary final probably speaks to that,” Johnson said.

“That was one of the best games of football I’ve ever been involved in, the best atmosphere I’ve ever played in front of – Collingwood, prelim final, about 98,000 (fans) there at the MCG and we were able to just get over the line.

“I think that was one thing that was also pretty important for us – we had a really tough game the week before the grand final.

“Sometimes, you can have an easier sort of game and think you’re going better than you are.

“They (Collingwood) really challenged us and I think they were probably the second best team that year.”

‘Footy: Then and Now’ is a new weekly podcast that gets you excited for the weekend ahead by revisiting famous VFL/AFL moments with the people who shaped them. Follow/Subscribe on Spotify, Apple, and Google Podcasts

Johnson’s thoughts were justified, with the Cats destroying the Power by a record 119 points in the grand final the following week.

In a remarkable redemption story, Johnson won the Norm Smith Medal as the best player on the ground that day.

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