Courtney Johns
Encyclopedia
Courtney Johns is an Australian rules football
player in the Australian Football League
. Wearing the number 21 Guernsey, he plays full-forward
and occasional back, seen as a power forward due to his strong build, height, ability to take a strong mark and inflict damage.
from East Fremantle
(WAFL) playing in the colts, State U18s & reserves, until a career threatening fractured labrum in his draft year (2002 rookie draft
) which kept him from the playing field for over two years. The injury left doubts that he would ever run again, let alone play football.
He had several surgeries to remove floating bone fragments from his distraught left hip, prolonged rehabilitation and a modified training regime to make an apparent full recovery. He was elevated to senior level in 2005, and ranked as the second fastest Bomber over 20m in pre-season testing.
, which he shaved off mid-season and now sports short back and sides.
He suffered an injury (ribs) after the Round 14 game against Fremantle Football Club
, where he showed good signs in his best game for the club up until that stage - booting 3 goals and taking 7 marks.
When he made his return in Round 19, he continued to show good signs with another 3 goal haul against Collingwood
, helping to result in Essendon's third win for the season.
Round 20 against Hawthorn
saw him kick no goals and have little impact as in previous games that season. He made up for it to some extent by kicking a goal against Richmond
in Round 21. The Bombers last game for the season was against the Western Bulldogs
, though they had nothing to play for except a win, Essendon fought hard and Johns kicked his last goal for the season.
he booted two crucial goals, one from the boundary and on the edge of the fifty metre arc, the other straight in front beyond fifty.
At the end of the 2009 season, Johns was involved in a dispute with the East Fremantle Football Club due to his not turning up for training or club functions. Subsequently, Johns was released to Heywood in the Western Border Football League (based on the Victorian/South Australian border) alongside other former AFL footballers Mal Michael, Brad Smith and Brad Fuller. In Round 2, against Hamilton Imperials, he kicked 11 goals, helping to end the club's 42-game losing streak.
In 2011, Courtney Johns signed with the Aberfeldie Football Club
in the Essendon District Football League along with other former Bomber's Hayden Skipworth
and Damien Peverill
but had to bow out due to injury before the season even began. He assisted the coaching staff for the year and remains contracted to play in 2012, injuries permitting.
Australian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
player in the Australian Football League
Australian Football League
The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...
. Wearing the number 21 Guernsey, he plays full-forward
Full-forward
Full-forward is a position in Australian rules football and Gaelic football with a key focus on kicking goals.Leading full-forwards of the Australian Football League are usually among those awarded with the Coleman Medal for the most goals in an AFL season....
and occasional back, seen as a power forward due to his strong build, height, ability to take a strong mark and inflict damage.
Early career and injuries
Johns was recruited by EssendonEssendon Football Club
The Essendon Football Club, nicknamed The Bombers, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...
from East Fremantle
East Fremantle Football Club
The East Fremantle Football Club, nicknamed the Sharks, is an Australian rules football club playing in the West Australian Football League . The team's home ground is East Fremantle Oval...
(WAFL) playing in the colts, State U18s & reserves, until a career threatening fractured labrum in his draft year (2002 rookie draft
2002 AFL Draft
The 2002 AFL Draft consisted of a pre-season draft, a national draft, a trade period and the elevation of rookies. The AFL Draft is the annual draft of talented players by Australian rules football teams that participate in the main competition of that sport, the Australian Football League.In 2002...
) which kept him from the playing field for over two years. The injury left doubts that he would ever run again, let alone play football.
He had several surgeries to remove floating bone fragments from his distraught left hip, prolonged rehabilitation and a modified training regime to make an apparent full recovery. He was elevated to senior level in 2005, and ranked as the second fastest Bomber over 20m in pre-season testing.
2006 season
Was easily spotted on the field by his trademark blonde dreadlocksDreadlocks
Dreadlocks, also called locks, a ras, dreads, "rasta" or Jata , are matted coils of hair. Dreadlocks are usually intentionally formed; because of the variety of different hair textures, various methods are used to encourage the formation of locks such as backcombing...
, which he shaved off mid-season and now sports short back and sides.
He suffered an injury (ribs) after the Round 14 game against Fremantle Football Club
Fremantle Football Club
The Fremantle Football Club, nicknamed The Dockers, is an Australian rules football team which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based in the port city of Fremantle at the mouth of the Swan River in Western Australia...
, where he showed good signs in his best game for the club up until that stage - booting 3 goals and taking 7 marks.
When he made his return in Round 19, he continued to show good signs with another 3 goal haul against Collingwood
Collingwood Football Club
The Collingwood Football Club, nicknamed The Magpies, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...
, helping to result in Essendon's third win for the season.
Round 20 against Hawthorn
Hawthorn Football Club
The Hawthorn Football Club, nicknamed the Hawks, is a professional Australian rules football club in the Australian Football League . The club, founded in 1902, is the youngest of the Victorian-based teams in the AFL. The team play in Brown & Gold vertically striped guernseys...
saw him kick no goals and have little impact as in previous games that season. He made up for it to some extent by kicking a goal against Richmond
Richmond Football Club
The Richmond Football Club, nicknamed The Tigers, is an Australian rules football club which competes in the Australian Football League. Richmond shares healthy rivalries with Carlton, Collingwood and Essendon. After winning five premierships between 1967 and 1980, the club hit the depths in 1990,...
in Round 21. The Bombers last game for the season was against the Western Bulldogs
Western Bulldogs
The Western Bulldogs are an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based at the Whitten Oval in West Footscray, an inner-western suburb of Melbourne...
, though they had nothing to play for except a win, Essendon fought hard and Johns kicked his last goal for the season.
2007 season
In Round 4 Johns' first match for the season he did not make much of an impact but in his second on Anzac DayANZAC Day
Anzac Day is a national day of remembrance in Australia and New Zealand, commemorated by both countries on 25 April every year to honour the members of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps who fought at Gallipoli in the Ottoman Empire during World War I. It now more broadly commemorates all...
he booted two crucial goals, one from the boundary and on the edge of the fifty metre arc, the other straight in front beyond fifty.
2008 season
2008 was Johns' final season with Essendon, during which he played in just 2 games. During the season he injured his ACL (Knee) in a VFL match for the Bendigo Bombers against Port Melbourne at TEAC Oval, ending his season. He played 21 games, and Essendon won just 3 of those games. At the end of the 2008 season he was delisted by the Essendon Football Club.After the AFL
Johns returned to East Fremantle Football Club in a full-forward role in 2009, and later played in country Victoria.At the end of the 2009 season, Johns was involved in a dispute with the East Fremantle Football Club due to his not turning up for training or club functions. Subsequently, Johns was released to Heywood in the Western Border Football League (based on the Victorian/South Australian border) alongside other former AFL footballers Mal Michael, Brad Smith and Brad Fuller. In Round 2, against Hamilton Imperials, he kicked 11 goals, helping to end the club's 42-game losing streak.
In 2011, Courtney Johns signed with the Aberfeldie Football Club
Aberfeldie Football Club
Aberfeldie Football Club is an Australian rules football club located 9 km north-west of Melbourne in the suburb of Aberfeldie which entered the Essendon District Football League in 1948....
in the Essendon District Football League along with other former Bomber's Hayden Skipworth
Hayden Skipworth
Hayden Skipworth was an Australian rules footballer with the Essendon Football Club of the Australian Football League. After playing 44 games over six years for the Adelaide Crows he was delisted in 2006...
and Damien Peverill
Damien Peverill
Damien Peverill is an Australian rules footballer who played 144 senior games with Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football League between 2001 and 2008...
but had to bow out due to injury before the season even began. He assisted the coaching staff for the year and remains contracted to play in 2012, injuries permitting.