Former GIANT Steve Johnson is relishing the opportunity to return to the club he played for, this time as a coach.
With the GIANTS entering just their 10th season in the competition, situations that occur at more established clubs - like past greats becoming revered coaches - have yet to happen here.
But that might all be about to change, with AFL great Steve Johnson returning to the club.
Johnson made his name at Geelong, where his 14 seasons netted 253 games including three premierships, three All Australians and a Norm Smith Medal.
He arrived at the GIANTS in 2016 and spent two seasons at the club, playing 40 games and kicking 64 goals.
He moved across town to the Swans after retirement to start his coaching career and spent the past three seasons managing a forward line that included the likes of Buddy Franklin and Tom Papley.
Johnson said he is relishing the opportunity to return to the GIANTS, this time in a different role.
“It’s been good,” he said
“I really enjoyed my time as a player here at the GIANTS and the opportunity presented to come back.
“It’s good to be back, I’ve got a lot of great relationships with the players here and it’s an exciting time.”
Johnson has gone from teammate to coach for a few players he used to play alongside, including close friend Toby Greene.
“He’s a good friend and I’m close with the family,” Greene said.
“He’s obviously a really renowned coach and player. I learned a lot off of him when he was here and we were playing together so I’m really looking forward to getting back to working with him.
"I learnt more off of him than I have off of any other player so love having him back.
“We play similar roles so there’s going to be a lot to learn and he’s not afraid to give you good feedback as well.”
Johnson said he’s looking forward to helping Greene continue to develop.
“I do have pretty good relationships with a few of the players I was teammates with and I’ve still followed their progress over the past couple of years,” Johnson said.
“Toby’s a bona fide star of the competition now and he’s also a close mate. I’m looking forward to helping him continue to keep improving and become that player he wants to be and a successful player.
“There’s also some good youth that has come through in the time I’ve been away which I’ve also kept a close eye on and that’s exciting as well.”
Johnson is part of a coaching reshuffle that has seen him take up the forward line role, Mark McVeigh switch to the midfield and Adam Schneider take charge of the backline. Amon Buchanan continues to coach the ruck and stoppages.
“We’re all tight here, the coaching group, we’re all pretty young,” Johnson said.
“There’s less coaches so we have to work together a lot more.
"The key focuses going into the pre-season are to really improve with our team defence and then also, on the other hand, to become a bit more bolder with the way we want to attack with the ball.”
