Steve Johnson spoke to SEN Radio about the infamous snap kick and coming 11 behind Harry Taylor in Mike Sheahans’s top 50 players list for 2014.
Johnson believes the kick around the body has a significant place in the game and he encourages his teammates to practice it and use it if it’s a shot they feel comfortable doing.
“I’ve practiced the snap kicks thousands of times from going to my local footy club and standing on the boundary line, and that’s where you practice from,” Johnson told SEN Radio.
“So for me that’s the kick that I don’t have to think about and it just comes really naturally to me.
“The boys do practice the snap kicks quite a lot at training so now it just becomes a case of whether they feel more comfortable in different areas of the ground kicking the snap.
“You’ve just got to tell blokes to back what they’re comfortable doing.”
SEN presenters were surprised with Johnson’s position in Sheahan’s top 50 players list for 2014. They believed he deserved a much higher ranking than 23.
The 30-year-old was just thrilled to make an appearance along with fellow teammates Tom Hawkins (35), Steven Motlop (25), Harry Taylor (12) and Joel Selwood, who was at the top of the list at number two after Gary Ablett junior.
“There are a lot of good footballers around and I’d be just happy to make his top 50,” Johnson said.
“Those key position players (Harry Taylor) are most important and he’s been an All-Australian twice over the past few years at centre half back - and I reckon if we swung him forward he’d be capable of kicking 60 goals so I think that’s pretty fair that he has moved up the ranks.”
Before signing off Johnson admitted that out of the Cats he was the most concerned when it came to the old skin fold test.
“I seem to blow out pretty quick so I’m a bit worried about when I finish footy because I could be the next Darren Jarman,” Johnson explained.
“I saw Bucks running around at the beach the other day and thought I’m glad he’s not still playing, I probably wouldn’t be able to keep up with him,” he joked.
