One thing we know about Steve Johnson is that he’s an insatiable competitor.
And being written off as a player, as he was by some media commentators after his round one performance for Greater Western Sydney against Melbourne, will not make him second-guess himself.
Instead, it will make him even hungrier and more determined to put on a great show when he lines up against the Cats for the first time in Canberra on Sunday.
Adversity is something Johnson has faced throughout his career.
Some of his dramas, like his broken ankles in 2003 and his suspension in 2007, have been self-inflicted.
At other times he has been struck down by freak injuries, like his hip problem in 2009 and his wrenched knee in the 2011 preliminary final.
But, to this point, he has always overcome such adversity.
His record at Geelong – 253 games, 452 goals, three premierships, three selections in the All Australian team and two leading goalkicker awards – is proof that along with being one of the most watchable players in the game, he has also been remarkably resilient.
Now Johnson, who turns 33 in July, finds himself facing adversity again.
This time he needs to prove he’s still got it. And he needs to prove it against his former club.
It’s a challenge he addressed when he faced the media in Sydney on Thursday. Not that he was giving too much away.
"I guess from my point of view I wouldn't want to be judged on one week,” he said.
"I've played in some big games in the past and I guess the advice I've always been given is to not play the game in your head before it's actually happened.
"I'm just treating the game as normal as I possibly can and whatever emotions come up I'll just have to adapt to them.
"I'd be lying if said I hadn't looked straight at the fixture as soon as it came out to see when we played them, but that's about as much thought I've put into it.”
Yet Johnson has avoided stirring the pot before the match.
"I'm sort of conscious of not making contact [with any Geelong people pre-game] because I don't want them to feel uncomfortable about me trying to extract some information or anything like that, and vice versa,” he said.
"I'm happy to say I've got some great relationships (with them), but hopefully we can have a laugh after the game."
However, Stevie hasn’t lost his sense of humour. During his press conference he put his hand up to play on Patrick Dangerfield.
"I've got the pace to go with him, let me at him!" he laughed.
Although Stevie said in The Age last week that “he will always be a Cat”, he will be out to make a point against the club he loves.
As has been the case throughout his entire career in the AFL, anything could happen.
