Strengths: Johnson’s aggression at the ball and any opposition player makes him one of the toughest players in the competition. With sheer strength he can burst through tackles and cut open packs. Johnson has greatly improved his endurance over the last two seasons and can easily play an entire game in the centre at a high intensity. Johnson rarely wastes a possession and will always be there to back-up his teammates.
Position: Johnson will be used in the mid-field again this season and pending injuries will hopefully have more support than last season. The injection into the centre of possibly Damian Cupido, Mark Johnson and Marc Bullen, plus experienced players Joe Misiti and Mark Mercuri, will ensures the Bombers mid-field will be healthy in 2003. Johnson will continue to be used in an attacking role and will be looked upon to provide more goal scoring power up forward.
2003: Johnson is one of the premier mid-fielders in the competition. He is highly regarded at Essendon and has become an on-field leader at the club. His ability to win the hard ball out of the centre is critical to the Bombers success this season. At 25-years Johnson still has a lot of football left in him and if his form over the past two seasons is anything to go by he will further improve in 2003.
Kevin Sheedy says: One of the toughest players I’ve ever coached. He plays with the ferocity of Merv Neagle and the competing capability of Darren Williams. He just needs to work on his skills to fine tune his game and he is training very well during this pre season. During the past couple of years Jason has been offered more money by other clubs, so Essendon supporters should know how extremely loyal he has been by staying here for less. Jason has received a lot of kudos early in his career and he deserves every bit of it.
