Courtney Johns is used to moving around. His father, Graham has been in the army for over 20 years and his family - mum Gillian, and older sisters Shannon and Lauren have moved a number of times around Australia. However, this move is slightly different for the 18-year-old - his family is not coming with him on this occasion and it is the first time he has lived in Victoria. Last year was the first time Johns had ever been to his new hometown, when he represented Western Australia in the Teal Cup competition in Melbourne.

After not being picked up in the National Draft in November, Johns was happy to stay in Perth with his family and continue to play with local club East Fremantle. Johns played a combination of under-18's and seniors last season for the team. Totally forgetting about the rookie draft in December he discounted playing for an AFL club in 2003 until he received a phone call from his manager Liam Pickering on Friday, December 20th telling him Essendon had drafted him as a rookie. ""I was a bit shocked and didn't really know what was going on for the first couple of hours and then it hit me. I was excited for the opportunity to come to a good club,"" Johns said.

Johns was ecstatic with the news and began making plans to move to Melbourne. Johns continued to train with East Fremantle before commencing training with the Bombers last Monday, January 13th. Johns has already noticed a difference in the training intensity and frequency. ""We used to train three times a week for a couple of hours, now I am training five to six days a week. It is very full-on but a fantastic environment to be in,"" Johns said.

At 191cm tall, Johns has played most of his footy in the forward line - holding down key positions centre half forward and full forward. He is very agile for his size and is looking to improve his speed and endurance during the pre season. ""I want to work on improving the fitness side of my game, especially because it is such a running game now and also work on all the other skill areas,"" Johns said.

Johns has always been a West Coast Eagles supporter and former captain Guy McKenna has been one of his on-field role models. ""I have always been a big fan of Guy McKenna since I was a kid. I liked the way he played, even though he is a backmen. Now I look to someone who plays a bit like me - a Ben Graham, or a Scott Lucas or a Stuart Dew. Someone who is a forward and a left footer,"" Johns said.

Johns completed year 12 in 2002 and isn’t quite sure what he wants to do away from football. “I think I will just concentrate on my footy for the moment and then make some decisions later in the year,” Johns said. The 18-year-old is also a keen cricketer and enjoys most sports. “I like to surf and used to play a lot of cricket until about two years ago, when football really took over.”