There is no shortage of high quality small forwards in AFL football today and it is not something you will have to tell Essendon defender Mark Johnson. Whether it is Jeff Farmer, Ronnie Burns or Gavin Wanganeen - Johnson is man charged with trying to keep these star players quiet. And this weekend he will again face one of the best in the business - livewire West Coast forward Phillip Matera. Matera has been in ominous form in recent weeks and Johnson will have battle on his hands when the Bombers tackle the Eagles at Colonial Stadium this Sunday afternoon.

Matera has been good in the past couple of weeks for the Eagles and he generally has been an under-rated performer. Prior to this season he had kicked 152 goals from 82 games. He has 100 goals from the past two seasons - they are good numbers for a small forward and Johnson knows it.

""He is a very good player - lightning quick and reads the play exceptionally well. And he makes you pay if he gets the football - he is an excellent kick for goal,"" Johnson said. ""He also leads very well so it is just a matter of filling the holes he likes to run in to.""

Johnson said it is very difficult to stop a forward who gets the jump on you. ""If they can a couple of steps on you and the ball is delivered well they are almost impossible to stop. That is why it is so important that the mid-fielders put pressure on the players delivering the ball. It is difficult to be accuarate if you have to get rid of the ball quickly,"" Johnson said.

Johnson said Matera's other strength is his defensive skills. ""He works well the other way as well. When the ball is turned over some players don't chase as well as others - he is one player that does work hard defensively. I need to get rid of the football quickly,"" Johnson said.

While some players might tire of these difficult challenges week in, week out, Johnson thrives on it. ""One of the reasons you play AFL football is for the challenge. Sure it is a career but I get a real buzz out of trying to stop these sort of players. If I can walk off the ground and have kept a player to one or two goals then I know I have done my job - I hope I can do that this weekend.""

While Matera can play there is no doubt his opponent can and Johnson will make him earn every kick. With Scott Cummings out of the side and Troy Wilson still feeling his way in AFL football, Matera will be under a lot of pressure to contribute in front of goal. If Johnson can hold him early he might become frustrated as will his teammates who will want their good work capped off in front of goal. It shapes as a very important battle.