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2017 Player Reviews: # 37 Dion Johnstone

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in Melbourne Demons

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CUTTING HIS TEETH

The youngest player on Melbourne's list, Johnstone spent the year cutting his teeth at Casey as a small forward. Still has a fair way to go.

Date of Birth: 1 June, 1998

Height: 178cm

Weight: 77kg

Games MFC 2017: 0

Career Total: 0

Goals MFC 2017: 0

Career Total: 0

CDFC Games 2017: 19

CDFC Goals 2017: 5

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    Yet another small forward with no tricks. Doesn't get enough of the ball, doesn't kick enough goals, presumably makes a few tackles because he spends all day chasing.

    I think this was a poor draft selection and I would say he is 99% certain to be delisted at the end of next year (so why give him a second year?).

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    an interesting year ahead

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    4 hours ago, poita said:

    Yet another small forward with no tricks. Doesn't get enough of the ball, doesn't kick enough goals, presumably makes a few tackles because he spends all day chasing.

    I think this was a poor draft selection and I would say he is 99% certain to be delisted at the end of next year (so why give him a second year?).

    Kinda looks that way, but one year is too small a sample.  Hopefully he can pull a ‘Jayden Hunt’.

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    Has a bit of white line fever about him but from PLapp's reports he still learning where to run etc etc. Work in progress....

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    10 hours ago, poita said:

    Yet another small forward with no tricks. Doesn't get enough of the ball, doesn't kick enough goals, presumably makes a few tackles because he spends all day chasing.

    I think this was a poor draft selection and I would say he is 99% certain to be delisted at the end of next year (so why give him a second year?).

    Pretty harsh dude.

    Towards the end of the year he started playing some great defensive forward footy, and he trains the house down (unlike Hulett)

    Unless he goes completely in the wrong direction next year he needs another 2 seasons at least to see what he's got.

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    11 hours ago, poita said:

    Yet another small forward with no tricks. Doesn't get enough of the ball, doesn't kick enough goals, presumably makes a few tackles because he spends all day chasing.

    I think this was a poor draft selection and I would say he is 99% certain to be delisted at the end of next year (so why give him a second year?).

    Harsh but fair assessment. He’s a small forward who isn’t very quick, has average skills and just lacks magic and intensity. He barely finds any ball and doesn’t hit the scoreboard often. Hen he can stick a tackle it’s a decent tackle, but he just runs around aimlessly and barely gets near the ball or man with the ball. He’ll need to improve dramatically next season to retain a place on the list, but I’m not holding my breath.

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    1 hour ago, Drunkn167 said:

    Pretty harsh dude.

    Towards the end of the year he started playing some great defensive forward footy, and he trains the house down (unlike Hulett)

    Unless he goes completely in the wrong direction next year he needs another 2 seasons at least to see what he's got.

    I can see your position but that's a big investment in a ' anyhow' type position.

    Id tell your mate to get going a lot quicker. Notvan impossible position to fill. Hope he makes it.

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    20 hours ago, Lord Travis said:

    Harsh but fair assessment. He’s a small forward who isn’t very quick, has average skills and just lacks magic and intensity. He barely finds any ball and doesn’t hit the scoreboard often. Hen he can stick a tackle it’s a decent tackle, but he just runs around aimlessly and barely gets near the ball or man with the ball. He’ll need to improve dramatically next season to retain a place on the list, but I’m not holding my breath.

    How many VFL games did you watch him play?

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    "Do an Oliver in your first season or you're nothing" seems to be the mantra around here for some.

    Perhaps due to our past, supporters just expect first year players to come in and play most of the year, when really, at most other clubs with well established depth, first year players will generally play the entire year at VFL level. (Unless they're a 'ready-to-go' high end talent).

    That's not to say Dion will be a player because I certainly don't know enough. 

    But to write anyone off after a season, especially a small forward whose position is already hotly contested at senior level, would be very silly.

    Weideman is in the same category but was even further behind the eight-ball from a development/conditioning perspective. Next year is the year we should see some genuine inroads from Sam.

    My boy Oscar McDonald is about the only underdeveloped and underperforming youngster we've played so regularly as of recent due to having such poor depth in that area of the ground. He battled his way through this year as a key backman but played the majority of the season.

    If we were to go back to the days where we struggled for key forward depth, I could almost be certain that Sam Weideman would have been persisted with for most of the year in the seniors. But thanks to the luxury of depth, we've been able to protect and develop him further at VFL level.

    As the great Vince Noir once said; "It's all about context".

     

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    On 11/10/2017 at 9:59 AM, poita said:

    Yet another small forward with no tricks. Doesn't get enough of the ball, doesn't kick enough goals, presumably makes a few tackles because he spends all day chasing.

    I think this was a poor draft selection and I would say he is 99% certain to be delisted at the end of next year (so why give him a second year?).

    Pretty early to judge a bottom aged small forward - Jayden Hunt was also widely condemned as a "dud"for his first couple of years.

    Thankfully he has a year (at least) left to prove himself.

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    On Wednesday, October 11, 2017 at 8:59 AM, poita said:

    Yet another small forward with no tricks. Doesn't get enough of the ball, doesn't kick enough goals, presumably makes a few tackles because he spends all day chasing.

    I think this was a poor draft selection and I would say he is 99% certain to be delisted at the end of next year (so why give him a second year?).

    Please someone correct me if I'm wrong on this, but I think all players probably get  minimum 2 year contract comming out of the national draft, probably as an EBA condition?

    My impression from afar is similar with respects to Johnson, but we will see what another year brings - can only hope.  Comparisons to Hunt seem a little off the mark, as my recallection is that Hunt seldom played in his first year or so, due to back problems, but that once he got back to some fitness, he showed clear potential.  The current better comparison might be McNamar?  (Though given McNamar came with a history of injuries and spent all this season injured for us, I'm not holding out much hope).

    A actually think last year's draft and trade period was a fair waste for us.  We picked up Hibbard and Hannan, but the impression I get from match reports etc is that it's unlikely we picked up any other players of value through the conventional draft/trade period (perhaps Tim Smith), but might be saved by picking up Maynard and Joel Smith as Cat B rookies and what they look like as players.

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    On 11/10/2017 at 9:15 PM, Lord Travis said:

    Harsh but fair assessment. He’s a small forward who isn’t very quick, has average skills and just lacks magic and intensity. He barely finds any ball and doesn’t hit the scoreboard often. Hen he can stick a tackle it’s a decent tackle, but he just runs around aimlessly and barely gets near the ball or man with the ball. He’ll need to improve dramatically next season to retain a place on the list, but I’m not holding my breath.

    Apart from being not tall he sounds like jack watts.

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    Has anyone noticed Dion always seems to get a mention from coaches and senior players. I get the feeling he is rated pretty highly internally.

    I have never seen him play at all so take it with a grain of salt, but I always found it a little odd given his numbers were minimal.

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    39 minutes ago, Satyriconhome said:

    Because the coaches and players know him better than the 'experts' on here

    He is a young kid being built properly

    Of which you’re clearly one.

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    I liked him after watching a few games at Casey. Has a long way to go but he isn't a write off yet.

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    3 hours ago, McQueen said:

    Of which you’re clearly one.

    No I'm not but with chatting to him, know what he is working on and also watched him slowly develop at Casey as the year wore on

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    On 10/15/2017 at 9:51 AM, Forest Demon said:

    Has anyone noticed Dion always seems to get a mention from coaches and senior players. I get the feeling he is rated pretty highly internally.

    I have never seen him play at all so take it with a grain of salt, but I always found it a little odd given his numbers were minimal.

    He is the youngest on the list after-all (and its unfair to uphold anyone to Clarry's standards coz he is just a freak) so he needs a couple of seasons to really hit his stride.

    Like you said, the coaches and leaders of the club always talk him up and I hear he trains as hard as anyone, so give him a couple more years in the system and I reckon he is gonna an absolute gun defensive forward. Some of his hits/tackles and work around the ball at the end of this year in the VFL were impressive for someone his age/size, so don't read too much into the naysayers.

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    1 hour ago, Dr.D said:

    you could say he is a clone of toby McLean.

    I guess one could say anything but only rarely if ever be correct !

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    On 15/10/2017 at 9:33 AM, Diamond said:

    Apart from being not tall he sounds like jack watts.

    Jack Watts can't stick a tackle

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