A mature age (24 years), key forward/ruck from Werribee via Lavington in the Ovens & Murray League. Johnson is a 193cm athletic brute who imposes himself on the contest. 

Werribee premiership player …forward/ruck ..very tough 

Wezza Kentfield is it

For the love of god please stop pissing away list spots on undersized forward/rucks because they’re tough. It’s not 1985

Holy [censored]! Literally played with and against Aidan the last couple of years!

Albury lad who won a flag at Lavington Panthers alongside Shaun Mannagh. Good friends with Dan Turner and was a premiership player with Werribee this year.

Typically brute country footballer.

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/14q7AfqUwV/?mibextid=Mk4v2M
 

Season highlights 

Edited November 21, 2024Nov 21 by DeeSpencer

8th Johnson to become a Dee, and straight to the top alphabetically.

This draft has now delivered my mother's and my father's birth surnames.

We gonna RIDE!

A mature aged (turns 25 in March) 193cm muscled up assassin.  Play him on Maynard on KB!

Kicked 17.18 this year in about 20 games. Probably not the output you'd want from a guy playing VFL. A few bags of 3, but a lot of games without scoring too

2 minutes ago, dazzledavey36 said:

Holy [censored]! Literally played with and against Aidan the last couple of years!

Albury lad who won a flag at Lavington Panthers alongside Shaun Mannagh. Good friends with Dan Turner and was a premiership player with Werribee this year.

Typically brute country footballer.

Ahh to think it could’ve been you Dazz 😆

2 minutes ago, DeeSpencer said:

For the love of god please stop pissing away list spots on undersized forward/rucks because they’re tough. It’s not 1985

Think Casey, and protection for some of those young lads on our list.

https://www.melbournefc.com.au/news/1695499/afl-draft-pick-no68-aidan-johnson

Some more info.

4 minutes ago, DeeSpencer said:

For the love of god please stop pissing away list spots on undersized forward/rucks because they’re tough. It’s not 1985

Well I’m sold

He looks pretty imposing 

Werribee has secured two more premiership players for 2025, with breakout key position pillars Aidan Johnson and Sam Azzi re-signing for the upcoming season.

Both players, products of the Ovens and Murray Football League, broke into the team this year after overcoming injury setbacks last season, to play important roles in the premiership-winning campaign.

Defender Sam Azzi and forward Aidan Johnson joined Werribee from North Albury and Lavington, respectively. Johnson, recruited midway through 2021, followed in the footsteps of former Lavington teammate and 2023 Werribee draftee Shaun Mannagh, saying, “Shaun Mannagh went off to Werribee, and I soon followed him a year later.” Azzi, recruited ahead of the 2023 season, also had a connection with Werribee through premiership captain Dom Brew, from his North Albury days. Brew, the J.J. Liston Trophy winner, shared his strong bond with the pair, stating, “I’ve got a soft spot for Sammy and Johnno; they’re both from back home.”

He continued his praise during his J.J. Liston speech, adding, “To see them take the next step, they’re playing their own way and doing a bloody good job." 

Johnson entered the 2024 season with only one game to his name, having made his debut under extraordinary circumstances. The key forward was called up as a late inclusion for Michael Sodomaco after completing a running session that morning ahead of the 2021 match against the Northern Bullants. With a strong pre-season, including a standout performance in a practice match against Geelong, Johnson was selected in Werribee’s Round 1 clash. After he missed the traditional jumper presentation before his debut, Dom Brew, ahead of the matchup with the Cats, presented him with his guernsey, acknowledging Johnson’s perseverance: “You’ve had a hard couple of years, and you finally get some reward.” Johnson made the most of his opportunity, kicking his first career goal and gathering 14 disposals.

Johnson went on to feature in every game up until sustaining a bicep injury in Round 13 against Sydney. Remarkably, he returned after just one week and hit a rich vein of form, kicking eight goals across the next three matches. His breakout season concluded in a seventh-place finish in the best and fairest count and a premiership medal. Reflecting on his journey, Johnson said, “This year I got my body right. I dropped about 13kg. I felt on top of the world, and it has all come together.” 

As Brew spoke highly of Johnson throughout the year, Johnson shared his admiration for Brew, saying, “Dom Brew has just been massive. We work together as well, so we do a lot together. I was in a pretty dark place with all of these injuries, not thinking I was going to get back, but he helped me work through that.”

Sam Azzi, after joining the club in 2023 came into this season with three Werribee games next to his name, having battled injuries and making five local appearances for the ‘Hoppers’ in his debut campaign. The key defender started the season at local level, but after three consecutive standout performances playing for Yarraville Seddon this year, he broke into the VFL side in Round 14 against Sydney. Azzi quickly impressed, and only two matches later, with injuries to Nathan Cooper and Nick Coughlan was given the task of taking on the opposition’s number one key forward weekly.  

The defender delivered a career-best performance late in the home-and-away season in Werribee’s Round 19 clash against Southport, where he clocked up 16 spoils, the second-highest tally in a VFL game for the season.

As Nathan Cooper returned for the finals series, they formed a key defensive partnership as Werribee went on a premiership-winning finals run. 

Azzi wrapped up the 2024 VFL campaign with a career-best tally of 10 games, where he averaged 8.4 disposals at a highly efficient 90%, and seven spoils per game—ranking fourth among defenders who played at least 10 games.

Reflecting on his re-signing, Azzi expressed he is "very excited and fortunate to be going around again." As he heads into his third year with the club, he added, "I absolutely love the club and the people involved here. I'm looking forward to seeing what we can achieve with another year together."

Just now, Demon Disciple said:

Ahh to think it could’ve been you Dazz 😆

Played with him for an interleague game then against him where he was at Brock Burrum.

Taught him everything....?

1 minute ago, Heart Beats True said:

https://www.melbournefc.com.au/news/1695499/afl-draft-pick-no68-aidan-johnson

Some more info.

7th in Werribee's B&F...

2 minutes ago, waynewussell said:

Think Casey, and protection for some of those young lads on our list.

That’s just dumb. Let Casey recruit him if that’s what he’s there for. 

3 minutes ago, waynewussell said:

Think Casey, and protection for some of those young lads on our list.

Exactamundo.

Big country style player.  6”4 forward.  Battler. Workhorse.  Plays like … young suburban CHF. Huge shock with quality youngsters on the board and Brew or Henderson available.  He will scare a few VFL backman again in 2025.  Casey recruit

 

A WRITE UP

After moving from Lavington, Johnson entered the 2024 season with only one game to his name. Moved in 2021 and got one game.  Injured through 2022 & 2023.  But with a strong pre-season, including a standout performance in a practice match against Geelong, Johnson was selected in Werribee’s Round 1 clash. After he missed the traditional jumper presentation before his debut, Dom Brew, ahead of the matchup with the Cats, presented him with his guernsey, acknowledging Johnson’s perseverance: “You’ve had a hard couple of years, and you finally get some reward.” Johnson made the most of his opportunity, kicking his first career goal and gathering 14 disposals.

Johnson went on to feature in every game up until sustaining a bicep injury in Round 13 against Sydney. Remarkably, he returned after just one week and hit a rich vein of form, kicking eight goals across the next three matches. His breakout season concluded in a seventh-place finish in the best and fairest count and a premiership medal. Reflecting on his journey, Johnson said, “This year I got my body right. I dropped about 13kg. I felt on top of the world, and it has all come together.” 

As Brew spoke highly of Johnson throughout the year, Johnson shared his admiration for Brew, saying, “Dom Brew has just been massive. We work together as well, so we do a lot together. I was in a pretty dark place with all of these injuries, not thinking I was going to get back, but he helped me work through that.”

Just now, CatFishPig said:

That’s just dumb. Let Casey recruit him if that’s what he’s there for. 

He wasn’t ever going to Casey. I’m finding a positive in an otherwise puzzling selection!

2 minutes ago, waynewussell said:

Think Casey, and protection for some of those young lads on our list.

Casey has a list for Casey players.

I noticed this guy watching Werribee finals, he’s a heck of a vfl player given he had only played one game before this year.

He has a red hot go in the ruck but he won’t be able to do that at afl level. 

We overload our list with tall forwards because they all get injured because we force them to play murder ball because we don’t have enough skill and run to play any other way.

It might be Jefferson, Melk, Fullarton, Kentfield, Johnson all at Casey with no midfield to kick it to them!

7 minutes ago, Timothy Reddan-A'Blew said:

8th Johnson to become a Dee, and straight to the top alphabetically.

This draft has now delivered my mother's and my father's birth surnames.

We gonna RIDE!

And now the hairline!

Trifecta!

Has a totally underwhelming CV.

We already have Fullarton & Kentfield.

Not sure what they were thinking.

5 minutes ago, waynewussell said:

Think Casey, and protection for some of those young lads on our list.

That's ridiculous. You don't waste a list spot for that. It's not the 70's VFA comp.