Yarrawonga legend and former Geelong star Tom Lonergan first spoke to Steve Johnson about the possibility of coaching back in July. The pair are pictured here celebrating their 2011 grand final win over Collingwood. Image: AAP.
A tremendous player, a three-time Geelong premiership player, served under coaches Bomber Thompson and Chris Scott and being assistant coach at GWS and Sydney, Yarrawonga’s new coach Steve Johnson has such a wealth of football experience and knowledge.
Pigeons’ President Ross Mulquiney (left) with outgoing senior coach Mark Whiley and new coach Steve Johnson.
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But Yarrawonga has been firmly on Johnson’s mind since July this year.
“AFL demands a lot of assistant coaches,” he told the Yarrawonga Chronicle.
“One piece of advice from John Longmire (Sydney coach) was that it would be great to coach your own side one day.
“It’s still a very strong competition the Ovens and Murray, and it’s a great team and club at Yarrawonga.”
There’s another significant reason why Johnson has chosen Pigeonland - “a better balanced life” where he can see more of his family.
Steve Johnson gets to know some juniors last Friday evening at the Pigeons’ clubrooms.
Steve and wife Erin grew up in Wangaratta, and have three children Archie, 10, Maggie seven and four-year-old Annie. With some family members in Wangaratta, and being in a country town, there’s more support around the family. A residential move from Wangaratta to Yarrawonga is expected in the near future.
Although Wangaratta was his hometown, Johnson spent a lot of time in Yarrawonga, Mulwala (golfing and skiing) and Bundalong (boating) as a youngster.
“We used to have a boat, probably when I was eight or nine, and we’d be at Bundalong pretty much every week,” he said.
“I used to ski a lot on the lake and in the river and played golf in Yarrawonga Mulwala. It’s just a great town. My grandmother (Alma Bousesield) used to live in Mulwala for 25 years, near the football ground close to the railway line and I used to stay with her.”
Johnson played at Wangaratta’s Jubilee Golf Course last Thursday. No slouch on the golf course, his official handicap, from Thirteenth Beach Barwon Heads, is three! “I played like it was 23!” he said about his round at Jubilee.
The 39-year-old cherished his playing career. “I was extremely privileged to play in the AFL with a great club – it still is – and some superstars like Matthew Scarlett, Joel Selwood, Gary Ablett, Jimmy Bartel, Corey Enright,” he said.
“As a country boy growing up, I could only dream about playing with such greats and winning three flags. Never in my wildest dreams did I think that would happen.”
There are plenty of other terrific footballers at Geelong according to Johnson, including our own Tom Lonergan at full-back who, earlier this year, got Johnson thinking about the Yarrawonga situation.
“Tommy’s one of my best mates. We were chatting and he might have got in touch with Leigh Ramsdale (Pigeons’ football manager) about my situation,” Johnson said.
Lonergan mentioned that chat which occurred in July this year at the Geelong 2011 premiership reunion. “After a few drinks we were talking about the future. I knew he was keen to come back. I spoke to Leigh, and he said Mark Whiley (current Pigeons’ coach) was going to just play, not coach next season and I thought it would be a great idea for Leigh to give ‘Johnno’ a call. So, I passed Johnno’s number onto Leigh.”
The star forward eventually turning star defender from Yarrawonga, now a regional talent operations lead at Geelong Falcons, said Johnson would complement Yarrawonga’s leadership in president Ross Mulquiney and Ramsdale, and be “a great coach”.
“Johnno used to challenge Chris Scott in a number of ways - he’s a step ahead, a very clever small forward, a fast brain, a standout of the game and he’ll be a great coach,” Lonergan said.
“Chris Scott has been one of the greatest coaches in the AFL over a long time. Johnno will get to know everyone in town.”
Longmire confirmed to the Yarrawonga Chronicle that if you can, it would be good to coach your own team, or even the reserves at AFL level.
Emphasising ‘ideas’ and ‘decisions’, the 11-year highly regarded Sydney coach said anyone can have the best ideas in the world, however it’s the decisions space that takes some getting used to.
“You look around to pass the responsibility onto somewhere else, then realise that it stops with you,” Longmire said.
Sydney coach John Longmire, pictured with Johnson as his assistant coach in 2018, has encouraged him to coach his own side one day and said he will be fantastic fit for Yarrawonga. Photo AAP.
“At any level for any coach, getting players, staff and supporters to buy into a vision, then sticking to it when challenged or under real pressure is easier said than done. Not to mention preparing for game day, thinking on your feet during the breaks, and then wrapping up post game and reviews.
“The other challenge at most levels outside of the AFL is that you’re not only coach, but head recruiter, list manager, football manager and welfare officer. This can be a challenge, but also a fantastic growth opportunity for a young coach. This is the really exciting aspect for Stevie.
“Stevie without doubt was one of the game’s best ever players. Smart, hard, a huge competitor, as well as talented. He knows the game well and has had very recent experience at AFL level.”
Longmire also mentioned an additional plus of Yarrawonga’s new coach. “He’s also obviously from the country - even better from the local area,” Longmire said.
“He knows what it’s like when a farmer can’t get to training for a week because he’s sowing! He is also social - another handy skill when coaching your own club. Post-game or training catch-ups are highly valued by players and supporters at the local level.
“I wish him well. It will be great to see how he goes!”
Many months ago, Johnson, understandably, was keeping a bit of an eye on Wangaratta’s 2022 season. His attention turned to Yarrawonga. “I’ve been speaking a bit to Yarrawonga through the year and in the grand-final they took it right up to Wangaratta. They have a very strong list and have only two players who travel up to play from Melbourne,” he said.
“I’ve been really impressed with Mark Whiley. I hope to improve the club just that bit extra.”
