Courtney Johns
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| Courtney Johns | ||
 |
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| Personal information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Courtney Johns | |
| Date of birth | 14 November 1984 | |
| Place of birth | , Australia | |
| Height | 6 ft 4 in / 194 cm | |
| Nickname | "Johnsy" | |
| Club information | ||
| Current club | Essendon Football Club | |
| Professional clubs* | ||
| Years | Club | Apps (goals) |
| ? - 2002 2003 - 2006 |
East Fremantle (WAFL) Essendon Football Club |
? 13 (12) |
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* Professional club appearances and goals |
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Courtney Johns is an Australian rules footballer in the Australian Football League.
Wearing the number 21 Guernsey, he plays full-forward and occasional back, seen as a power forward due to his strong build, height, ability to take a strong mark and inflict damage.
Fans have waiting patiently for the appearance of this young man, branded “the Messiah” who up until the late 2005 season was considered a myth, conjured up by coach Kevin Sheedy.
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[edit] Early career and injuries
Recruited from East Fremantle (WAFL) playing in the reserves, he dominated games and left a lasting impression until a freak injury at the age of 17.
A career threatening fractured labrum in his draft year (2002 rookie draft) kept him from the playing field for over two years, with doubts by medical professionals that he would ever run again, let alone play football.
He was snubbed by fifteen of the sixteen AFL clubs, but Kevin Sheedy saw the light at the end of the tunnel, taking him on knowing full well the risk involved and the hard road ahead.
[edit] Recovery and debut
With several surgeries to remove floating bone fragments from his distraught left hip, prolonged rehabilitation, a modified training regime and much belief in himself, he proved the experts wrong. Not only was he elevated to senior level in 2005, but ranked as the second fastest bomber over 20m in pre-season testing.
His debut in 2005 against Richmond was not the best of debuts, but it was an achievement to get on the park.
[edit] Awards and honors
Lindsay Griffith Rising Star Award 2006.
[edit] 2006 season
Was easily spotted on the field by his trademark blonde dreadlocks, which he shaved off mid-season and now sports short back and sides, claiming this action was due to outside pressure.
Though still learning to play at senior level, improvement has been seen with every game, proving to both football fans and critics alike that he was well worth the wait and with Matthew Lloyd as his mentor, much more was to be expected. He suffered an injury after the Round 14 game against Fremantle (ribs), where he showed good signs in his best game for the club up until that stage - booting 3 goals and taking 7 marks.
When he made his return in Round 19, he continued to show good signs with another 3 goal haul against Collingwood, helping to result in Essendon's third win for the season.
Round 20 against Hawthorn has seen him kick no goals and have little impact as in previous games this season. He may have made up for it to some extend by kicking a goal against Richmond in Round 21. The Bombers last game for the season was against the Western Bulldogs, though they had nothing to play for except a win, Essendon fought hard and Johns kicked his last goal for the season.
