Lewis Johnston – 2008 AFL Draftee Profile

Flashy, blonde, and barracks for Collingwood – Lewis Johnston has all the attributes to divide opinions come draft day this year. A strong athletic power forward from South Australia, Johnston impressed with a couple of key performances during the NAB U/18 Championships, but might fall lower due to a couple of glaring weaknesses in his game…

Height: 192cm
Weight: 87kg
Position: Key Position Forward
Club: North Adelaide

Who we think he may turn out like: Dermott Brereton
Who we hope he doesn’t turn out like: Clive Waterhouse

 
A bottom aged draftee, Johnston definitely brings a lot to the table. A power forward in the U/18 competition, he is an exceptional athlete capable of taking a contested grab and leading strongly with good pace. He is very good at presenting himself as a lead up forward, but can also vary his leads to work different angles and use his pace to run around his defender. He is also a good kick of the ball on his left foot and is far from hopeless on his right side.

For all of Johnston’s positive attributes, he also comes with a couple of strong negatives. His major weakness is his defensive mindset – which he also admits to himself. When the ball is turned over his chasing is virtually non-existent, and he can be exploited by an opponent who is prepared to run off him and play positively themselves. With the increase in attacking backmen in the AFL, this is a glaring weakness which he will have to focus on.

His other major weakness at this stage appears to be a lack of discipline. Throughout the carnival he gave away a number of silly free kicks which he will need to rein in or he might find himself spending a lot of time riding the pine at the top level.

All in all, Johnston is an exciting package with a few question marks hanging over his head, meaning he could turn out to be the steal of the draft, yet still a risk if a team was to select him with a medium first round selection.

Do you like the look of Lewis Johnston? Will he make a successful step up to the big time or is he going to be put in his place very quickly? Let us know below!