The 193cm, athletic brute joined Melbourne as a mature, key forward prospect with pick No.68 in the 2024 Telstra AFL Draft. Johnson kicked 11 goals in five-match mid-season spell for the premiership-winning Werribee VFL side last year. The 24-year-old played the best football of his career after a dedicated off-season which saw him drop 13kg and enter the campaign in career-best physical condition. The product of the Ovens and Murray Football League secured a seventh-placed Best and Fairest result for Werribee after just 21 matches at VFL level. Johnson first debuted for the Tigers in 2021, before injury derailed his next two seasons. Originally hailing from the Lavington Panthers, Johnson was a teammate of breakout Geelong Cat Shaun Mannagh, who convinced him to try his luck in the VFL.
