STEVE Johnson is likely to forge a career in coaching when his startling playing career winds up.
Often described as a football genius, Johnson has completed a number of different coaching courses as he sets himself up for life once his playing days are over.
Heading into his 13th season in the AFL, the star midfielder recently extended his contract with Geelong until the end of 2015.
The 30-year-old is unsure whether he will play beyond 2015, but when he does pull the pin, he believes he will be ready to step straight into an AFL coaching role.
"I've shown a liking to it for quite a long period of time and I want to be prepared to be able to go straight into a job within football when I finish," Johnson told AFL.com.au.
"I don't know whether I'm 100 per cent on coaching, but at this point in time that's probably what I see myself doing."
The three-time premiership Cat has long been regarded as a coach in the making, while those at Geelong believe he could be coaching already.
Johnson, who has 215 career games in the bank, is often seen acting as a de-facto coach on the field, guiding his teammates where to run and reading the play before it unfolds.
The state of the game has changed greatly since Johnson made his debut in 2002. He has experienced his fair share of rule changes and witnessed, first-hand, how fast the game has become.
The three-time All Australian is well positioned to make comment about where the game is heading and it's clear he is an advocate of just allowing things to evolve.
"That's why I sort of find it hard to comprehend why rule changes are made, because I don't think anyone knows what's really going to happen," he said.
"The game's certainly getting a lot harder year by year and I feel sorry for the guys that are just starting their careers, because I'd hate to see how quick it's going to be in 10 years time."
Although Johnson is approaching the final years of his career, he has showed absolutely no signs of slowing down. In fact, he set career highs in disposals and contested possessions in 2013.
When his contract expires at the end of 2015, Johnson will be 32. But he's not looking further than that at this stage.
"When you get to this age, it's a year-by-year proposition," he said.
"I'm not going to say now whether I'm going to finish or not. I'm just going to play as good a footy as I possibly can over the next two seasons.
"Then I'll sit down with the club and I'll worry about whether I play in 2016 when the time comes."
