The catch, of course, that the new Lion's first 10 campaigns were spent at Melbourne, with David Neitz leading towards him.
Season 11 will unfold at the Gabba and the player trying to get on the end of his spearing passes will be the best forward in the game – reigning Coleman Medallist Jonathan Brown.
"I played with some great players in Melbourne but especially 'Neita'," Johnstone said.
"It was always exciting to see him come flying out on the lead and try and put the ball on his chest.
"Now it’s Jonathan Brown and everyone knows how good a player he is – he’s the best forward going around at the moment.
"We’re going to get Daniel Bradshaw back, as well, a couple of games into the season and it’s going to be great to have two huge key forwards to kick the ball to.”
Johnstone, who became a Lion in a three-way trade involving the Demons and Collingwood, arrived at the Gabba with a couple of injury niggles – most notably a wrist that was “wired up” after the completion of the 2007 home-and-away season.
With achilles problems also an issue last year, his first preseason as a Lion has been carefully planned - he did not start full-scale training until just before Christmas.
"I’ve been pretty much doing everything for the last month or so and it’s felt pretty good," Johnstone said.
"But every now and then I’ll have a freshen-up just to lighten the load.
"I had Monday night off this week which was enjoyable because I was probably feeling a little tired and I feel a lot fresher having not trained.
"Because I’ve been playing for 10 years pretty solidly, it doesn’t take too much to tap into that [fitness] base that you build up."
The 27-year-old has plenty of big-game experience, having played in 14 finals at Melbourne, including the 2000 Grand Final loss to Essendon.
Johnstone says he can see some similarities between the current Lions squad and that Melbourne side in 2000, which featured a mix of older, more experienced players and youngsters finding their niche at AFL level.
"I think the key is experience," Johnstone said.
"This team has got a lot of younger guys, who, over the last couple of years, have got that little bit of experience – up around the 50 games mark or so.
"It’s an exciting time to be at the club because last season the team got so close to the finals and this year we’re in a good spot to have a real crack at actually getting there.
"I’m just excited to be part of this group."
