Former Geelong defender David Johnson has begun his second career - in the very place that his first ended!

Johnson has joined the Cats as player development and conditioning assistant, and began his new role on the day that his former teammates returned in full from the Christmas break.

The 28 year old Johnson will be responsible for working largely with the Cats first - third year players in implanting game knowledge, skill development, mental preparation, injury rehabilitation and conditioning. Johnson will also serve as match day runner.

Johnson is naturally thrilled to rejoin the club he represented with passion over the past eight years.

“”I am very appreciative of the club for giving me this opportunity to start the next chapter of my life at the Geelong Football Club, and I am really looking forward to the challenges that lie ahead in the role,” Johnson said.

“It’s an area that really interested me when I was playing and as I got toward the end of my career I started looking in to it more closely.

“Luckily the club was looking to expand in that area and so an opportunity came up straight away. It’s exciting to be able to keep contributing to the club and I’m looking forward to working with the younger players and helping them get the same opportunities I received from the club when I was playing.”

Geelong’s player development manager Ron Watt feels Johnson is ideally suited to the role.

“David is a person that has great personal qualities and to be able to add him to our football department is a great bonus,” Watt said.

“This is an area that David has been keen to move into and we have discussed the possibilities with him over the last two - three years of his playing career.”

Watt sees the fact that Johnson saw all aspects that the game had to offer as being important in his ability to relate to all players.

“David has been around the league for a long time and had to work very hard to achieve what he did in the game,” Watt said.

“He can relate well to people and understands the game very well. David also overcame a number of injuries and he knows the frustration and rehab required to bounce back.

“He will have to deal with players at emotional times and his personality and demeanor will stand him in good stead.”

Johnson played 79 games with the Cats after debuting in the opening round of the 2002 season. He was originally with Essendon, spending two seasons on the Bombers rookie list before heading to Skilled Stadium.

Johnson played in the Cats 2004 and 2005 finals campaigns and was a member of the 2006 NAB Cup winning team. He also played in VFL premierships in 2002 and 2007.