REACHING the AFL was never part of Ash Johnson's plan as a teenager. It still wasn't when he turned 20, but that changed when his brother Shane McAdam and cousin Jy Farrar got drafted in consecutive years.
Johnson, McAdam and Farrar all grew up in Halls Creek in remote Western Australia, a town of just over 3000 people that has become a football factory in recent years.
Their cousin Samo Petrevski-Seton arrived on the AFL scene first when Carlton drafted him with pick No. 6 in the 2016 NAB AFL Draft. Johnson and McAdam's brother, Eric Benning, was selected by Fremantle last year, while Melbourne's Toby Bedford is another product from Halls Creek, seven hours inland from Broome and nearly 1200 km south of Darwin.
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The 24-year-old has travelled a long and winding path to the AFL. That journey felt a world away from the elite level when he stopped in country Victoria for a winless season in Wangaratta and has included seven different clubs across three different states before Collingwood swooped in last year's NAB AFL Mid-Season Rookie Draft.
From Halls Creek to Perth where he played for Claremont's Colts in 2014 and 2015, back home to the Halls Creek Hawks in 2016, before the big move to play for North Wangaratta in 2017. Then across the border to South Australia where he played third-grade amateur football for Scotch Old Collegians.
Johnson then spent a season on the sidelines in Adelaide's SANFL program with a compound fracture of his arm in 2019, before the opportunity arrived at Sturt which changed his life.
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Looking back now, while sitting inside the AIA Centre preparing to play in another final – and in another game in front of more than 80,000 people – the softly spoken athletic forward knows when his desire changed. He wanted to not just thrill hundreds of people at suburban grounds in Adelaide and up the Hume Highway; he wanted to kick big goals at the MCG.
"I felt a little bit of jealousy when that happened," Johnson told AFL.com.au of watching his Halls Creek alumni reaching the big time.
"I just wanted to be on the screen as well. I think that was the urge for me to push myself and actually realise I had the ability to do what they’re doing. I put my head down after that.
"When I recovered from that broken arm and had a season at Sturt in 2020 and played my first league footy, which was tough, that made me realise how tough it actually is. But I got stuck into it and put my head down over pre-season and just did everything I could and it obviously paid off."
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Some inside Claremont thought Johnson had the tools to play in the AFL when he spent those two years at the Tigers. Many in Johnson's corner have always shared that view, but it wasn't until he surfaced from stints in the East Kimberley Football League, the Ovens and King League and the South Australian Amateur Football League and played for the Double Blues in the SANFL that his name emerged on recruiters’ radars.
"Everyone around me believed I could (reach the AFL). I didn't set a goal that I wanted to be drafted, I just went with the flow. I guess my football ability just took me to here," Johnson said.
"I just matured late. I've experienced a lot of things that took a longer track than anyone else. Some things set me back with my mentality, like breaking my arm that set me back about a year. I just wanted to go home after that, but I didn't and look at me now."
On a day that felt like fate, Johnson made his debut against McAdam back in South Australia at the Adelaide Oval in round 18. He still can't believe that they have made it this far, but he can believe so many players from Halls Creek are now in the AFL system.
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"I think it's really big for us just looking back at our journey, especially the town that we're from; this is pretty surreal," he said.
"If you ask any of the family back home, you couldn't imagine any of us playing on the screen, especially on big stages on the big screen, it is pretty special.
"From a young age, everyone has a footy in their hands, like most kids do from every other town, but I think this town is a bit different. We walk in the streets and any goalposts we see – pickets or trees – we are going for those.
"Everyone is just so competitive; we want to be better than the other. If someone kicks a goal, I want to show I can do it better. I think that competitiveness has helped get us to where we are."
Johnson was on the cusp of earning a debut early in the season after kicking 4.3 in his second VFL appearance for the club. His magnet was put on the board at match committee and debated for half an hour before round four. The Magpies chose to wait and, days later, the 193cm mobile forward injured his hamstring tendon against the Northern Bullants, sidelining him for 10 weeks.
With his contract up at the end of the season, time was running out for Johnson to prove himself. But the injury proved to be a blessing in disguise. He learned how to be a professional while in the rehab group, returning 10 weeks later in much better condition to not only lay the foundations for his finish to 2022, but also earn a new deal that was struck between his manager, Julian Petracca from Hemisphere Management, and Collingwood GM of football Graham Wright.
"I just wanted to play footy and wanted to get back to that. I think that showed during the process how hard you have to work to play AFL footy. I think it was a good thing that I did get injured, it just showed me what I have to do," he said.
Part of the art of recruiting is identifying prospects who get better and better the higher the standard. Some dominate local footy or juniors, but others, like Johnson, shine when they rise from country or amateur footy to state league level, then go to another level in the AFL, where their traits are best suited.
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Veteran Collingwood list manager Derek Hine thought Johnson was in this category when his team started scouting him in the SANFL. Johnson can't put his finger on his rise but knows he has played the best football of his life in the black and white.
"I feel like I do (get better the higher the standard is). I don't know why. I've gotten asked that a lot and I just don’t know why," he said.
One thing that has stood out with Johnson is his composure in front of goal. The occasion doesn't appear to faze him. Four of his first seven games have been in front of more than 70,000 people at the MCG – 72,402 v Essendon, 70,596 v Melbourne, 88,287 v Carlton and 91,525 v Geelong – and 12 of Johnson's 15 goals have been set shots with all eyes focused on him.
"For me, it doesn’t really bother me too much, I'm just there to play footy. Once your eyes are on the ball, you block out anything else and you're just there to play a role. That's what I do. Just look at the two posts and not the outside ones. I just look at those two, not the four, and block out everything else," he explained.
It isn't only his exploits at the MCG and commitment inside the AIA Centre that have impressed many inside the Collingwood Football Club in recent months. Johnson has spent plenty of time at the Magpies' spiritual home during the winter, working with the club’s community charity at Victoria Park. Sitting, talking and listening to people dealing with disabilities and addiction, gaining perspective on how blessed he is to have made it this far.
"I just look at the opportunity that I have and they don't. It makes me appreciate what I do have and I just want to help others as well to do better in life. It helps me as well," he said.
It has been a long journey from the dusty oval in Halls Creek, from the freezing cold conditions in Wangaratta and the Adelaide ammos. Life has certainly changed for Ash Johnson.
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