Steve Johnson Biography

Steve Johnson is charged by police for driving at speeds of 128kph in a 50kph zone.

Cats teammate Shannon Byrnes was a passenger in the car that was en route to a golf club in Eastern Gardens.

Geelong CEO Brian Cook expressed disappointment in Johnson's action via a statement on the club's website.

"We are extremely disappointed that Steve was found to have exceeded the speed limit in this manner.

"Steve has worked hard over the past year to regain respect but this is a major setback in this regard."

Steve Johnson is instructed to undergo road trauma education as part of his punishment imposed by the Geelong leadership group after being charged with exceeding the speed limit last week.

This will involve at least 50 hours of working with crash victims and their families over the coming months.

"What is important to us is that Steve be motivated to change by taking action that he has to initiate and follow through on," Geelong captain Tom Harley said.

"We believe that 50 hours working with victims of road trauma is a significant additional sanction for what he has done."

Johnson expressed remorse over his actions, saying, "What I did was completely unacceptable. I have no excuse, no words to explain it. It's up to me to start again and prove myself."

Cats president Frank Costa said that to sack Johnson would be counter-productive despite many believing that Johnson was on his last chance after being suspended by the club for several weeks following an indiscretion last year.

"Sacking is not in the question," he said. "It won't do the boy any good and it won't do the club any good. We have just got to make sure the punishment is right. This has hit him so hard that I would be surprised if we heard of any trouble from Steve Johnson in future."

Geelong's handling of Johnson's charge is later praised by the AFL Players' Association.

"It's a very thoughtful and a very carefully considered sanction," AFLPA chief executive Brendon Gale said.

Steve Johnson loses his licence for 12 months and is fined $500 after pleading guilty to speeding on his way to a golf course.

Geelong is poised to bring Steve Johnson, Cam Mooney and Darren Milburn back for this Saturday's quarter-final clash with Port Adelaide.

Geelong's Steve Johnson doubts all the Cats' key forwards can play in the same side, but he thinks the 2008 runners-up will be better for it.

Port Adelaide's Dean Brogan and Geelong's Steve Johnson will contest their penalties from the Match Review Panel.

Brogan was charged with a rough conduct offence against Essendon’s Andrew Lovett and will challenge his two-match suspension.

Johnson was not suspended for attempting to strike Hawthorn’s Luke Hodge but will contest the 60 demerit points he was given. He was originally given 80 demerit points but his five-year good record saw the penalty reduced by 25 per cent.

Six kicks, three handballs, six marks and two goals on a night when you spend 85 per cent of the game on the ground is not a bad night at the office.

Nor is it a performance to set the world on fire. Unless you're Geelong's Tom Hawkins.

"We don't expect too much from Tommy," Cat forward Steve Johnson said.

"If he can come in and just play his role, if he's lucky enough to kick a couple of goals that's great. But if he can just play our structures, drag a good defender, take a couple of grabs, well, he's done his job."

Geelong's Steve Johnson is now on the fourth line of betting for the Coleman Medal.

"He's just been consistent every week," TAB Sportsbet's Gary Davies said.

"He's probably been the most consistent forward because he's usually got a couple every week ... and then of course he kicked six on the weekend.

"His price is probably reflective of his consistency throughout the year."

Carlton's Jordan Russell performs an excellent defensive job on Cat Steve Johnson, restricting the mercurial forward to just 13 possessions and no goals in the Blues' big win over Geelong.

"There were a couple of rumours going around before the game that he might miss out. I was really looking forward to the challenge. He's a gun player and he's shown that over the last couple of years. I was looking forward to the duel." Russell said.

"I've played up forward a fair bit in my time so it was nice to go back, do a job and help the side out."

Geelong forward Steve Johnson seeks the aid of a Tasmanian hip specialist to address injury concerns that has threatened his season.

After consultation with a hip specialist from Hobart, Steve Johnson undergoes a hip arthroscopy on Friday after aggravating the injury two weeks ago.

Johnson hopes to recover from the surgery in time for the finals.

"The procedure will give Steve the best chance to return and play at the level that we are used to," Cats general manager of football operations Neil Balme said.

"Without the surgery it is unlikely he could have played through the finals as it had deteriorated to the point that he could not play without significant pain and restricted movement."

Steve Johnson faces a major challenge to play again this season after undergoing surgery to his hip, with a preliminary final return the best-case scenario.

"It is not impossible, but he is really, really cutting it fine," leading sports medico Dr Peter Larkins said.

"He won't be able to train for two to three weeks and will be targeting the preliminary final or Grand Final."

Geelong coach Mark Thompson says forward Steve Johnson is only one week away from playing after undergoing surgery on his hip.

"He's already knocked on my door, asking if he can play, but we probably won't play him this week," Thompson said.

"He's a very good chance to play next week, which is remarkable I know, and you probably won't believe me, but that's the truth."

Geelong's Steve Johnson says an operation by Hobart's Dr Michael Pritchard on his injured hip may have saved his season.

"When I went into surgery I was pretty much prepared for the worst news, that I would miss the rest of the year, that's how sore it was," he said.

"But the surgeon did a great job and pretty much as soon as I had it done it felt better and I was able to work pain-free."

Cat Steve Johnson moves freely during training to suggest he is ready to take his place in the side to face Collingwood in their preliminary final.

"Stevie was running around like a little kid, he was loving being out there and feeling good," teammate Cameron Ling said.

Geelong forward Steve Johnson says his hip is getting better every day and that he will be fit to contribute to his side in the 2009 Grand Final.

"I've been pulling up really well from each session I do - day by day it's just been improving, so it's been great that I've been able to recover and give myself the opportunity to play tomorrow," Johnson said.

Geelong forward Steve Johnson continues his rehab on his troublesome hip and won't be ready to train with teammates until mid-January.

"With the way things finished up last year his hip was pretty ordinary at the end of the year," Geelong assistant coach Nigel Lappin said.

"He had some surgery just before the end of the season so he has been just starting to get back into his rehab. Steve should be training in mid-January."

After various indiscretions against Geelong's Steve Johnson, St Kilda's Steven Baker faces a record 12-week ban handed down by the match review panel which can be reduced to nine games on an early guilty plea.