In 364 games for the Western Bulldogs from 1994 to 2010, Brad Johnson became an all-time AFL great. His personal record, like that of other outstanding Bulldogs players, would have been proclaimed more loudly had it been amassed playing for Hawthorn, Essendon, Collingwood or any Premiership-winning team. Smart, skilful, quick and hard-working, he scrambled some of the best backlines playing the role of a mid-sized forward with the industriousness of a midfielder and the marking ability of a much taller man. In all he won three best-and-fairests, six All-Australians, four International Rules jumpers, was Bulldogs captain in 2007-2010, played the club games record and kicked 543 goals. Five times he was the Bulldogs’ leading goal-kicker. Today Brad works with Fox Footy as a commentator and panellist.

Was I seeing things, or did you bob up at Geelong earlier this year as a forwards coach?

Oh – yeah. That was just a couple of weeks in the pre-season. I enjoyed my time there, getting back involved in club land. It was a specific task, just helping a few players out in my time off during the Christmas period.

Is there anything else you do for a quid?

I’m involved with the AFL Academy, with the level-two guys in their draft year, so we get the best kids from around Australia into various camps, and train them up. Luke Power is the coach and does a brilliant job. These kids have a goal to be drafted at the end of the year and we’re there to try and make it real for them.

What was it like watching The Western Bulldogs in that amazing finals series last year?

The club didn’t try to shelter the players. They just let the emotions ride. Something was really building. In the finals series it was amazing. I think the second quarter against Hawthorn when we were about 20-odd points down and came into the lead at half-time, that was the period of the finals where I sat back and thought, “The dogs are a realistic chance of taking this one out.”

Do you ever think back to the dark old days – the days of Year of the Dog?

I started in 1994. We played finals every year except ’96 (when they made Year of the Dog), up until 2000, so we had success along the way, but never reached the peak. A lot of people have been waiting a long time for it to happen, including us as ex-players. I followed them as a kid, so I’ve been waiting 35-odd years for this premiership myself.

You played in an unusual, pioneering role. It added a new dimension. Who influenced your playing style the most?

Terry Wallace was the one who made that change. That was probably the biggest one for me, I was a wing/midfielder trying to find my way, and one pre-season Terry spoke to me about pushing forward and having a midfielder’s mentality as a forward and just using work-rate, pushing to the contest and using that marking ability that I suppose I had as a forward. I modelled myself on guys like Scotty West before that and Rohan Smith with his running and kicking ability. I followed Chris Grant a bit because he was the best forward we had.

Wallace brought in Brian Taylor to do a lot of one-on-one work with myself, with leading patterns, where to position, and how to position against a direct opponent. There was a lot of work to understand playing forward on a permanent basis and playing from the goalsquare. And then moving up and playing as a centre-half-forward and half-forward. I moved around a fair bit depending on the opposition and the opponent I had. Those blokes were hugely significant to the way I started to succeed in that part of the ground.

Taylor and Grant were big forwards, not like me, but the main thing is to create space for your teammates and yourself. No matter how big you are, the philosophies are still the same in terms of trying to get into position to win the ball, whether that’s in the air, on the leave, crumbing, whatever it is. But we had a lot of one-on-one contests back then. I take my hat off to the mid-size forwards today who compete against two or three defenders coming back on them and are still able to succeed. That’s why you marvel at Dustin Martin when he goes forward, or Gary Ablett, or Toby Green. Steve Johnson. How they’re able to succeed like they do in the modern game is a credit to them.

You played in five Preliminary Finals but never made the big one. Which was the most disappointing?

1997 was pretty disappointing. The Crows did it again in 1998 but they thoroughly beat us that time. In 2008-10, when Rodney Eade was coaching us, he was absolutely brilliant. But we gave our all in those games. We were proud of the way the players handled themselves. We put Rocket’s instructions out on the field and just didn’t get across the line. Those players over the years gave absolutely all they could.

You were coached well by certain blokes over the years. Do you think history might judge them more harshly than they deserve?

Premierships are difficult to win. Terry Wallace was an amazing coach. Brilliant for so many of us, and so was Rocket (Eade). When Rocket arrived, a few of the key players were in their high 20s, some in their early 30s. When you reach a certain level, you think that’s it. You’ll never attain another level. Rocket was able to take us as individual players to a level we never knew existed, in terms of what we could produce on game day. And with the team aspect of things, which is most important, he was able to take us back to that level and we played finals for a long time. In 12 months he made us believe we were good enough to compete against the best and away we went. He had a brilliant game style that really suited us.

Winning that one premiership was your greatest driving force. Did you retire with regret?

Regrets come when you don’t push yourself to the ultimate level week in, week out to try and succeed. I don’t have any regrets because I know I gave everything, physically and mentally, for that club for a long, long time. There’s disappointment there that you weren’t in the next team to win a flag for the Bulldogs.

I’ve never seen the feeling I saw at the Bulldogs after last year’s Preliminary Final win against GWS. It was celebrated as a kind of breakthrough victory – more than just a win on the field. Normally after a Prelim Final win, the lid is on to some extent.

It was a great victory. 1961 we last made a Grand Final. Emotions were high because of that. There were tears, the whole lot. But in some ways it was good to get the emotions boiled over. It sort of settled everyone down for the Grand Final. They got it out of their system. A lot of the players and staff were emotional, the fans were emotional, but leading into the Grand Final, everyone was calm and just ready to enjoy the experience. The playing group was actually super-composed. Nothing seems to concern them. They loved the moment, they enjoyed each other’s company and the next challenge was the next challenge.

You must have stood in that dressing room and wondered what it was like to have a Premiership, but you never stopped smiling!

It was absolutely amazing. My wife and kids were there as well, which was great. They’ve been through my career. It was a huge moment.

I don’t know whether I’m overstating it, but the win, even for non-Bulldogs fans, was simply one of the most satisfying sporting wins ever. Why was that?

The perception was on that day, if you weren’t a Sydney fan, you were following the Dogs. It’s just the way the story built up over that four-week period in the finals. They lose round 23 to Fremantle and then win away from home, then beat Hawthorn. It just built, and once they were the underdogs, people just loved that. Plus the history – not having won one for so long. Non-Sydney fans were able to sit back and just enjoy what the Dogs achieved.

What about Luke Beveridge’s part in it all?

Luke took over to create some stability. There was a fair bit going on with players leaving and the club wasn’t in a great spot. He helped instigate stability around the playing group and make them believe they’re there for a reason and could play high-level footy. He was a real calming influence and built belief, along with all the other coaches involved with Bevo. The players obviously love the way he is. His style suits the Bulldogs and that’s half the battle. They have a great mix of defence and attack. It’s a high work-rate game and they get numbers around the ball to get it forward. They started on the defensive part of the game and restricting the opposition’s scores, and once they got that right they were able to add in different layers to make them attacking.

Having been a long-time teammate of Bob Murphy you must have felt for him…

Bob handled himself extremely well. He did it tough, doing the knee and then the club winning the flag. The club was brilliant with Bob. Bob’s an amazing captain and has been a great leader at the club for a long time. He was great to play with. He would have been disappointed, but he was proud of the group. That sums him up. He loved the moment and seeing his mates with the flag.

I did an article on the club in 2010 for Inside Sport, and interviewed you. There was real hope back then. You felt it was the start of a major change.

That period definitely helped the club. The work they did back then to get the facilities up and everything else was enormous. You never forget that. That then helped our performance. The new facilities were unbelievable for us. That was the rise of us in terms of making prelims and all that. But after 2010 in terms of the age demographic and the list, there was a bit of turnover. The club had to go back to the draft and recruit some of these young talented players of today and start again. Now we’re starting to see the success of what blokes like Jason McCartney and Simon Dalrymple put together over the last few years.

You played in teams with a vast array of characters, champions. Who stands out?

Scotty West and Chris Grant over a long period. I was close with Rohan Smith. Being a Western Suburbs boy and all that, he took me under his wing and we became really close. They had the biggest influence on me. Then we had blokes who had huge careers: Lindsay Gilbee, Daniel Cross, Matty Boyd’s still going. Dale Morris – I love the way he plays. Liam Picken always has been a favourite of mine- even better now with what he’s been able to do the last couple of years for the club. I started and Steve Wallace was still playing. I played here with Doug Hawkins. These were idols of mine. I almost played with both Liberatores! Tony and Jose Romero were unbelievable in their preparation and determination every week. Leon Cameron was seriously good.

What about characters around the club. I remember the property steward, Eddie. A lot of diehards tend to really stand out at a club like the Bulldogs. Anyone stand out for you?

Eddie was always there for every training session. He lived for the club. Those sorts of people are so important. Charlie Sutton was at every game. He’d be the first to shake your hands when you arrived at every single game. Since he’s passed, Johnny Schultz has taken over. They were past legends but still gave everything to the club.

You also played in the last of the State of Origin games. That’s something the modern player will never experience. What was that like?

It was brilliant to represent your state. I was young, so playing with blokes like Steven Silvagni and Robert Harvey was just awesome. I roomed with Gavin Brown my first ever Origin game and hardly spoke I was that nervous. Even having the opportunity to represent Australia at International rules and rooming with Mark Ricciutto and learning how he pushed himself to get ready for a game – you just learn so much playing alongside the best players in the state and in the country. I think the players and fans would love representative football. If a Bontempelli was able to walk around and share a midfield with a Dangerfield – how good would that be? For him and everybody? A Bontempelli would love that experience. I was lucky. I mean, I watched Ablett and Lockett in the same forward line at the MCG! The best from every State competing would be quite big.

What do you think of the chances of this current WB team getting another Premiership?

The chances are high, no question. They’ve got belief and they’re slowly building. They’re not playing the best football but they’re getting the wins early, that’s pleasing. Once they get their teeth right into the season you’ll see them grow again and be in the top four or five which is growth from last year, and hopefully they’ll get it right come September. There’s a few good sides they’ll have to beat, but they’ll be in the mix.

The Bulldogs have a place in their surrounding community that’s pretty unique. They worked at building that up. Do you think that’s borne fruit, for the team, the club and the community?

Definitely, we started to see that when we were playing. Right through the Western Suburbs and other areas around Australia, the Bulldogs have got a good strong supporter base. That shows now with the membership, the sponsors on board, and how much the fans are enjoying watching the club. The club’s been able to eradicate a fair bit of debt on the back of winning this Grand Final, and they have the opportunity to invest back into the community, which they’ve done for a long time but now they can grow it even more.

Where do you see your future? Coaching? Commentating? Will you always try to stay in footy?

I love Fox Footy. I’m really enjoying working in the media and combining some of the other aspects like coaching and helping younger players find their way. I’m lucky to have both opportunities, and have plenty of family time as well.    

Published in Inside Sport, May 2017