Long wait over for Johnson
INJURY- CURSED Sydney defender Alex Johnson will make his long-awaited AFL return, almost six years since his last senior game.
The Swans have confirmed Johnson will face Collingwood at the SCG on Saturday night.
The 26-year-old has endured five knee reconstructions and a total of 12 knee operations since the 2012 Grand Final, his most recent AFL game.
“I’m really excited, just a whole bunch of emotions,” Johnson yesterday said.
“I’ve been through a lot over the journey but I always had my sights on getting back to the AFL. That’s why I’ve stuck at it.”
Sydney coach John Longmire termed Johnson’s comeback “one of the more remarkable stories I’ve ever seen in professional sport”.
“He’s had great belief in himself,” Longmire said, sitting alongside the defender.
“It’s an incredible story of resilience. He absolutely deserves a game. It’s not a shock or a surprise, he’s been playing really well in our reserves for quite a while now.”
Teammates have followed the much-loved clubman’s rehabilitation, which has included a serious knee infection, closely in recent years and celebrated every step.
He was delisted in 2017, but the Swans used their final selection in the rookie draft to keep the luckless backman on their books.