Collingwood great Ben Johnson has signed with Essendon District Football League cub Roxburgh Park Magpies for the 2021 season, reports The Leader's Luke DโAnello.
The veteran defender played 235 AFL games for the Magpies from 2000-2013, winning a premiership with the club in 2010.
He becomes the third ex-Magpie to join the EDFL this off-season - with Heath Shaw moving to East Keilor and Lynden Dunn siding with West Coburg as a playing assistant coach.
Roxburgh Park coach Micheal Farrelly said Johnson was a major coup for the club.
โEveryone who knows AFL footy knows Ben Johnson and what heโs done,โ Farrelly told The Leader.
โHeโs class off-field as well, the character he is โฆ heโs fitted in very well and heโll be awesome for our boys just with that experience.
โMy first thoughts were that heโs in phenomenal shape. He has certainly been in the gym and โ in his words โ getting back to peak fitness to the level heโs able to at his age.
โHe trained last night, trained really well and was pointing guys in the right direction.
โWe have a little intraclub once a week which he participated in, and he was moving well and got his hands on it a few times.
โItโs nice to see him run around and the boys definitely noticed his presence straight away.โ
Johnson has ties to the Magpies through nephews Zac, Luke and Nathan Reichelt.
Farrelly said he was unsure how many games the 39-year would play but that his leadership impact was equally important.
โHe hasnโt played proper local league football in a few years, so he will do the training, a couple of praccy games and just see how the bodyโs feeling,โ he said.
โHeโs got a few outside commitments as well โฆ but weโll see how he feels and let him dictate (his availability) a little bit.
โObviously it will be a minimum of one (game), but the maximum, who knows.โ
Johnson averaged 17.6 disposals and four marks over his 14 years in the AFL before hanging up the boots at the end of 2013.
