The arrival of Zac Dawson from St Kilda has given senior coach Ross Lyon no shortage of choices for his back six, which could also potentially feature talls Luke McPharlin, Antoni Grover, Alex Silvagni and Peter Faulks.
Johnson, who has been relishing the opportunity to play a settled role off half-back, said all of the clubs defenders understood that winning a spot in the team wasn’t going to be easy.
“If you’re doing the right thing out on the field and in training, you’ll get a gig in Ross’ back six,” he said.
“Whoever gets the chance to play round 1 will have to play exceptionally good to hold their spot.
“But that’s good for the team and the backline.”
Johnson said having Luke McPharlin back for a half in Sunday’s NAB Cup game against Richmond was a boost for the whole team.
“His leadership and knowledge is awesome,” Johnson said.
“Having him down there taking the best player of the opposition forwards was good for the team.
“It’s great to see him back and hopefully he can get four quarters in before the season starts.”
