Fremantle Docker Matthew Johnson knew he didn’t have a great game but was proud that his goal won the match

Fremantle midfielder Matthew Johnson has expressed pride over his ability to never get disappointed by the past after he seized his chance to kick the match winning goal against Collingwood on Friday night. Johnson was influential when it really mattered during the six-point win at Adelaide Oval. First he passed the ball to Jye Amiss and the key forward kicked the goal which reduced the deficit to only one point, and then he slammed through the match winning goal less than two minutes later. Johnson had struggled to get into the match for most of the night. He had just five possessions in the first three quarters, but stepped up when the game was on the line. “It probably wasn’t my day in general. I felt like I missed a few opportunities, so I just had to stay present at that moment,” Johnson told The West Australian. “I don’t think I’ve kicked a close goal in my career. So it was nice to be on the end of one from Duds’ good work at getting the ball to ground. So it was a great moment. “It was lucky that the ball sort of fell my way and I was able to make the play in the moment. We do lots of work behind the scenes on being able to stay engaged in the contest mentally, and I was lucky that I got my opportunity. “You just play what’s in front of you and you just trust that you’ve done the work during the week and across the pre=season. So it’s not really like the moment is bigger than any other moment. You just play.” It was ironic that Johnson’s match winning moment came against Collingwood given his 2025 season was ruined by a serious ankle injury against the Magpies at the MCG. Johnson didn’t recover in time to play in the finals and watched the Dockers’ elimination final loss to Gold Coast from the grandstand. “It was a scary injury last year. The doc initially said that I probably broke my leg so I thought I’d be out for a while,” Johnson said. Johnson produced a strong pre-season to again showed his importance to Fremantle but knows the likely return of Hayden Young and Michael Frederick from injury for the western derby has everyone under pressure to perform. He said Fremantle’s depth meant nobody could afford to relax despite their strong start to the season. “It’s a great problem to have,” he said. “You have to give a credit to the coaches and our strength and conditioning coaches have put together a great program. A lot of our boys are fit. I’m sure Youngy will be back shortly and Michael Frederick will be back shortly, and then a few others as well that are ready to come in. “We’ve got good depth. And it makes my job easy, because I know I’ve got to keep looking to improve and working on my game all the time. When I get my opportunity to go inside, I’m feeling fresh, I’m feeling ready to go, and I’ve just got to take my opportunities. “Derbies are awesome. It’ll be good to get back to Perth. It’s a nine day break before the derby. So we get a chance to recharge and spend time with family. Derbies are always a great atmosphere. I’m looking forward to it. I’m very excited.”