2016 Norm Smith medallist: Jason Johannisen named best player in AFL grand final

Jason Johannisen's mind was a whirl. He felt numb. Born in South Africa, raised in Perth, speculated on in Footscray, unable to get a game for two years. He was an AFL premiership player. Better than that, he was the Norm Smith Medallist.

A life spent taking risk, trying his chances, challenging expectations his life, his story, might be the perfect corollary of the Bulldogs themselves this year. 

"I'm speechless really, to see all the other players who have won this award, I am truly honoured, I just can't believe it," Johannisen said.

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"I just went numb (when they called out my name). I couldn't believe it. As a kid you just dream of playing in a grand final and winning it. It's a special moment I will look back on."

"The club took a massive gamble on me as a young kid. They saw a bit of potential but to play my first game was a dream come true and I am so grateful for the opportunity this club has given me. Try and repay the faith."

Repay he did. At half time the best three players on the ground were Josh Kennedy from Sydney. He had control of the middle of the ground and the momentum of the game. The Western Bulldogs were starved of the run and drive their game requires, they were clogged up, slow and wasting their chances. They were playing Sydney's game not their's. 

Johannisen was the player as much as any – Tom Boyd, Jackson Macrae, Liam Picken – who changed that. He continued to be bold, he continued to run and his speed sliced Sydney open.

"For him to be able to play the way he played today, way beyond his years was extraordinary," said football director and former champion Chris Grant, wiping a tear from his eye.

"The moments when the game was going against you he got the moments. He picked up the ball and made it an 80 metre play.

"The guys who did the shitty stuff at the coal face he just took the game away from Sydney. They were throwing everything at them in the midfield and they just kept going and didn't stop it was amazing."

He had 33 touches – damagingly 25 of them were kicks. To illustrate his run and carry he had nine inside fifties but seven rebound fifties also – so he took it out of defence and delivered it inside the attacking fifty.

He should have kicked the goal that settled the contest in the last quarter. He stepped around an opponent and lifted a speculative ball long to the goals. Sydney players lunged from opposite angles but it looked to split them at the line. The Dogs celebrated the goal, the video reviewer did not.

Jeremy Laidler had a knuckle's scrape on the ball before it completely crossed the line.

"It's all good," Johannisen smiled later, "I've got two medals now."

"It has been a special ride, an amazing journey, I think we played our best footy in the last four weeks."

Indeed Johannisen's has been as special as any player's.

He doesn't remember much of South Africa. He was eight when Sonya and Eldrid Johannissen packed up the family and left the bleak life of Johannesburg, crossed the Indian Ocean to make a new life in Australia. They stopped in Perth and have not looked back, they happily watched their son leave to take more ricks making his own life on hte other side of the country..

"We said we are doing it for our kids to give our kids a better life. But Jason's sporting talent? I really don't know where that came from. I am not sporty, my husband is not sporty so I really don't know where it comes from," Sonya said in the rooms, beaming.

When he was a teenager a football club on the other side of this new country lifted him up and took him to play the local game. He was rookie listed late just after Luke Dahlhaus. He got injured and spent two years unable to break into the team.

In the meantime he spent hours in rehab with Jake Stringer and they became close. They are now his second family, he goes to the Stringer's house most nights for dinner.

On Friday he carried Jake Stringer's eight week old baby, Arlo, in his arms in the back of a ute during the grand final parade. He is godfather to Jakes's older daughter, Milla, and has a car seat installed in his own car just for her. But on Friday he carriedArlo.

Early in the game you could see he was searching for Stringer trying to bring his mate into the game. Maybe it was to help, maybe it was because his friend has never let him down.

"Mate he is a star he deserves every little bit of praise," Stringer said.

"The Norm Smith and everything he gets he deserves. It's just amazing.

"Yeah I know he looked for me today. He always looks for me – he couldn't find me but he was looking for me. I am so proud of him."

Norm Smith Medal voting:
10 - Johannisen (3322)
8 - Kennedy (32111)
7 - T Boyd (313)
5 - L Picken (221)