Fremantle midfielder Matthew Johnson has signed a four-year contract extension that will see him remain at the Club until at least the end of 2030.
The 23-year-old, who would have come out of contract at the end of this season, says he’s “over the moon” to lock down his future in purple.
“It was a pretty easy decision in the end. I love the Club and I love everyone who works at the Club,” said Johnson.
“The future is very bright at Freo and I want to be a part of that.”
Playing every game this season, the 193cm midfielder has taken his tally to 65 AFL games since being selected with pick No.21 in the 2021 National Draft.
Fremantle Head of Player Personnel David Walls says it’s great to secure the signature of another young player.
“We see Johnno as part of that core group of players we’re trying to keep together,” said Walls.
“At 23 we see him really coming out of his apprenticeship now and he’s played quite a significant amount of footy for someone his age.
"He’s been building year on year, getting bigger and stronger. We love his size and he has really good running capabilities.
“He can go inside and play multiple roles and really do whatever the team needs at that time, which is valued by our coaches and his teammates.”
Johnson says he’s enjoying learning different roles with the support of teammates and coaches, particularly senior coach Justin Longmuir and midfield coach Joel Corey.
“I’m loving the trust that the coaches have in me. I’m getting more exposure to different roles and I love learning on the job,” Johnson said.
“It’s a pretty selfless (midfield) group, everyone chimes in with their strengths here and there. We feed well off each other, everyone’s working towards a common goal and it’s great to be part of a group that wants each other to succeed.”
Johnson finished with 22 disposals, two goal assists and four tackles in Sunday’s win over Essendon. One of the highlights of his season was a spectacular goal on the run to help seal a thrilling Gather Round win over Collingwood at the Adelaide Oval.
“He’s had some big moments where he’s stood up and we hope to see more of that,” said Walls.
“We’re confident he’ll keep building and we’ll see the best of him in the years to come.”
Johnson’s signature makes him one of 14 players contracted to Fremantle until 2028 or beyond.
He joins fellow 2030 signings Brennan Cox, Sean Darcy, Judd McVee, Josh Treacy and Pat Voss, while Jye Amiss, Shai Bolton, Michael Frederick, Luke Jackson and Murphy Reid have all signed until 2029.
Also locked into the engine room on long term deals are Andrew Brayshaw (2031), Hayden Young (2032) and Caleb Serong (2034).
