The Smiling Assassination: Johnson outs the clubs that weren’t hungry enough in Round 1

Western Bulldogs great Brad Johnson has called out five clubs for their approach to Round 1.

While there’ll always be a more talented side once two teams are lined up on paper, Johnson is certain that doesn’t affect effort and mentality.

Throughout his career, Johnson relied on his hunger to win and wanting to do so more than his opposition, but he wasn’t sure that five teams entered their opening matchups with that same desire over the weekend.

“When we talk about footy, this has been around forever, it’s the word hunger,” Johnson said on SEN Sportsday.

“Are you hungrier than the opposition, or is it the small phrase, ‘Who wants it more?’.

“That's something that I grew up with and I don't think it's really changed too much.”

“One constant that we'll see today, and it's just been the same for over 100 years, is the question every player must answer when they take the field: ‘Who wants it more?’.”

Johnson called out Carlton in their shock loss to Richmond, Fremantle in their 78-point loss to Geelong, Port Adelaide in their disaster against Collingwood, St Kilda against Adelaide and West Coast at home against Gold Coast as the five sides that didn’t match the intensity and desire of their opponents.

Given it was Round 1 and all five of those teams were playing for the first time in 2025, Johnson simply couldn’t believe that they didn’t have the buy-in after knowing this would be their first showing all off-season.

Listen to Johnson’s ‘The Smiling Assassination’ here.