Jason Johannisen

Jason Johannisen (born 8 November 1992) is a South African–born former professional Australian rules footballer who played for the Western Bulldogs in the Australian Football League (AFL). At tall and , he played as a running half-back who can move up forward.

Johannisen was selected by the with the 39th selection in the 2011 rookie draft. In 2016, he became an AFL premiership player after helping the Bulldogs win the Grand Final behind his Norm Smith Medal performance.

As of the end of season 2024, he has polled a total of 25 Brownlow Medal votes in his career.

Early life

Johannisen was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, to mother Sonya from Zambia and father Eldrid from Durban. The family moved to Perth, Western Australia, in 2000 when Johannisen was eight years old.

Johannisen played rugby union with the Southern Lions Rugby Club in Perth as a junior before switching codes to Australian rules at the age of 15. In July 2017, he signed a five-year contract extension with Bulldogs.

Johannisen missed nine weeks in the middle of the 2023 season with hamstring tendon damage, returning for two games before a calf injury ruled him out of the remainder of the season. He then didn't play post-round nine in 2024 after he suffered a moderate-grade hamstring strain. During the 2025 pre-season, he suffered a hamstring strain at training and subsequently underwent surgery. Though Johannisen never made a formal retirement announcement, his professional playing career ended in November 2025 when he was recruited by as a development coach. Ahead of the 2026 season, he joined Essendon District Football League club side Deer Park on a six-to-eight game playing contract.

Statistics

212 !! 77 !! 76 !! 2519 !! 1340 !! 3859 !! 891 !! 381 !! 0.4 !! 0.4 !! 11.9 !! 6.3 !! 18.2 !! 4.2 !! 1.8 !! 25