Johnson played his 150th match for Melbourne during the 2008 season; Billy Slater, who made his debut alongside Johnson in 2003, achieved the same milestone in the same match. The Storm Before playing in the Storm's grand final defeat by Manly, Johnson was named in the preliminary 46-man Australian squad for the 2008 Rugby League World Cup; however, he missed out on selection in the final squad of 24 players. Johnson again represented Queensland in all three matches of the year's State of Origin series, which Queensland won. Johnson again suffered a head injury, in the opening match of the series, leading some to question the safety of his low tackling style (in other words, his preference to tackle a player around his legs rather than his torso).