Docker Mark Johnson announces retirement
Fremantle coach Mark Harvey says he has no regrets about picking up Mark Johnson in last year's national draft despite the former Bomber announcing his retirement from AFL football after just one season at the Dockers.
Despite finishing 11th in 2007, Fremantle insisted they were still in good shape to challenge for a premiership in 2008 and took Johnson, who had been surprisingly de-listed by Essendon, with pick No.55 in last year's national draft to add experience and toughness to the squad.
But the move failed to pay dividends, with Johnson failing to have a huge impact as the Dockers' 2008 campaign went from bad to worse.
"He's brought a lot to this football club and in time you guys will get to speak to the younger players about Mark Johnson and his time here and they'll be full of praise," Harvey said.
"Not for one moment (do I regret picking him up)."
Johnson joins Peter Bell, Shaun McManus, Heath Black and Matthew Carr as other Dockers to have retired this season.
But Harvey refused to speculate on the future of other players at the club.
Injury-plagued pair Andrew Browne and Luke Webster come out of contract at season's end and will find it tough to earn a new contract, while veteran Jeff Farmer is another player fighting for his footballing career.
Meanwhile, Harvey fired another barb towards Melbourne as the tug-of-war for out-of-contract ruckman Robert Warnock heats up.
Warnock visited Demon headquarters last Thursday where Melbourne football operations manager Chris Connolly, coach Dean Bailey and a group of players did their best to lure the giant ruckman to the club.
But Harvey said while Melbourne were concentrating on snaring talent from other clubs, the Dockers might look to steal the Demons' brightest young star.
"Young (Cale) Morton, I might take him out for a milkshake," Harvey said with a smile.
Harvey said despite the strained relationship between the two clubs, he held no hard feelings towards former Dockers coach Connolly.
"I understand clubs and how they have to entertain players, woo them, and look at trying to re-establish their own list, it's how it's done," Harvey said.
"I'm not going to get into Chris because I've got a good relationship with Chris and he's trying his damndest to get that footy club up and running and he appears to be doing a terrific job in many areas.
"I understand business ... it's how it's done sometimes.
"I think what we do have to be careful of is ... we don't want to go down the track of other codes, and you should be able to read into what I say about that."
Johnson, who will play the final two games of the season, notched 206 games after making his debut for the Bombers in 1999.
The 30-year-old, who said he was now keen to turn his hand to coaching, was part of Essendon's formidable premiership line-up of 2000 and won the club's best and fairest award in 2002.
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