Any lingering doubts about retirement from the AFL were belted out of Brad Johnson in Saturday night's preliminary final.

The Western Bulldogs captain was chaired off after the 24-point loss to St Kilda, ending a great career that featured a club-record 364 games.

While Johnson felt better than he had in the previous few weeks, he took some big hits during the match.

"It's fair to say I'm done," he said.

"It's been an up and down year with my body, but ... I felt the best I have (for) the last couple of weeks."

Johnson confessed to mixed emotions post-match, but like coach Rodney Eade he has no doubts about his club's future.

The forward has seen the club go through some rocky times since his 1994 debut.

As recently as 2005, when Eade took over as coach, Johnson was concerned about the club's future.

Now he is confident of watching the team's progress in his absence "with a bit of joy".

"The group that takes this club forward is certainly extremely strong, their belief will never die," he said.

"They'll keep striving to achieve the ultimate for this football club.

"That's what I said to the guys when I finished up ... I can sit back and say how proud I am of that group.

"From day one, when they come back to pre-season, they're in enormous shape and they will fight and give everything they absolutely have until the time they're knocked out at the end of the season.

"I'm sure they'll continue to believe they're good enough."

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