GEELONG coach Chris Scott says the decision to part ways with Steve Johnson, James Kelly and Mathew Stokes was made with the best interests of the football club in mind.
"There are a lot of really good people at this footy club who have invested thousands of hours into the decision-making," Scott said at Simonds Stadium on Friday.
"The important thing for our supporters is to understand a hell of a lot of work's gone into this.
"No one cares about these players more than we do, even though some people would find that hard to believe.
"On balance, we feel the good of the football club is the most important thing."
Johnson remains open to the possibility that he will find a new football home in 2016.
"Many people will be asking what I'm doing next year," he said.
"Once I've finished this weekend, I'll be looking at the options available to me within the AFL industry."
Johnson finishes his career at Geelong with three premiership medallions (2007, 2009, 2011), the 2007 Norm Smith medal, and three All Australian selections (2007, 2008, 2010).
He earned the reputation of being able to do mercurial things out on the field, although Scott said Johnson's flashy tendencies made it easy to overlook how good a competitor he was.
"His ability to delight and frustrate in the same piece of play is without peer," Scott said with a smirk.
"One of the reasons why I think he'll be an exceptional coach is that he has a view of the game that's different to most others. That lateral thought has been a huge asset to us.
"He's underrated for his flexibility and some of the mercurial stuff that he did might have taken the gloss away from just how good a player he was in the contest at his best."
Johnson's ability to perform on the big stage – evidenced by his 2007 Norm Smith medal – and the way in which he was able to play through pain, which he did in the 2011 Grand Final when he kicked four goals despite battling a knee injury, only added to his heroics.
Scott summed Johnson's career up by saying, "He's truly unique in the literal sense of the word.
"Is there anyone that comes close? I can't think of any comparisons.
"That's probably a good thing because he deserves to stand by himself.
"He's testing but the greats always do. And that's why they're so valuable.
"They force you to think a bit differently. At times they frustrate, but I would contend that the opposition coaches' box would have had more issues with Steve than we did."
