STAR Greater Western Sydney forward Steve Johnson is a wanted man and certain to enter coaching ranks when his playing days finish after fielding three job offers late last season.
Alongside Sam Mitchell, who has agreed to a coaching role at West Coast when he retires, Johnson, 33, is the most sought-after coaching mind among playing ranks.
At the end of last season, with his decorated career seemingly coming to a close, Johnson travelled to Melbourne to be interviewed by several clubs and was presented with two firm offers.
A third Melbourne club was keen to bring Johnson on board at a later date, while GWS has previously expressed an interest in keeping the master forward at the club as a coach.
"He was definitely wanted by three clubs and he is committed to wanting to go down that path," Johnson's manager Craig Kelly told AFL.com.au.
"People have identified when they've met with him that he gets it and he understands it.
"He knows he's got developing and stuff he needs to do, and the reality is he's going to have to do that when he finishes because he just hasn't got enough time at the moment.
"He will better himself again and he will be in a club environment and a coaching position when his footy finishes."
Johnson has been below his best this season, booting six goals and averaging 10-year lows in disposals (16), tackles (2) and inside 50s (2.5) from his six games.
Like Mitchell, he has completed extensive training to make a quick transition into coaching, including the Next Coach Program with coaching veteran David Wheadon.
Kelly, whose company TLA Australia manages 16 assistant coaches and six senior coaches, said Johnson had the rare knack for explaining how he does what he does on the field.
"The things Stevie keeps talking to me about are keeping the group enthused in the drills and developing skills in fun and interactive ways," Kelly said.
"Some of those freaky guys don't know how to articulate what and how they do what they do. Stevie actually can.
"That's the difference with him."
Melbourne, Hawthorn, North Melbourne and St Kilda all had coaching changes at the end of last season, with new development coaches appointed.
It is understood Johnson also met Richmond about the prospect of joining Damien Hardwick's team, which had extensive change.
Other players who have completed the Next Coach Program in anticipation of careers after their playing days are Sam Docherty (Carlton), Scott Thompson (Adelaide) and Jarrad McVeigh (Sydney).
Late last year Johnson said he had been close to retiring at the end of his 16th season, but the lure of potentially playing in the Giants' first premiership played a part in going on in 2017.
"Six weeks before the end of the year I'd basically told the club that I'd be hanging the boots up," he told AFL.com.au.
"Given I'd signed a one-year contract with a view of getting into coaching, I started to wonder what 2017 would look like and organised to meet with a couple of clubs about coaching in Melbourne.
"I hadn't definitely made my mind up, but when I saw the look on the boys' faces and the opportunity we'd missed, plus knowing that I probably had a little bit more to give, I decided I wanted to stick around to hopefully help this club try and win a premiership."
