IN HIS first major interview since his sacking as Fremantle coach, Mark Harvey has told of the walking into the meeting at which he was axed thinking it was about planning for next season.
Harvey told Channel Seven in Perth that when he entered the September 15 meeting with club chief executive Steve Rosich, president Steve Harris and football manager Chris Bond he "could tell from the tone and the body language that something was around the corner.
"It didn't go for long. Maybe five minutes. There were a few questions that got raised and once I knew it was immediate I thought 'OK that's it' and walked out," Harvey said.
"There is confidentiality around all this but they made it known that they had another option and that turned out to be Ross [Lyon].
"Hopefully I don't go through it again."
The interview came as The Age reported Fremantle had agreed to pay out the remainder of his contract in full.
The newspaper reported that the club had initially agreed only to pay him the difference between what he would earn if he joined another club and what he would have received if he had stayed with Fremantle.
It also said the Brisbane Lions has expressed interest in hiring Harvey as an assistant coach.
Harvey led Fremantle to the finals in 2010, but the team was hit hard by injury this season and finished 11th.
"The plan was next year we were going to strike - and, for that matter, the year after," he said.
WAtoday reported that Harvey was considering an offer to work with Gold Coast in a tactical coaching capacity, which would see him remain in Perth next year.