Essendon coach Matthew Knights said these decisions are never easy, particularly in the case of 29-year-old Mark Johnson.
""Mark has been a great servant of the Essendon Football Club and we sincerely thank him for his contribution,"" Knights said.
""Not many players achieve what he has – a Premiership and a best and fairest and he should be very proud of that, particularly given he started his career on the rookie list.
""I spoke to Mark prior to trade week and told him we would try and find him a Club because I could not guarantee him a place in the side next year. At least now he has time to weigh up his options and nominate for the pre-season draft should he wish to continue playing.""
Since Essendon gave Johnson the chance to join the Club as a rookie-listed player, he has played 194 games and made the most of his opportunity. He departs as a Premiership player (2000) and a Crichton Medallist (2002).
""It was a difficult decision but this Club can’t shy away from doing the things that it believes are in the best long-term interests of the Club,"" Knights said.
""Not all of these decisions will be popular but we have set a clear direction. We want to inject youth into the team next year and this means that a player such as Mark - who turns 30 in May - did not fit into our plans.
""Rather than have Mark playing for Bendigo and waiting for limited opportunities at senior level, we thought it much fairer to be honest with him and give him the chance to nominate for the pre-season draft.""
Essendon chief executive Peter Jackson said the Club would explore ways to give fans the chance to thank Johnson for his service to the Club.
""He has been a very good player and got every ounce out of his ability. No matter what the future holds I hope he remembers his time at this Club with great affection. We thank him for everything he has given this Club,"" Jackson said.
""We will certainly be looking at how we can most appropriately thank him. Given the season is over and the Crichton Medal has been and gone we will need to see if we can do something next year provided Mark is comfortable with that.""
Knights said the decision on Kepler Bradley and Lachlan McKinnon was made today following long discussion with list manager, Adrian Dodoro, last night.
""We would like to thank both players for their contribution to the Club and we wish them well in the future,"" he said.
Kepler Bradley played 49 games for Essendon after debuting in 2004. He was taken by Essendon with selection 6 at the 2003 National Draft.
Lachlan McKinnon had spent the past two years on the Essendon rookie list.
Essendon’s list changes post 2007 are:
Delistings:
James Hird (Retired)
Mark Bolton (Retired)
Chris Heffernan (Retired)
Scott Camporeale (Retired)
Mark Johnson (Delisted)
Kepler Bradley (Delisted)
Richard Cole (Delisted)
Lachlan McKinnon (Delisted)
Listings:
Adam Ramanauskas (Rookie List Upgrade)
Heath Hocking (Rookie List Upgrade)
Darcy Daniher (Father / Son Selection 39)
Draft Selections:
6, 23, 39 (Daniher), 54, 71
