Fremantle were overcome late in their nine-point loss to Collingwood at Optus Stadium on Saturday but forward Hayden Ballantyne was pleased with the effort the players put in for Michael Johnson’s farewell game.

Freo held a narrow lead for the majority of the game and threatened to spoil the Magpies bid for a top-two spot.

While disappointed with the loss, Ballantyne said it was important to send Johnson off in the right way while also responding to the club’s heavy loss to Geelong the week prior.

“It was a great effort,” Ballantyne said.

“I think we showed Johnno the commitment we have towards him and the love we have for him. 

“We also wanted a great response from a lot of the younger players. We had a lot of young players last week and they did everything they could to get the win but we just fell short.”

With 10 seasons playing together, Ballantyne said he’ll miss Johnson as a teammate but knows they’ll have a long lasting friendship.

“He’s a great man and he’ll be sorely missed. Not that I won’t see him again as I’m sure we’ll catch up,” Ballantyne said.

“I would have hated to play against him in my career. I remember him, Paul Duffield and Luke McPharlin used to control that backline, they were just nearly impossible to get through and kick a goal against. 

“He’s a great player and someone I’ll definitely remember from all the things he’s taught me and all the kicks up the butt he’s given me along the way too.”

Ballantyne finished his season on a high with four goals for the day, with his fourth coming from an 80-metre sprint into an open goal.

“It’s good to get on the scoreboard including a couple of cheapies around the back, but I’m not going to complain,” Ballantyne said.

“I was pretty knackered (after the fourth goal) I’m glad, no I’m actually not glad I had to come off as it was just as far back towards the boundary line. It was pretty solid but it was good to get the goal.”