The GIANTS' heartbreaking preliminary final loss to the Western Bulldogs played a major role in Steve Johnson's decision to backflip on retirement. 

Johnson, who kicked 43 goals to finish third in the club's goalkicking in 2016, missed the six-point defeat at Spotless Stadium to the eventual premiers after accepting a one-game suspension for rough conduct on Sydney's Josh Kennedy in the qualifying final a fortnight earlier.

The 275-game triple premiership star told AFL.com.au that he'd all but conceded his 15-year career was over, however watching his team fall in one of the games of the year, forced him to have a re-think.

"Six weeks before the end of the year I'd basically told the club that I'd be hanging the boots up," he said. 

"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.

"It was really hard to see the boys upset, but it was good in a way to see them hurting so much, because it tells you something about how much it means to them."

The 33-year-old played 22 games in his first year at the club, missing just one during the regular season when he was rested against Essendon in round 13, but persistent foot problems plagued him throughout the second half of the year.

Johnson admitted that it was difficult getting up for some games late in the season, which led him to start thinking about his post-playing footy life as a coach.

"It got to a point where I was pretty sore, and I had a couple of different issues with my foot that I was struggling to get over," Johnson said.

"I was still playing but given the position we were in, I think both myself and the club could have managed my program and time in games a little bit better.

"So 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 which went pretty well.

"I never took my eye off what we were trying to achieve here but it was something I had to consider.

"But the club seemed keen for me to play on and after thinking long and hard about it, I thought why not?"

The loss of their star forward and most experienced player for the biggest game in the club's history was a cruel blow for the Giants, and Johnson copped plenty of criticism for missing the match.

The 2007 Norm Smith medallist knows there were times against the Dogs that he could have made a difference for his team, especially given his influence up forward during the season, but said he paid no attention to those who slammed his bump in the qualifying final.

"I don't feel any guilt personally for missing the game because I can honestly say that it was just an incident that happens in a game of footy," he said. 

"Sometimes you do things on the footy field – and I've certainly done them in the past – that I'd consider silly, but on that occasion, I can sit here with hand on heart and say it was just incidental contact that was made (with Kennedy).

"I would have loved to have been in a position to contest the suspension because I could have talked them through every split second before the contact was made, and my decisions around that, but it was a really big risk."

Johnson watched the preliminary final defeat from the outer at Spotless Stadium, among almost 22,000 fans, and while he admits it was a frustrating experience, he's hopeful the players learnt plenty from the loss.

"It was really tough watching and I've never sat on the edge of my seat like I did that night, but I couldn't have been prouder of the way the boys played because they gave it everything," he said.

"We just fell down under the pressure of a big final, so the overwhelming feeling is that is was just a missed opportunity for the team.

"The good thing is we've been able to review the game thoroughly, so hopefully if we're in the same situation in 12 months time, with a similar looking list, we should be better prepared and be able to win games like that."

Johnson is recovering from an operation to repair a torn tendon in his thumb, but is hopeful of getting his cast off in January, and given he's been able to get plenty of miles into his legs on the running track, should be ready to play a part in the JLT Community series.

The Giants start their pre-season campaign with a clash against West Coast in Narrandera on February 18, with the mercurial forward more likely to make his return against Sydney at Blacktown on March 3, or North Melbourne in Canberra on March 10.