 Harford was on a long-term contract and Hawthorn decided to try to offload him, and at the end of the year Carlton decided to give Harford another go, trading pick no 51 for him and Hawthorn paying half his contract.Harford could never capture his 1997–1999 form, deciding during a pre-season run in October 2004 to retire from AFL football.Harford played VAFA football for Old Paradians in 2005, and returned to the VFL to play for the Northern Bullants, with whom he had previously played while on the Carlton list.