North Melbourne power forward Cameron Zurhaar could be seeing out his final year as a Shinboner in 2024, being a restricted free agent at the end of this season and still yet to sign on.
Speaking withย AFL.com's Gettable on Wednesday, player agent Tom McConville revealed that the 25-year-old is far from a decision and will wait to assess what his future at North Melbourne looks like before making one.
"He's done his time and he's put himself in the position to really have a good think about what he wants to do moving forward," McConville said.
"He's got a fair bit to weigh up... unclear as to where it sits at the moment but (we're) working through it."
This is Zurhaar's eighth season as a Kangaroo. He has played 104 games at the club with 24 wins, including just four since 2022.
In that time he has been one of their rare exciting prospects, being a damaging forward threat with some midfield versatility, making him a worthy target for many teams during the upcoming off-season.
"There's a lot of interest in Cam," McConville revealed.
"He's got a great highlight reel and you can see the upside in what he provides.
"There's good appeal to him as a player and he's just going to have to figure out what he wants to do with his future."
It seems North Melbourne's 2024 performance on and off the field will be the deciding factor behind Zurhaar's signature.
If their six-game sample so far is any indication, Zurhaar could be out the door by 2025, with North clutching an 0-6 record, fresh off a 45-point smashing to the second-worst performing team in the league, Hawthorn.
"He's not going to make his decision off one game, it's Monday-to-Friday in the club, seeing the future that's ahead of the club that he's going to want to assess," McConville added.
"Not going to be purely results-driven but more so just the whole collective of the group and where it's all moving."
A decision to move elsewhere, while more than understandable, will not come without controversy, after Zurhaar's mocking of former No.1 pick Jason Horne-Francis for his departure in 2022.
Media critic Kane Cornes said, "it would be highly embarrassing for him, hypocritical, if he chose to leave,โ on SEN earlier this week.
Coach Alastair Clarkson said the club will be "doing everything we can" to keep the signatures of players like Zurhaar, but also acknowledged the appeal of immediate success at another club.
"Free agents are going for where they can get some success," Clarkson said after Sunday's loss to Hawthorn.
โWe need to work our way through that โ we've got Cam Zurhaar out this year in terms of free agency.
"If they choose to go, that's the (AFLPA) brief, that they're given that liberty to explore another club and the opportunity after their seventh or eighth season.โ
Zurhaar, who turns 26 in May is a restricted free agent at the end of this season.
North Melbourne face a struggling Adelaide outfit this Saturday at Blundstone Arena for a chance to notch their first win of the season and work toward luring their disgruntled stars to extend beyond this year.
