Fremantle champion David Mundy's decision to retire has sparked talk over a "Luke Hodge-esque trade" for him to play on in 2023 and assist an ailing club.
Herald Sun journalist Jon Ralph has revealed that Mundy was simply not offered another contract by Fremantle before electing to retire, suggesting that he has to capacity to play on.
"(Mundy) just wasn’t offered a new deal and he would’ve played on”, Ralph said on Fox Footy.
"I asked his management … Two weeks ago, he said ‘I’ll keep playing at this club until they kick me out’ … He was hopeful with contract negotiations as recently as two weeks ago and it didn’t happen,” Ralph told On The Couch.
"That’s not a pot on Fremantle, they just decided to go another way and that’s fine."
Mundy's career has spanned 17 years and 371 senior games, wearing all 32 iterations of the Fremantle jumper. The 37-year-old captained the side in 2016 and remains one of the club's spiritual leaders.
On the field, Mundy's form has not missed a beat, with the gritty midfielder earning AFL Coaches Association MVP votes last Friday night against the Melbourne Demons for a 35 disposal, 15 contested possession and 10 clearance outing.
Across season 2022, Mundy has continued a steady average of 20+ disposals per game, alongside 3.8 tackles.
With some struggling clubs crying out for an experienced head, St Kilda legend Nick Riewoldt says his form, leadership and experience would be put to good use at North Melbourne.
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"I understand his reasons because you want to go out maintaining that really strong level of performance, but he wasn’t showing any signs of slowing down," Riewoldt said on Fox Footy.
"He sounded definitive then, but if you’re North Melbourne, would you say to him: ‘Dave, come play for two years, stick around and be an assistant because we need some leadership’ – would you make the phone call?"
The essence of the proposed deal would be akin to Luke Hodge's signing with Brisbane in 2017, where he essentially arrived as an on-field coach to help the Lions' young and developing playing list.
Although, when asked by the Fox Footy panel if he would play beyond 2022, Mundy said he was "happy and content" with the decision to retire.
"I’m really proud to still be able to strongly contribute on gameday in the 22", Mundy said.
"I’ve been thinking for a long time that I’d feel really guilty if I hung on and battled my way through a year and ended as a broken, crippled old man. To go out on top I feel a great deal of pleasure in."
The Dockers face a fight to keep their top four chances alive against the Bulldogs this Saturday afternoon at Marvel Stadium (4:35pm AEST).