Hawthorn veteran Isaac Smith remains uncertain about his future at Hawthorn, fearing that he may have played his last game in the brown and gold stripes.
Smith, 31, has been sidelined since round 11 with a shoulder injury and has all but given up hope of returning to the field this season.
The three-time premiership Hawk's contract expires at the end of the year and will likely enter the off season as an unrestricted free agent.
The 210-game veteran has stated that he is currently in the dark about his future at Waverley. However, he understands that factors including the club's worst season in the Alastair Clarkson era and ambiguities surrounding the size of next seasons playing lists and salary cap will shape Hawthorn's decision.
โI'm not 100 per cent sure what's going on, we'll just wait and see,โ Smith on RSN Breakfast on Wednesday.
โThere hasn't been much talk about that stuff at the moment.
โI think especially as an older player that's over 30 at Hawthorn and what's happened this year, we're all just waiting to see what's going to happen.
โThere's certainly been a change in direction and we're seeing a lot of the younger guys get opportunities.
โI am sure we will have list changes, but no one is sure where it sits at the moment.โ
Smith isn't the only Hawk facing uncertainty. The careers of fellow ageing teammates Shaun Burgoyne, Paul Puopolo, Ricky Henderson, James Frawley, Ben Stratton, Luke Breust, Ben McEvoy and Jack Gunston could also be up in the air.
Should the club decide to head to the draft and invest in youth, many of these names may be playing their final game for the club against the Suns in round 18.
With 165 goals from a tick over 200 appearances as a Hawk, there is bound to be interest in Smith should Hawthorn fail to offer him an extension.
Last season, Smith was almost lured away from Hawthorn by the club's former assistant and current Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge.
When posed the question about possible suitors, Smith played a predictably straight bat.
โI guess so, I don't know, we'll just wait and see.
โWe're not 100 per cent sure what's going on, the AFL hasn't announced what size the list sizes will beโ
With the Hawks currently sitting third last on the ladder with four wins from a possible fifteen, the injured Smith had been desperate to help arrest the team's decline. Although further diagnosis on his troublesome shoulder have put paid to any on-field plans.
โInitially we thought it was a 2-4 week injury and it's stretched out to a 6-7 week injury,โ he said.
โIt's disappointing, you'd love to be running out there and helping the boys, especially with the way we're going.โ
The struggling Hawks will face the potential finals bound Bulldogs this Sunday afternoon.
