Lachie Hunter is no certainty to be at the Western Bulldogs next year.
Hunter has two years to run on the five-year deal he signed in 2019, but there is a chance he could be playing elsewhere in 2023.
While Hunter’s recent exit meeting was said to be positive, the 27-year old is weighing up whether to seek a fresh start.
It remains unclear whether the Dogs would – or could – engineer a trade.
A father-son pick in 2012 and a premiership player in 2016; the wingman has endured a challenging past few years at Whitten Oval.
He was left out of the senior side in the Dogs’ season-opener against Melbourne and made the medi-sub, but played from the opening bounce after Jason Johannisen was injured in the warm-up.
Hunter then took indefinite leave a month later to deal with personal issues and didn’t return to the senior side until Round 16.
He featured only 10 times this year – the same amount of games as the 2020 season in which he lost the vice-captaincy and was suspended for four games for a drink-driving offence.
The Western Bulldogs will lose Josh Dunkley to Brisbane in the upcoming exchange window, while Johannisen, Josh Schache and Zaine Cordy are assessing their options.
The Dogs will welcome Liam Jones back to the club, while trying to satisfy Fremantle in a trade for Rory Lobb.