DALE Thomas could be playing his final game for Carlton on Saturday in Sydney against the Swans, with coach Brendon Bolton offering no public reassurances about his future.
An elderly fan greeted Thomas at the Melbourne airport check-in counter, saying 'good luck for the game' before pointing out she was actually a Collingwood supporter.
If it was at the Magpies where 'Daisy' made his name, it was at Carlton where his career has failed to fire after following Mick Malthouse to Ikon Park on big money.
Injuries haven't helped Thomas over the past four years, but after removing a trigger clause from his contract earlier in the season, his form has lifted in recent weeks.
The 30-year-old has played in 10 of the Blues' last 11 games, while Saturday will be his 18th in total, meaning he would have easily broken through that much talked-about 'trigger'.
"It's a really bound by blue attitude during the year to make that decision, we agreed at that time with his management that we'll have a discussion at the end of the year and see how that one unfolds," Bolton told AFL.com.au at Tullamarine on Friday.
"We've got to sit down and have a good chat.
"We just wanted to take all pressure off and let him go and play out the year with a free mind, so we'll have discussions in the coming weeks."
The Blues will train at the SCG on Friday afternoon exactly 24 hours before their twilight clash with the Swans.
Carlton beat Sydney by 19 points in round six, the last of the Swans' six straight losses to start the season.
"It's a very different Sydney to last time, and one of the toughest road trips you can face going up to Sydney," Bolton said.
The coach confirmed defender Liam Jones will match up on Sydney superstar forward Lance Franklin.
"He won't get a bigger contest than 'Buddy', so it'll be a good match-up at times for everyone to watch," he said.
Cult hero Dennis Armfield joined his teammates on the flight, gifted a farewell game by the Blues' match committee.
"In terms of a cultural fit, he's been fantastic for us as a footy club, and he's shown a lot of our youngsters what it means to be a Carlton footy player in terms of off-field behaviours," Bolton said.
Saturday will be Armfield's fifth senior appearance for the season.
