WEST COAST coach Adam Simpson says it will be Nic Naitanui's decision as to whether he plays on next year or retires.
Naitanui is contracted for 2024 but his future remains in doubt after undergoing surgery on his troublesome Achilles tendon in June.
The 33-year-old had been troubled by the ailment since February, and the approximate 10-month surgery recovery time means an April return date looms as the best-case scenario for Naitanui.
The 213-game veteran has already declared he will retire if told by medical professionals he won't be able to play to his lofty standards again.
Fellow West Coast stars Shannon Hurn and Luke Shuey have already announced they will retire at season's end.
"He's a bit different to (Hurn and Shuey), he's contracted," Simpson said on Friday.
"I'm sure he'll weigh up and make his own decision when the time's right.
"He's still in a (moon) boot. It wouldn't surprise me if he did wait a few months to see how it comes up."
Contracted wingman Andrew Gaff is certain to be at West Coast next season after producing a late-season purple patch.
Gaff's form dipped so dramatically earlier this season that he was on the verge of being dropped, but a stint as the tactical substitute against Richmond in round 18 worked wonders, with the 31-year-old tallying possession counts of 24, 30, 25, and 23 over the past month.
"He just works too hard not to succeed," Simpson said.
"I think when you hit a form slump and you're in your 30s, the first thing you think is, 'has the game gone past me'?
"No doubt he was thinking that. You try not to listen to the criticism, but his personal pride was wavering as well.
"So (we) put him as a sub - we could have dropped him - and that sort of ignited him a little bit."
The West Coast coach was talking at a press conference shared with his Fremantle opposite Justin Longmuir ahead of Saturday’s Western Derby, the pair sharing several laughs along with a slip of the tongue from Longmuir.
Simpson said he was more rattled by Longmuir's F-bomb than his friend's surprise tactical decision leading up to the Optus Stadium clash.
Longmuir, who used to be Simpson's assistant at the Eagles, didn't want to give too much away but did reveal Hayden Young would be returning to his customary role in defence for this week’s game.
Young has starred as a tagger over the past fortnight, restricting the influence of Geelong's Patrick Dangerfield and Lions gun Lachie Neale while gathering plenty of his own ball.
It was widely expected Young would be again used as a tagger this week to quell the influence of in-form Eagles midfielder Tim Kelly, but with defender Ethan Hughes (ankle) ruled out for at least a fortnight, Longmuir said Young would be needed down back.
A minute earlier, Simpson was left chuckling when Longmuir accidentally swore after tangling up his words in trying to describe the influence of Luke Jackson.
"I'm still getting over the F-bomb," Simpson joked when asked what he felt about Young's potential change of role.
"I'm just trying to compose myself."
West Coast's bid to snap their four-match derby losing streak will largely rest on their ability to limit the damage from Jackson.
The 21-year-old has become a force in the ruck and at ground level for the Dockers this season, with Eagles big man Bailey Williams facing a huge challenge to contain his opposite number.
Longmuir was lavish in his praise of Jackson, who tallied 24 disposals, 44 hitouts, six tackles, five marks, five clearances and a goal last week against Brisbane.
"He's an extra midfielder at ground level. His work at ground level is elite," Longmuir said.
"His ability to hunt the footy and hunt the man adds a different dynamic to his game and dimension to our midfield.
"He's a pretty instinctive player and that allows him to trust himself and play whatever's in front of him."
West Coast lead the derby head-to-head ledger 32-24, but Fremantle could close that gap over the coming years as the last-placed Eagles rebuild their list.
Former Eagles goalsneak Ashley Sampi received a retrospective Glendinning-Allan Medal on Friday to reward his four-goal effort from the round-five derby win over Fremantle in 2003.
Sampi was voted best on ground by the judges in that Western Derby match, but Ross Glendinning, who was responsible for handing out the medal, overturned the decision and awarded it to ruckman Michael Gardiner instead.
