ESSENDON coach Ben Rutten says it remains undecided if Cale Hooker will play on in 2022, with the club facing a "big decision" on their equal leading goalkicker this season.

Hooker's five-year deal with the Bombers ends at the end of this season when he will be an unrestricted free agent. He turns 33 in October but has been an important player this season, booting 32 goals and playing every game.

The Therabody AFL All-Australian defender was sent forward late in the pre-season with Michael Hurley going down with his hip infection that ruled him out of the season and has helped youngster Harrison Jones and recruit Peter Wright in attack.

Rutten, who has steered the Bombers into eighth place on the ladder ahead of round 19 in his first season at the helm of the club, said he had been speaking regularly with his veteran about his future, with Hooker keen to play on.

"There's probably not certainty about it just yet, but there's certainly been good conversation and good dialogue with Cale throughout the whole year as I am with a lot of players," Rutten said on Wednesday.

"I think Cale's been playing a really important role for us throughout this season. He's had some inexperienced guys in and around him and I think his impact and his ability to allow 'Jonesy' to do what he's been able to do this year, and support Pete, and Cale has been able to have some really significant impact in some games as well. We need to weigh all of that up and working with Cale as well.

"It's a big decision for both parties to be able to continue on and we'll make sure we do what's best for him and the footy club.

"We're certainly having conversations all the time about it and about how Cale's going and where we're going as a club so that communication is happening all the time. We're probably not going to come to a definitive conclusion just now but that'll work itself out as the season goes on."

Jones missed last week after a stress reaction was discovered in his foot but the Bombers have had positive news that there has been no fracture in the area. A timeline on his return is still being worked through.

The Bombers, who announced they have passed 80,000 members for the season, have surged into top-eight contention and face Greater Western Sydney on Sunday in what shapes as another crucial clash in their bid to return to the finals for the first time since 2019.

Essendon has lost five of six games against sides inside the top eight this year but Rutten said the next month would determine how well the Bombers are placed to make a dent in September if they get there.

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"It depends how much better we get in the next few weeks. We need to get better. We want to be preparing ourselves as best we can to perform in finals and win them and we need to get better, no doubt about that," he said.

"That's what we're striving to do in the back end of the season and that's what the season's for – to get qualifying position but also to get your game in order and at a position to be able to compete so that's what we'll be doing."