Gold Coast captain Tom Lynch may well have played his last game for the club after being ruled out for the rest of the season with injury.
One of the AFL's most sought-after free agents, Lynch will have surgery on a PCL problem he has been managing for much of the season.
It is the same injury that saw the key forward miss four games earlier in the season.
The 25-year-old and the club have been monitoring the issue in recent weeks but have now opted for surgery.
MORE: Which AFL teams can afford Jordan De Goey and Tom Lynch?
Gold Coast released a statement on Thursday.
"It’s really disappointing to know that I’m going to have to have surgery and not play out the season," Lynch told goldcoastfc.com.au.
"I’ve been doing all I can to rehab the injury without requiring surgery.
"That has meant I haven’t been able to get out there and train with the team during the week like you normally would.
"We’ve been assessing my knee weekly and the latest advice recommends surgery and I’ll get that done as soon as possible."
Lynch is out of contract at the end of the year and is attracting sizeable offers from his native Victoria.
Richmond, Hawthorn and Collingwood have all been said to be leading the race for his signature at various stages throughout the year, with Lynch expecting that speculation to ramp up following the injury news.
"Obviously there is going to be commentary around my contract with the news of me being ruled out for the rest of the season, I’m realistic to understand that," said Lynch.
"Post-surgery I’m sure the time will come where I’ll sit down with my manager and work through what the best option going forward is.
"Clearly, I’ve got a decision to make on my future, but the reality is I haven’t made that decision."
Lynch has played 131 games at the Suns since his 2011 debut, booting 254 goals.
He has kicked 20 goals in 10 games in 2018, though eight of those came in round two against Carlton.
The Suns sit 15th on the ladder with three wins, with most observers conceding that Lynch will probably leave the club come season's end.
While he may yet re-sign, the lure of a monster long-term deal and finals footy may be too hard to resist.
