Crawford's future up in the air

HAWTHORN veteran Shane Crawford's playing future will be decided in the next month.

The 1999 Brownlow Medal winner struggled with tendonitis for much of the season and says his knee will play a big part in his decision whether or not to play on.

The grand final win on Saturday made Crawford the player who had to wait the longest for a premiership in VFL/AFL history – 305 games.

"It would be a perfect ending, but I'm sure if I can get my knee right I can play on. But I need to sit down and talk to the coaches," Crawford said.

"To be honest 10 weeks ago I didn't think I was going to be able to finish the year because of my knee, but somehow I was able to get up and play a few games and play a part in the finals. The fitness staff and the physios have done an amazing job in getting me out there."

Coach Alastair Clarkson said the aim now would be to come up with the best outcome for both Crawford and the club.

"There's no hurry to make that decision (on Crawford's future)," he said.

"If he does decide to retire, there couldn't be a better way for him to go out. But having said that, particularly the way he performed today, who knows?

"He's such a resilient player and such a professional in terms of the way he prepares that he could go on, if he wanted to, but we'll have that discussion over the next three or four weeks."

Crawford said in the Hawthorn rooms after the match that the magnitude of the grand final victory had yet to sink in.

"I'm sure later on I'll be a bit more emotional. I thought I'd break down a little bit more than I have so far, but I'm in shock. I don't know how to react. I think it will sink in over the next few days."