HAWTHORN premiership coach Alastair Clarkson says decisions are yet to be finalised on out-of-contract veterans Isaac Smith, James Frawley and Ricky Henderson.
The Hawks announced this week that triple premiership players Ben Stratton and Paul Puopolo will retire after Sunday's game against Gold Coast, but Shaun Burgoyne will play one last season in 2021.
Burgoyne will play his 389th career match this weekend and will transition next year into a broader playing and coaching role that includes mentoring the club's younger footballers.
The 37-year-old is 11 games short of joining Brent Harvey (432), Michael Tuck (426), Kevin Bartlett (403) and Dustin Fletcher (400) as the only VFL/AFL players to reach the 400-match milestone.
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However, Clarkson said negotiations were continuing with Smith, Frawley and Henderson.
"Those discussions have been ongoing and (other decisions were made) because all three of them and the club have come to a decision," he said of Stratton, Puopolo and Burgoyne.
"We've had discussions with those (other) guys, too, and there are even guys like Luke Breust and Jack Gunston, who've been long-term servants of our club, where we start to have those discussions.
"Even though they're a long way from finishing their careers; we start to have those discussions with them about what's it look like in the latter stages of their careers."
Clarkson said they would be in a better position to make those calls once the AFL revealed whether there were any changes to list sizes next year.
Hawthorn football boss Graham Wright appeared to quash speculation that Gunston and Breust would be traded to accelerate the club's rebuild, but Clarkson refused to give the topic "oxygen".
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"At the end of the day, you guys want to know. But peculiar things happen," Clarkson said.
"Who would have ever thought that 'Cogs' (Stephen Coniglio) from GWS last week would be taken out of the side? I mean, you just can't predict these things happening in the game.
"But clubs, for various reasons, have to make these decisions, as do players, and we'll just see how everything unfolds – but right as we sit now, we want to review the season in its entirety."
The Hawks provisionally hold the third pick in this year's NAB AFL Draft, although that could be pushed back a couple of spots with Academy bids and compensation selections.
Clarkson declined to discuss what type of player they would be keen on, and fobbed off a question about how he would look back at what's so far been a 4-12 season.
