Lake, Hale left to consider AFL futures

Triple premiership star Brian Lake wants to play again in 2016 and with another stellar performance on grand final day, the 33 year-old will make any push to retire him look premature.

The veteran of 251 games is out of contract and there has been speculation he would retire at the end of 2015.

However, after 17 disposals and 11 marks in the backline, Lake again showed he is a big game player.

The three-time premiership hero wants to sit down with coach Alastair Clarkson to extend his career for at least one more year.

“You could say it’s a fairytale finishing after three premierships, but I love football,” he said.

“This year playing 20 games, the club didn’t expect that. The body is going fine, I think my form is reasonably good, so I would love to go again.

“I guess it’s just up to the club and where they see the club going next year.”

Another Hawk veteran, David Hale, appears unlikely to continue.

The 31 year-old veteran of 237 matches said he would sit down with the club and his family over the coming days, before making a final decision.

But the ruckman, who was subbed off in all four of Hawthorn’s 2015 finals and he admitted that there would be “a lot of running laps before another premiership”.

Since crossing to the Hawks from North Melbourne at the start of the 2011 season, Hale has played in a preliminary final and four consecutive grand finals.

He’ll also take a piece of history with him.

Hale, who left the field at the 27 minute mark of the third quarter, will be the last player to get subbed out of a game with the rule to be abolished prior to the 2016 season.

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