Geelong will decide in the next few days how to best manage the public exit of some of their  much-loved veteran players.

With finals beyond reach heading into the final round, the Cats will discuss how to give fans the chance to farewell the premiership heroes who leave the club.

The process is sensitive and complicated, with Geelong not expecting all of their uncontracted senior players will decide to retire, hoping instead to play on elsewhere.

For list management reasons the Cats may also need to withhold their decision on one or more of the over-30s until the club sees how the trade period plays out.

The future of Steve Johnson, Jimmy Bartel, Corey Enright, James Kelly, Mathew Stokes and Andrew Mackie has been debated far and wide,  but not all will leave the club.

Already, defender Jared Rivers and ruckman Hamish McIntosh have retired, with youngster Brad Hartman leaving the club earlier this year.

Steven Motlop, the subject of much speculation,  has indicated his desire to re-sign. Mark Blicavs is also understood to be close to signing  an extension.

Geelong is chasing free agents Patrick Dangerfield and Scott Selwood, as well as key-position player Lachie Henderson, who told Carlton of his desire to be traded two weeks ago.

The club has also made preliminary inquiries about some out-of-contract ruckmen, including Gold Coast's Zac Smith.

Geelong chief executive Brian Cook said the club would start talking on Monday about how they could offer a public farewell to the players  who would not be offered new contracts.

"There's a bit to work through because some will become retirements and others will be a bit more difficult to handle," Cook said.

"We need to be cautious because we don't know what the off-season will throw up, and we've already had a couple of retirements of top of what will be a few delistings.

"But we'll talk it through in the next few days, and that gives us the opportunity to do things the right way and as well as we can."

Paul Chapman, who moved to Essendon after Geelong decided against renewing his contract two years ago, said he expected a number of his former teammates' time to be called.

The Cats have a history of treating its premiership players respectfully, with Chapman, Josh Hunt and James Podsiadly among the recent departees who chose to play on at other clubs.

"I think some guys are in some trouble," said Chapman, speaking on Channel Nine's Sunday Footy Show. "Hopefully if they want to play on they get that opportunity, but I know what Geelong are trying to do and that's play young kids.

"Unfortunately everyone gets to that stage where you need to be moved on, or whatever the case may be.

"For a few guys it's going to be their time and it's disappointing, but it happens."

Mackie, who is expected to play on, said he was confident that whatever happened this week  would "get handled the right way" by the club and players.

"I'm not quite sure where all that stands. As long as the players that are in that boat know where they're at, that's the main thing, and the club will be liaising with them," he said on Channel Seven's Game Day.

"There's been a lot of talk about it.

"Each individual takes it a little bit differently, but the club has been liaising with the players and they know exactly where they're at.

"To be honest, that's all that matters, as long as the player that's in talks knows exactly where they're at.

"That's for them to deal with. The outside talk, and there's been plenty of it, has become a bit of a sideshow to us," Mackie added.