Fremantle coach Ross Lyon has fuelled doubts over the future of ruckman Zac Clarke continuing with the Dockers.
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Clarke will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season and continues to be overlooked for a recall to the Dockers starting line-up with rising prospects that veteran ruck star Aaron Sandilands will play again within a month.
Sandilands, 33, is in final stages of recovery from a punctured lung and broken ribs he copped against West Coast back in April.
The four-time All-Australian big man is tipped to be back into full training next week and ironically likely to resume early next month in the western derby when gun West Coast ruckman Nic Naitanui is expected to resume after his Achilles heel surgery a month ago.
Clarke, 26, has hobbled through another injury-plagues season for eight senior appearances and managed an average of only eight disposals a game and around 18 hit outs and just 15 marks overall.
His hopes of winning an AFL lifeline hinge with maintaining top form at Dockers alignment outfit Peel Thunder with Clarke overlooked for senior team presence by Jon Griffin.
Clarke continues to carry nagging knee troubles but managed 59 hit-outs and 16 possessions in Peel's 44-point loss to rising WAFL premiership threat West Perth last Saturday in atrociously wet and windy conditions.
Lyon refused to disclose whether Clarke is in line for a new Dockers deal.
The Dockers boss refused to discuss Clarke or any of his other player's contract prospects after a disastrous 2016 season with a 3-13 win-loss record after starting the home-and-away series as premiership fancies.
"What I do know, the facts are he's out of contract and he's a free agent," Lyon said.
"He could be talking to clubs already but I concern myself with coaching behaviour and action.
"At the minute Zac is really applying himself, he wants to be a part of it."
Lyon and his football management team are conducting a severe review of the entire playing list with prospects of a substantial clean out of up to a dozen Dockers ahead of October trading and then November's national draft intake.
"There's plenty of speculation," he said.
"We're all under pressure, coaches and players. We don't individualise, I never have, I never will now. It's a moving feast.
"But we don't as a club conduct our business in the media, in regards to list management."
