Ross Lyon has paid tribute to defender Zac Dawson who, according to the senior coach, has most likely played his final AFL game.
Dawson stands on 166 career AFL games with 89 of those at Fremantle and a further 63 at St Kilda and 14 at Hawthorn.
Lyon, who coached Dawson at both St Kilda and Fremantle, praised the veteran's character after continuing to contribute at Peel following his omission after round two this season.
“I had a good chat with Zac (on Tuesday), just talking about (things in) general. He’s achieved a lot in his AFL career,” Lyon said.
“He’s played in four grand finals, prelims and all of that.
“He’s displaying his character at Peel. He’s leading really well and being a big influencer down there, so he’s really comfortable.
“He said ‘I don’t need to validate my career with a farewell game or jump in a car and go around the MCG, it doesn’t interest me, it’s not how I measure myself’ - so he’s really comfortable in his own skin.”
Lyon ruled out a farewell game for the 31-year-old unless a spot opened up in Fremantle’s starting 22, with Freo looking to continue to give time to younger players.
“We’re not in a position (to play Dawson), we may have to depending on availability,” Lyon said.
“We’d prefer to give Sam Collins an opportunity. Clearly, Zac won’t be here next year, so we don’t need to chew up an opportunity for the sake of it.”
Lyon indicated that 19-year-old defender Taylin Duman stands a chance to make an AFL debut in 2017.
“We want to play (Duman), we want to have a good look,” Lyon said.
“If he can push on, it would be great to be able to expose him.
“We think he’s got some mobility. He had a four-week back injury with a bit of a disc, so unfortunately, it’s derailed him a little bit, but he’ll certainly be here next year.”
