St Kilda coach Ross Lyon refused on Wednesday to say whether his injured spearhead Fraser Gehrig has played his last AFL game but was adamant the decision to place the dual Coleman Medalist on the long-term injury list was best for the club and for Gehrig.
Gehrig, who retired at the end of last season only to change his mind forcing the Saints to use pick 57 in last year's national draft to reclaim him, has kicked just nine goals in five appearances this season and could manage only seven touches during last Friday night's loss to Collingwood.
Lyon appeared to pension the 32-year-old off for good at his post-match press conference and the man known as 'The G-Train' also appeared resigned to his career being over when he appeared on television the night after last Friday night's disappointing performance.
But instead the Saints placed their leading goalkicker of the past five seasons on the long-term injury list - citing his arthritic hands - meaning Gehrig must spend at least eight weeks on the sidelines.
That means the earliest he can return is round 16, meaning at best he can play only the last seven games of the season.
Lyon gave little away on Wednesday when asked repeatedly whether Gehrig has played his last game.
"He has got an eight week injury and then we will reassess it," he said, when asked about Gehrig's future.
Lyon said there was no need to go over Gehrig's injury problems in "minute detail" but did say he was also being troubled by groin soreness as well as his troublesome hands - which are unlikely to improve in just an eight week period.
"There was an opportunity for eight weeks to rehabilitate his (Gehrig's) body and we will take it from there," Lyon said.
"That is the decision we made and we think it is in the best interests of both parties."
"We are really pleased Fraser has got the opportunity to heal his body and work with our young forwards and he will help in that aspect for the next eight weeks because he has got a lot of knowledge to pass on."
Lyon said Gehrig's much-documented hand problems were preventing him from tackling and picking up the ball at ground level.
But he still said Gehrig had something to offer the team if his hands could improve over the next eight weeks.
"He has still got his speed and his power and he is still a nice kick so it's not all doom and gloom," Lyon said of Gehrig.
But while mystery still surrounds Gehrig's future, the Saints could be boosted this week by the return of captain Nick Riewoldt to bolster the attack in Gehrig's absence.
Riewoldt is making a quicker than originally expected recovery from the knee injury sustained against Richmond in round seven.
"We are optimistic he will play but he has still got two (training) sessions to get through," Lyon said, adding another knee victim Steven Baker was similarly placed ahead of Sunday's trip to Brisbane.
Lyon said originally the Saints expected Riewoldt to be sidelined for three to six weeks but said "technical issues when you break the injury down has allowed it to be a three week injury and that isn't unusual."