Captain Matthew Lloyd says he will take as much time a required to decide his playing future to ensure he makes the right decision for himself and, just as importantly, the club.

 

Speaking in his article in The Age on the weekend, the 31-year-old said:

 

""A number of different things are part of my thinking when weighing up my playing future. And a number of things that have crept into the media are not.

 

""There have been suggestions I only want to play at full-forward. Rubbish. There have been suggestions I want a guarantee I won't play for Bendigo. Absolute rubbish. Some have even suggested I'm not comfortable taking on a mentoring role. That is an insult.

 

""A lot of people feel I am procrastinating and that I have been for a while and therefore there must be enough doubts to justify me walking away from the game. I think players should be entitled to a reasonable amount of time to make such a big decision.

 

""People in other professions can mull over their futures for months, if not years, so despite the intensity of the media spotlight I will take my time. And I appreciate the club being of the same view.

 

""The other element that comes into this is that it must also be the right decision for the club. Essendon Football Club has been my second home for almost half my life and I owe it to the club to make the right call as well.

 

""In essence, the whole process boils down to whether I am mentally and physically prepared for another season of AFL football. You can't be 99 per cent sure; you have to be absolutely committed. You almost have to go beyond that, the older you get. Preparation is more critical the older you get and there is a level of commitment that goes hand-in-hand with that.

 

""So I will take some more time getting the decision right in my head and I won't apologise for that. Any doubt must be removed from my mind so I can commit to the path I choose to take. That is the way I have always done things.""