Chewin' the Fat – Kris Miller column August 9

THERE are a lot of things you have to weigh up when deciding to continue playing on next year or not and you can change your mind weekly or daily at this point of the season.

What I have decided is that I won't make the decision until the season is over because you could have a bad week at work or in life and think it's not worth playing anymore. Then you could have a really good week and decide to play on, but if I wait until the end of the year it will be a lot more of an informed decision and not one based on emotion.

In terms of a timeline, I will aim to make the decision before pre-season starts basically. That would be the only timeline I will put on it. There's no other real reason that I would have to decide before then I would have thought. If I decide to retire and the season's over that wouldn’t bother me and I've never liked having much of a song and dance made of me.

To be honest, the fact that I will finish the year so close to 300 games might come into my thinking as well. That definitely is one factor that will come into it and it definitely gives me a reason to potentially go on, but it's certainly not the be all and end all. I might look back in 20 years time and if I decide not to play on then think it might have been good to get to 300 games. It's not the biggest factor, but it is one that will come into it and so will the fact that if I play on I should reach 150 games at South Fremantle as well which would give me life membership. That would be a pretty good achievement as well to reach.

I have been playing a different in recent weeks as well across half-forward. It was something that I did when I first started as a 17 or 18-year-old coming into the WAFL so it's not totally foreign to me. It's a difficult role especially when you are playing in a team that has been struggling a little bit so the ball hasn’t been coming down too much and with a key forward like Saunders out it has been a bit of a graveyard at times.

Having Saunders back the last few weeks has been great for us. He is a massive part of our side as the Bernie Naylor Medallist from last year. He gives us that direction and straightens us up and with Gumby and Dizzy down there as well, we have a pretty potent and high-flying forward-line. Sides must shudder when they see Mugambwa and Saunders getting a free run and jump at a ball. Saundo makes a massive contest for us and if he doesn't mark it, it comes to ground and he fights and scraps. He brings everyone else into the game.

The only downside to it, though, is that before I went there I was playing good footy in the midfield and I still think I can do that. It's a situational thing in terms of where the team is and what we have to do for the young blokes. If I was struggling with form and this was the position I needed to play going forward to help impact the side then it would be easier, but the fact that I was still getting the job done in the midfield makes it a bit harder to settle there at half-forward. At the end of the day, it's about giving the young blokes a go and if that helps them going forward, and I can still play decent footy, then it's all well and good.

'Spaniard' Martinez was playing good footy for us towards the end of last year and Timmy Kelly was coming through the colts but both of them have been really good for us this year in the midfield. Timmy is playing outstanding footy in my opinion and the unfortunate thing for us is that he is playing too good and we won't see him this year. It would be a travesty if someone didn’t give him a chance even on a rookie-list because he is clean, is pretty sharp and is good both ways, and he's not frightened to put his head over the ball. While some of these opportunities for these blokes are good for the club, in some ways it has given them enough exposure where they will get to the next level.

When it's all said and done, the three biggest factors in my decision will be whether or not I can still contribute to the side first and foremost. I can't see myself being the 21st or 22nd bloke picked and coming in and out of the side because I don’t think that would work. The second consideration is how good we are going to be as a team. I couldn’t see myself playing if I thought we were going to be a bottom three side again and that's a double-edged sword, because if I am playing more as a forward in a better side then the more opportunities there will be down there. The third thing is family and weighing up whether or not I can still spend enough time with them.

Last year Hase as the coach left the decision up to myself and Toby, and it's going to be a similar thing again this year. I spoke to him three weeks ago and he asked me what I was thinking, and I told him that I won't decide until after the year. He didn’t tell me that he wanted me to play on or that he didn’t, I think he is comfortable that I will know myself if I want to play on or not and if I still will be good enough. I think he is comfortable that I'm smart enough to make the right decision, for the team and him ultimately as the coach.

By Kris Miller