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The Bulldogs and Swans stars who face an uncertain future

Matthew Boyd's future has been an issue of conjecture.

Matthew Boyd's future has been an issue of conjecture. Photo: AAP

At least three players who took part in yesterday’s AFL Grand Final face an uncertain future at their clubs.

Matthew Boyd will wait for the dust to settle on the Western Bulldogs’ drought-breaking premiership before making a decision on 2017.

Meanwhile, Sydney duo Ben McGlynn and Tom Mitchell are unlikely to be in red and white next season.

Boyd was a key player in the Dogs’ enthralling 22-point Grand Final win, his 27-possession performance capping a season that saw him earn his third All Australian nod.

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It’s believed coach Beveridge has offered Boyd the chance to play on. Photo: AAP

But at 34, the 282-game veteran’s future beyond this season has still been a source of conjecture.

“I’m just going to enjoy this moment and think about that stuff in about three weeks time when we stop partying,” Boyd said.

The Dogs put contract talks on hold until after the Grand Final following a frank mid-season conversation between Boyd and Luke Beveridge.

But the coach revealed in the week leading up to the preliminary final that Boyd would be given the opportunity to play on next year should he so choose.

Ben McGlynn

McGlynn has had a horror run in finals. Photo: AAP

However, it’s not a decision to be made in the euphoric aftermath of the Bulldogs’ first Grand Final win since 1954.

“It hasn’t fully sunk in yet but it’s starting too – I’m looking forward to when it really does sink in,” Boyd said.

“The emotions will come at some point. I even got a bit emotional during the week and before the game, just in my quiet time, thinking about what this footy club has been through and the opportunity that we had to do something special together.

“We’ve never put a ceiling on ourselves, we’ve never put a timeframe on when we could have success.

“It just shows that if you’ve got belief in each other and belief in the way that we play then anything’s possible.”

Was Grand Final McGlynn’s swansong?

Sydney small forward McGlynn’s latest premiership near-miss potentially doubles as his AFL swansong.

McGlynn, who was one of a handful of Swans to struggle on Saturday, has now come agonisingly close to winning a Grand Final on four occasions throughout his 171-game career.

The 31-year-old, who is uncontracted and not expected to be offered a new deal by the Swans, will soon find out if he has a chance to aim for glory in 2017.

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Mitchell seems set to join Hawthorn. Photo: Getty

“I’m not sure yet. We’ll work that out as the weeks progress,” Swans coach John Longmire said, when asked about McGlynn after his side’s loss in the season decider.

Gun midfielder Josh Kennedy, who played alongside McGlynn at Hawthorn and likewise shifted to Sydney after the 2009 season, felt the pint-sized forward still had something to offer.

“He hasn’t declared his retirement and the club haven’t denied him next year’s contract,” Kennedy said.

“Fingers crossed he can get another crack, because it would be great.”

McGlynn was an established member of the Hawks’ side in 2007 but a knee injury meant he managed just three games the following year, when they won the flag.

A hamstring injury in week one of the 2012 finals then kept McGlynn on the sidelines for the Swans’ dramatic Grand Final win over his former side.

McGlynn featured in both the 2014 and 2016 season deciders but tallied only nine disposals, five tackles and a behind on Saturday.

“I want to keep playing on, but if that’s not the case I’ll sit down with my wife and my manager and work out what’s best for me going forward,” McGlynn said last week, having spent a month in the reserves late in the regular season.

Mitchell is another out-of-contract Sydney player who may have featured in his final game for the club, albeit for a vastly different reason.

Mitchell, who capped an impressive season with 26 disposals, two goals and 13 tackles, is expected to request a trade and sign a lucrative deal with Hawthorn.

The on-baller’s management put contract talks on hold earlier this year, fuelling speculation he would leave the Swans.

“It’s in the hands of the club and my manager so I’m sure they’ll sort through it,” Mitchell said yesterday.

With AAP

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