West Coast coach John Worsfold says Adam Hunter will need to weigh up his options at the end of the season as he battles a shoulder injury.
"It's going to be a matter of him weighing up, with the advice he gets from the surgeons and doctors that he's spoken to, what that means for his long-term life, how much damage he's doing to his shoulder," Worsfold said.
"It's a bit like when players end their careers with no cartilage left in their knee - they can play and they have touch-up surgery every year, but they play in pain and they're wrecking their knees as they go.
"It sounds as though his shoulder's heading that way. If he can't play at 100 per cent, it's going to be hard for him to be a good AFL player."