Pragmatic Brisbane coach Chris Fagan has left the door open for veteran Daniel Rich to return from injury in September but says there's no room for sentiment when chasing premierships.
Rich has not played senior footy since round 13 and is sidelined with a hamstring injury that is still two weeks away from being resolved.
On Thursday, the 33-year-old rebounding defender was candid about both his prospects of returning to the AFL team this season and playing on in 2024.
"I don't want to be a distraction. There's still plenty of time, the finals are a new season and I want to… be ready if I'm needed," Rich said.
"I'm just a small piece of our footy club and I don't want to be any distraction when it comes to that side of things.
"I love my teammates and I love the club, so I'd be the happiest man in the world if they were to win the Grand Final and I wasn't out there, it wouldn't change anything."
Speaking on Friday morning ahead of the Lions' round 24 match against St Kilda, Fagan conceded it was going to be hard for Rich to break into the well-performing defensive unit.
"I read the article from his interview yesterday and all I could think of is what a great person he is and how selfless he is and how much he cares about the team," Fagan said.
"He's been one of the Brisbane Lions' great players and it's a real pity for him that right now he can't do what he wants to do and he's facing a battle, but he's still inspirational to all of us and he will be throughout the finals series.
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"If we get a fair way through and he's fit to go and we need someone in his position, he'll get an opportunity. I haven't got a crystal ball, so it's really hard to say."
Rich is one of just a handful of players that remain at the Lions since Fagan came on board in late 2016.
The coach said although that made selection decisions more difficult because of the close personal relationship he had built, there was also no room for sentiment.
"Daniel has seen the bad times and has been experiencing some of the good times the last few years, so of course it's really hard when you see that," Fagan said.
"You want it for them because you know they deserve it.
"That's not life unfortunately. There's not many fairytales going around.
"He's a highly decorated, loved personality at our footy club and he's going to go to the end trying to get back into the team and you can only admire that."
