The future of West Coast premiership pair Jeremy McGovern and Dom Sheed is in doubt, as the two Eagles deal with differing health issues late in their careers.
McGovern fronted a concussion panel last week after suffering another head injury in his side's Round 8 clash against Melbourne, with the five-time All-Australian defender not playing since.
The 33-year-old could be forced to medically retire under advice from the panel, which could mean McGovern has played his last game for the Perth powerhouse.
Along with Essendon's Nik Cox, McGovern and West Coast will be made aware of the panel's findings in the near future after the veteran backman underwent brain scans and spoke with the panel.
Speaking on Footy Classified, reporter Cal Twomey revealed there is an "increased fear" that McGovern won't play again for West Coast.
"It's my understanding that out of that meeting, there is an increased fear that he has played his last AFL game," Twomey said on Tuesday night. "This is a serious concussion issue, clearly.
"It takes a few steps to get to this point, because there's the incident, which is the last in a series of incidents for him across his career in this concussion area, the symptoms and the communication between the club and the AFL.
"This piques the interest of the AFL, because of the number of concussions he's had across his career.
"Last week, alongside Nik Cox at Essendon, he was asked questions about his history with concussion, the effects of it, and really given an understanding on the risks going forward as well."
McGovern's unclear future comes as fellow Eagles veteran Dom Sheed faces some uncertainty as he continues to recover from an ACL injury sustained in the pre-season.
Sheed is off-contract at Lathlain Park and has held off contract talks to prioritise his recovery, with Twomey revealing Sheed is considering hanging up the boots after 12 years with the club.
"He's considering his retirement as well," Twomey said.
"He injured his ACL at the start of this season, isn't playing at all throughout this year. I think in the coming weeks we'll see a decision from him on his future.
"He is out of contract at the end of this season.โ
Sheed is in line to start running at training this week in what will be a significant step in his rehabilitation.
Speaking to SEN this week, the match-winner in West Coast's 2018 premiership side provided an update on his plans for the future, stating he has "more to give".
"We've held off discussions," the 30-year-old said.
"I don't have a return to play date this year, so there's no rush to work through a potential contract. The club has been really good, allowing me to have that space to work on my rehab.
"I'll see how the body feels and I'm sure talks will start from there... I've still got more to give to the game. The question mark will be how my body will hold up.
"That's the reason we're going to wait, coming off a 12-month injury. My knee feels really good at the moment, it's a bit of a waiting game."
Sheed was moved to West Coast's inactive list as a result of his long-term setback, with the veteran midfielder ruled out of returning this year.
