It was emotional in the Gold Coast rooms after Thursday's 23-point win, as coach Damien Hardwick alluded to key forward Ben King's imminent departure.
King is set to exercise his free agency rights, and will nominate Hawthorn as he returns to be closer to family in his home state, Victoria.
Hardwick said, "It is what it is".
"That's free agency, that's what our game is, and yeah, we have the last right of refusal, so that's obviously something that we'll consider. He was obviously quite emotional, so yeah, it might possibly be his last game. We're not quite exactly sure," the Suns coach said.
King himself was emotional following the victory, speaking to Channel Seven on his decision.
"Obviously, it's time to work through that now," he said.
"To be honest, I've been trying to get through game to game. Trying to get some wins on the board, finish off properly, but obviously there's a bit to work through there. I'm sure that'll happen when it happens. I'm proud of this group, and I love playing with them.
"Yeah, it could be (my last game). There's still a lot to work through. Whatever happens over the next couple of months, I love this group loads. It's been special."
King's departure has opened the door for an experienced forward inside 50 to head the likes of young talents Jed Walter, Ethan Read, Jake Rogers, Leo Lombard, Lachlan Gulbin.
Walter re-signed until the end of 2029, while Jake Rogers is tipped to remain at the club, despite interest around the competition.
Hardwick made a plea to any key forwards in the competition that wants to join the Suns, with the club understood to have an interest in Giants free agent Jesse Hogan.
"We probably need another experienced player, so if there's any experienced forward out there that wants to come to our footy club, give me a call," Hardwick said with a smile.
"Look, we'll make list management decisions through the year; we'll just wait and work our way through that process."
The Suns' season came to a close, failing to make the finals after an extraordinary campaign last year.
"It's going to be a quick bounce. I think we're looking forward to getting back where we need to get to next year… there's some things that I did this year that didn't work. I changed a little bit of my coaching philosophy, tried to put square pegs in round holes, and (it) just didn't work," Hardwick said.
