Jack Macrae has given the strongest indication yet that he will re-sign with the Western Bulldogs, declaring he wants to finish his AFL career as a one-club player.
Macrae is one of a swag of Bulldogs grand final stars coming out of contract this year as the club attempts to keep its core group together as part of an ongoing premiership push.
Fellow All-Australian guns Caleb Daniel and Bailey Dale are also on the list, as are Bailey Smith, Josh Dunkley, Tim English, Jason Johannisen and Toby McLean.
Macrae has been elevated to the Bulldogs' leadership group for the first time in 2022, named vice-captain to third-year skipper Marcus Bontempelli in a new-look line-up.
The five-man group also includes Taylor Duryea, Aaron Naughton and Daniel, with former vice-captain Mitch Wallis stepping down after managing just six games last season.
Macrae, who starred in the Bulldogs' 2016 premiership, was named an All-Australian for the third-straight season last year and claimed the Gary Ayres Medal as the best player of the finals series, underling his importance to the Dogs' chances of further success in the near future.
"It's no secret, everyone knows how much I love the club and how proud I am to represent this club every week, and I obviously want to retire as a Western Bulldogs player," Macrae said.
"I can't be any more black and white than that. I want to finish my career here and I'll leave it to the manager and leave it there."
Bontempelli hopes fellow 2016 flag hero Daniel's inclusion in the leadership group might play a role in persuading the highly-skilled playmaker to extend his stay at Whitten Oval.
"Caleb's a great person and great player who's spent a number of years now at the football club producing a lot of great football," Bontempelli said.
"Like Jack, (his elevation to the leadership group) is recognition for his influence on the football club and what he can do for us.
"(The contract) will take care of itself in due course."
Cult hero Smith took time away from the Bulldogs in December to deal with personal issues and has opened about his mental health struggles in the past.
Teammates have wrapped their arms around the 21-year-old, who has had a rapid rise to fame during his three seasons in the AFL and now has more social media followers than any other player.
"It's about support. He's dealing with some different circumstances and a greater level of attention that either of us has received," Bontempelli said.
"He's sort of transcended just the football player reputation and image, and he does attract a lot of attention.
"He knows that everyone at the football club is here to support him if he ever needs to talk and it's about checking in with him regularly, like we do all our young blokes, just to see that they're going OK."
Father-son draft selection Sam Darcy is still managing a stress fracture in his foot, while Adam Treloar and Cody Weightman are nearing full fitness ahead of the Bulldogs' season opener against Melbourne on March 16.
Weightman had foot surgery in October, while former Collingwood star Treloar has a history of soft-tissue injuries and is continually being managed.
