Will he or won't he? Canberra Raiders veteran Jeff Lima has flagged his intentions to retire at the end of the year but could backflip on his decision if he feels he can extend his NRL career.
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The 34-year-old was one of the forgotten players in the Green Machine's charge to the preliminary final last year after injuries limited him to just six games.
He will be the second oldest player in the NRL this season, only behind Cronulla skipper Paul Gallen, and is about to start his 14th season as a professional athlete.
But while he said in February he would retire when the season finishes, Lima won't commit to quitting until he feels like he can no longer match it with the game's rising stars.
"Nothing changes for me this year, if I pull up all right at the end of the year and feel like I can go again, then I'll go again," Lima said.
"If it's your last preparation or first, you still do things the same to see how it goes. There's still a bit of an open door at the end of this year.
"If everything is going well, then we'll see if we can go again. But the day I wake up and I can't train is the day I'll give it up. But for now, everything is going all right."
Lima could make a return to the NRL when the Raiders play the North Queensland Cowboys in their season-opener in Townsville on Saturday night.
The former Wests Tigers, Melbourne Storm and South Sydney Rabbitohs hardman looms as a reliable prop to fill holes left by the departed Paul Vaughan and unavailable duo Dave Taylor and Junior Paulo.
The Raiders won four of the six games Lima played last year, but a fractured hand in round four and then a hip injury two games into his comeback meant he watched from the sidelines as Canberra rallied for their best season in 20 years.
It would be easy for Lima to be bitter about missing out on a chance to play in the finals again, but the time away from rugby league after a 14-year grind gave his ageing body time to rest.
"Last year was frustrating, but you get that in football," Lima said.
"The main thing was to stay positive and these young fellas keep me on my toes as well. I'm the oldest bloke in the team so they look after me.
"When I could start running again [after the hip injury] I felt like a little kid. Maybe that time off could extend the career, you never say never."
The Raiders threw some new players into the NRL in Lima's absence, with Clay Priest and Luke Bateman establishing themselves as regular first-graders.
Paulo joined the Raiders halfway through last year and former State of Origin forward Taylor is set to restart his NRL career in the capital.
Lima is almost 10 years older than most of the other forwards in the Raiders' monster pack.
But it's his experience that will be valuable to Canberra's hopes of going one-step further to earn the club's first grand final berth since 1994.
"We've got a very talented group and it's really up to us where we take it from here," Lima said.
"There is a good feeling around the group and we have to carry that into the season.
"The way I see it is that I have to put my head down, train hard and put my hand up for whatever job it is they want me to do.
"I don't feel like I've got a point to prove or anything else. I just need to do what's required of me.
"You've got to show how much you want it. I don't care where [coach Ricky Stuart] puts me, I'll play hooker if I have to. If I get a chance, I'll do everything I can for this team."
