St Kilda coach Grant Thomas says he is unsure whether veteran midfielder Robert Harvey has the desire to continue in the AFL and will not try to talk him into it.

The highly decorated Saints star demonstrated in Friday night's preliminary final loss to Sydney and qualifying final win over Adelaide a fortnight ago that he still has the ability to play on.

But Thomas said the burning issue was whether the 34-year-old dual Brownlow medallist, a veteran of 317 games, was prepared for the mental rigours of another season.

Thomas believes it is a question only Harvey can answer.

"I won't persuade anyone to do anything," Thomas said.

"I don't know if he has the mental edge to play on.

"I know his body is good enough."

Harvey is yet to announce his intentions, but did say in the lead-up to the preliminary final that the Saints' fortunes in the finals would have a major bearing on his decision.

That suggests the team's loss to Sydney on Friday night could tip the balance in favour of Harvey playing on to try to claim an elusive premiership.

"It's a matter of weighing all the factors up about going another year, a lot of it depends on how we end up going, and that's what I'll have to wait and see," Harvey said last week.

Brought to you by AAP © 2024 AAP