Fremantle forward Jesse Hogan has taken leave from his AFL club to deal with mental health issues.
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The Dockers say Hogan has again stepped away from the club, as he did early last year.
"Jesse needs time away from the club so he can manage mental health challenges that he is dealing with and focus on his general wellbeing," Fremantle's general manager of football Peter Bell said in a statement on Wednesday.
"We believe it is the most appropriate course of action and, more importantly, it is what is best for Jesse's long-term health and well-being.
"We will continue to provide all the necessary and ongoing care and support Jessie requires, as we would do for any of our players."
No time frame had been set for any return of Hogan, who had been recovering from foot surgery which curtailed his output to a dozen games last year in his first season at Fremantle.
He joined the Dockers in a high-profile trade from Melbourne after playing 71 games for the Demons.
Early last year, Fremantle ruled Hogan unavailable for the premiership season opener with Bell at the time citing "clinical anxiety".
The Dockers later backtracked on using the term.
Earlier in his playing career, the Perth-born Hogan had been linked with a return to his native city, but he re-signed with the Demons in 2016.
The next year, Hogan fought testicular cancer in a challenging season compounded by the death of his father.
Australian Associated Press
