Dees back grieving star

MELBOURNE has no timeline on a playing return for superstar forward Jesse Hogan, who has the club’s full support after the passing of his father, Tony.

Hogan won’t play against Essendon on Sunday after confirming his father had lost a long battle with illness on Wednesday night.

Demons football manager Josh Mahoney said it had been a tough time of late for Hogan, who was watched by his family in Monday’s loss to Richmond, and the club would put no pressure on him to return to the field.

“All along, for the last four to six weeks it has been really hard for Jesse and we as a club have tried to support him through it,” Mahoney said.

“He won’t play this week against Essendon and in terms of timelines post that we will leave it in Jesse’s hands.

“It’s a very difficult time for any 22-year-old having to go through what he has over the last period of time, coupled with that he plays it out publicly in a lot of ways. It’s a difficult time and the best thing for the club is just to support him through it.

“We’ll gauge how he’s feeling about it, and it’s hard to measure in terms of timelines. We’ll just be here for him as well as his family.”

Mahoney said Hogan had done his best to handle a tough situation, which included recent criticism for his on-field demeanour, and a two-match suspension for striking.