Jesse Hogan’s clinical anxiety news prompts calls for better support for AFL players

There's a call to arms from within the AFL community for greater support for players battling mental health issues.

It follows revelations Fremantle star recruit Jesse Hogan has clinical anxiety and will miss the Dockers’ season opener after breaking the team's alcohol policy.

According to the experts one in five Australians are affected by clinical anxiety, a severely debilitating mental illness.

They say occasional anxiety is part of everyday life but for those with a diagnosed anxiety disorder those feelings are constant and can get worse over time.

It can become so bad it can interfere with daily life, everything from not being able to perform at work, not being able to sleep, to struggling to manage their own behaviour.

Curtin University clinical psychologist Peter McEvoy said anxiety is a “normal emotion we all experience”.

“When we’re talking about clinical levels of anxiety we’re talking about severe and debilitating and very distressing levels of anxiety,” he said.

Yesterday the Dockers confirmed it had stood down prized recruit Jesse Hogan after he drank too much on Saturday and was not able to train on Sunday.

The Dockers say Hogan’s clinical anxiety led to his poor decision.

Hogan's had a tough few years. His father died in 2017 and he was diagnosed with testicular cancer less than a month later.

There are now calls to do more to support players battling mental health issues.

Geelong coach Chris Scott said: "Life for some people in our industry is getting harder so when things are getting harder the support around them needs to be stronger.”

There are those who believe players are being drafted too young, contributing to poor mental health outcomes.

Fremantle says it has and will continue to provide the 24 year old with the support he needs.

One in eight, or 13.3 per cent, of Australian men aged 16 to 85 have experienced an anxiety and/or affective disorder in the past 12 months.