Lance Franklin will miss the opening week of AFL finals after the Sydney Swans announced their star player is suffering from an “ongoing mental health condition”.
Swans coach John Longmire revealed the condition was “serious but treatable” and the club has not put a date on any return to action.
At the very least, Franklin is certain to sit out Saturday’s qualifying final against Fremantle at Domain Stadium.
“It has been an ongoing issue for a while with Lance but these things are very private,” Longmire said. “It is a condition that is very treatable but he needs time to be able to treat it and that is what we are giving him.
“He wants people to know about it and understand what he is going through. It is serious but treatable. In regards to this you need to put the football to one side. It is a challenge for him every day not just a football thing.
“He is confident he will be able to get the treatment required but we are not going to sit here and put a date on when he returns.”
In a statement on the club’s official website, the Swans general manager, Tom Harley, said everything was being done to ensure Franklin’s welfare at this time.
“Our first priority is looking after Lance’s health,” Harley said. “Lance has been open with the club about his condition and while we consider it a private medical matter, he is aware he has our full support.
“The timeframe on his return is unclear at this stage. He will certainly miss this week’s match and we will continue to monitor his condition.”
Despite Franklin’s indifferent form of late, the news comes as a major blow to the Swans, whose ranks are already depleted in the absence of injured key players Kieren Jack and Luke Parker.
Franklin himself has been struggling with a back injury in recent weeks.
Swans captain Jarrad McVeigh said he and his team-mates were finding the news difficult to swallow.
“Obviously it is a shock to a lot of the boys. Bud is in a place where he can get the best support at the moment,” McVeigh said.
“It is a very personal thing and private matter with doctors. It is not something you know about until he put his hand up.”
Sydney are looking to secure a home preliminary final with victory over the Dockers at the weekend. A semi-final a week later awaits if they lose that match.
