Recruit Jesse Hogan flouted Fremantle booze ban during Saturday drinking session with friends

Jesse Hogan flouted a booze ban just days out from Fremantle’s Round 1 clash in an incident that has made public his battle with clinical anxiety.

Jesse Hogan flouted a booze ban during a drinking session with friends. Picture: Getty Images.

Jesse Hogan flouted a booze ban just days out from Fremantle’s Round 1 clash in an incident that has made public his battle with clinical anxiety.

Hogan and the Fremantle players had been told not to drink last weekend as they prepared for a Sunday training session seven days out from the Round 1 clash against North Melbourne.

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Instead he indulged in a Saturday drinking session with school friends at a private house to celebrate his imminent Fremantle debut and turned up in no fit state to train on Sunday.

The Herald Sun understands Hogan has battled anxiety issues for his entire 71-game career.

The Dockers were well aware of his clinical diagnosis and off-field issues when they recruited him over summer but believed they could help work through those complex problems.

The club has sidelined Hogan indefinitely to deal with his issues.

Reports from Perth that Hogan had sustained rib damage in a scuffle at a Mandurah Hotel are incorrect.

Despite scepticism in some quarters over the timing of his issues going public, Hogan has been consulting with a club psychologist and seeing an external medical professional over his issues.

Yet four years after Ross Lyon revealed the club was reviewing its recruiting methods in light of the disastrous deal to secure Colin Sylvia, the decision to trade for Hogan is again in the spotlight.

Jesse Hogan has been sidelined indefinitely by Fremantle. Picture: Getty Images.

Melbourne effectively pushed Hogan out of the door because of their concerns about his off-field behaviour, worried he would never maximise his potential.

Since Hogan returned to Perth there have been a string of nightclub sightings and photos of Hogan looking highly intoxicated late at night.

An undated video emerged yesterday with Hogan drunk and with his pants around his ankle, with Perth journalist Basil Zempilas saying: “To be honest we haven’t seen pictures of one particular AFL player like that since Ben Cousins was at the height of his problems.”

Ex-Melbourne forward David Schwarz yesterday told Macquarie Radio Hogan was in danger of squandering his massive talent.

“Jesse Hogan has got issues. Jesse Hogan parties far too hard and Melbourne knew it. For many many years they knew that he was going down a slippery slippery slope.”

“It still does not excuse that Melbourne knew that he was going down the wrong path.

“Sooner or later, the penny has to drop. If the penny doesn’t drop, he’s just going to be another player, a great player, that never reached anywhere near his potential because he chose a lifestyle away from footy that was not conducive to him playing good footy.”

Fremantle president Dale Alcock has hit back at criticism of the club’s recruitment of Hogan and said there has been a lack of consideration from some commentators.

“We were aware of Jesse’s personal circumstances,” Alcock said.

“Jesse has had challenges that have resulted in anxiety issues, which we were aware of when we took him on board at Fremantle. He’s also battled testicular cancer at a time when he was trying to cope with the death of his father.

“We made an informed decision to bring Jesse to Fremantle, which the club fully supported at the time and will continue to do so.”

Jesse Hogan in action during the JLT Series for Fremantle against West Coast. Picture: Getty Images.

The AFL says 75 per cent of its player mental health issues relate to anxiety, with Dustin Martin and Luke Dahlhaus both publicly acknowledging their anxiety issues in the past fortnight.

Ex-teammate and friend Max Gawn said yesterday on RSN he could understand why more players were suffering from anxiety issues.

“I’m not surprised every time I do see a mental health case because I can see it coming. It’s a highly scrutinised competition and people are under more stress than they have ever been.

“I am there to support Jesse. He is a really close mate and who knows how much he’s battling it and what the issue is? But he has been able to tell someone he is ill which is the best part.”

The Dockers at one stage backed out of their chase for Hogan after undertaking a due diligence process.

But eventually the trade got back on track four years after Lyon admitted the club had not brought the right people into Fremantle.

The club has secured players including the late Sylvia, Cam McCarthy and Harley Bennell, all of whom had issues with professionalism or battled off-field controversy.

“We’ve got to go back and work through our process of decision-making to make sure that we get it right in the future,” Lyon said as he announced that review.

“What didn’t we see to tell us that this outcome would occur? (We) are working through our whole process of talent identification and bringing people into our club because it’s really important.”