Jack Steven to take extended break from St Kilda to tackle mental health battle

St Kilda superstar Jack Steven has stepped away from football for the second time this season and will take an extended break to deal with his mental health battles.

Jack Steven will take a break from the club to address his mental health. Picture: AAP

St Kilda superstar Jack Steven has stepped away from football for the second time this season to deal with his mental health battles.
The four-time best-and-fairest winner trained at Moorabbin yesterday but will now take an “extended break” from the Saints as he seeks professional help.

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Jack Steven will take a break from the club to address his mental health. Picture: AAP

“The club and Jack have been working on managing his health and wellbeing over many months,” football boss Simon Lethlean said.
“The best option at present for Jack to fully overcome his challenges is to take an extended break away from football.

“We don’t have an exact time-frame on how long that will be but, the club will continue to provide as much support as possible.”
Steven, 29, went to Broome during his break in the pre-season before returning to the Saints and playing in the Round 1 and 2 wins against Gold Coast and Essendon.

Steven played in the weekend’s loss to Adelaide. Picture: AAP

Steven then sat out a fortnight before facing Melbourne and Adelaide in the past two weeks.
It was hoped that the routine of playing would help Steven. But with his mental health continuing to fluctuate the Saints and Steven yesterday decided he should refresh away from the club.
Recruit Jon Marsh will play his first game in 979 days when the Saints take on Greater Western Sydney in Canberra on Saturday.

Jon Marsh is back in the big time with the Saints. Picture: saints.com.au

The former Collingwood player has impressed the Saints with his power and speed.
No.4 draft pick Max King is likely to make his return from a knee reconstruction in the VFL in the next fortnight.
Star defender Jake Carlisle is also ahead of schedule in his recovery from back surgery. It is understood Carlisle is moving well and could return shortly after the Round 12 bye.