Essendon has granted Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti a leave of absence from the club.
The Bombers confirmed they had been supporting the 28-year-old through personal matters, while he has also been dealing with a calf issue that has restricted his training through the pre-season.
Essendon general manager of football Josh Mahoney outlined the reasons behind granting McDonald-Tipungwuti’s request, describing him as a “much-loved” player.
The club did not place a timeframe on his return.
“The wellbeing of our players and staff is always our priority when guiding our decision making. It was the driving force behind our decision to run a part-time program pre-Christmas which benefitted all involved in our program,” Mahoney said.
“With this in mind, we have prioritised Anthony's wellbeing in making a decision to grant him time away from the club.
“Anthony has been very open with us about some of his personal struggles, and coupled with his recovery from a calf injury, we felt this leave period was in the best interests to support Anthony.
“He is a much-loved member of our football club, and we will continue to care for and fully support Anthony throughout this time. We look forward to his return in the future.”
The livewire forward has played 126 games for the Bombers since debuting in 2016.