Chris Yarran's difficult first season at Richmond appears over after he was given indefinite leave to seek treatment for a mental health condition.
The door remains open for the 25-year-old - who is yet to play a game for the club since moving from Carlton - to make his Tigers debut this season, but coach Damien Hardwick says AFL football is very much a secondary consideration.
He has vowed to support Yarran in his time of need and remains adamant the speedy half-back has a long career ahead of him at Punt Road despite his troubled transition from the Blues.
"It's a possibility but his health and wellbeing are the No.1 priority for us," Hardwick said of the prospect of Yarran playing AFL football in 2016.
"He's an important part of our future - when that is we're uncertain at this stage - but we'll wait and see how that transpires.
"He's certainly a player that, when he's on, he can play ... this is part of the process of getting him back to being that player.
"However long that is we're prepared to wait."
Hardwick said just how the club would support Yarran would take shape in the next week or so.
Yarran's undoubted talent will be sorely missed.
The Tigers coveted Yarran's line-breaking ability at last year's trade period but baulked at Carlton's demand for pick No.12 or a player - reported to be Ben Lennon - in return.
After protracted negotiations, the Blues accepted the 19th overall pick shortly before the trade deadline.
With northern academy selections factored in, Richmond's pick 12 slid to 15th overall, where they pounced on exciting youngster Daniel Rioli while pick No.19 slipped down to 23, which Carlton used on David Cunningham.
Yarran's transition to life at Punt Road proved difficult, with calf and foot injuries hampering his ability to return to peak fitness after arriving out of condition.
It's not known whether Yarran will continue to train in his native Perth during his absence from the club.
Hardwick said it was too early to tell whether he would be added to the long-term injury list.
There is no urgency to do so as the Tigers already have the ability to promote a rookie should they choose, with Bachar Houli and Kamdyn McIntosh also long-term absentees.
While Yarran has been unable to add to his 119-game tally since joining Richmond, Lance Franklin and Mitch Clark are two notable examples of AFL players who have worked through mental health issues.
Franklin is starring for Sydney after taking a break to receive treatment in late 2015, while Clark is set to resume in the Geelong VFL side next week.
Clark teammate Rhys Stanley spoke to reporters on Thursday and highlighted the importance of supporting players struggling with mental health problems.
"The entire list and the entire club have got around Mitch," he said.
"There is a little bit of a stigma around it but I don't think it needs to be blown up as much as it is.
"It's something that players go through and people in general."
