"This time around there are a few spots of cancer to be seen on the scan. Obviously that means there has to be a medical intervention going forward," Hawthorn football manager Chris Fagan said of the popular full forward. Jarryd Roughead of the Hawks. Credit:Getty Images On Tuesday he stood before his teammates and with an awful sense of deja vu, told them the news. "He was fairly determined to talk to all of them," Fagan told the club's website. "He got that opportunity post-training today. He stood in front of the group and told them everything that had happened. "It was quite an emotional time for Rough and for the boys, but he was determined to let them know and to also let them know that he was going to be okay."

"Footy's our business, but we care more about the people who work here than the football." Fagan added that the regular scan meant the recurrence had been detected early and hopefully that helped with treatment. "Jarryd's health is the most important issue at this time. His long-term playing future is very-much secondary to that and is not even a consideration at this point in time." The Roughead news sent a shiver through football. Western Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge, who worked at the Hawks for three years, expressed his distress and offered support for his friend. "'Roughy' is a close friend of mine and it's a bit distressing," he said. "He's got enormous and support around him, (so) I hope he'll be fine."

In the lead-up to the discovery of the recurrence of the melanoma, Roughead had been sidelined with a knee injury, but was said to be recovering well. Social media was flooded on Tuesday with messages of support for Roughead, from current and former teammates, those involved in football and the general public.

He spoke to the Hawthorn website upon his return to playing in 2015, saying he was known around Hawthorn for wearing long sleeves, a hat and zinc when outdoors, and warned others to get their skin spots checked by a doctor. "It turns everything upside down in the space of a week," he said. "You've got a full bottom lip one week and a big chunk missing the next." Roughead has won four premierships with Hawthorn and won the Coleman Medal in 2013. with Larissa Nicholson