Fremantle key forward Jesse Hogan has been ruled out for the rest of the season based on the advice of a specialist he consulted in Melbourne today.

General manager of football Peter Bell said Hogan would undergo surgery after suffering a recurrence of an injury to the navicular bone in his right foot, which was initially sustained last year.

“Jesse has suffered a recurrence of the injury to the navicular bone in his right foot,” Bell said.

“He will undergo surgery and then undertake a recovery and rehabilitation program with an estimated time frame, at this stage, of 16 weeks.

“It was initially believed that Jesse had suffered an unrelated sprain in his right foot in our round 14 game against Melbourne, but subsequent scans and further examination by a specialist confirmed a recurrence of the injury to the navicular bone.

“Jesse was important for our forward structure early in the season, and he was really starting to hit his straps and gel with our restructured forward line, so it is very disappointing for him and the club.

“However, based on medical advice we are confident that, with a cautiously mapped out rehabilitation program, Jesse should be available in round one of the 2020 season.

“In the meantime, we will wrap our arms around Jesse and provide all the necessary support required for him to successfully complete the rehabilitation phase.”