Geelong star Gary Ablett has returned home to Victoria to be with his family, per The Age.
Ablett landed back in Melbourne on Saturday following his side's 22-point loss to Collingwood and is now set to miss the Cats' next two games.
Ablett's manager Liam Pickering confirmed the news following the 36-year-old's departure.
“I haven’t spoken with him yet but I know he boarded a plane this morning and will obviously miss the next two games,” Pickering told AFL Nation.
Pickering revealed Ablett will potentially rejoin the playing group in Queensland following the Cats' next two games in Perth.
Ablett and partner Jordan revealed their son Levi had been diagnosed with a rare degenerative disease in recent weeks.
Cats coach Chris Scott acknowledged Ablett's situation earlier in the season and stated he would allow the 352-gamer to leave the club's hub any time he needed.
“We’ve put a lot of thought into it but really at the end of the day it’s an intensely personal decision for Gary,” Scott said.
“He’s decided to speak, or at least elaborate, a little bit publicly on it. I think really he should be the only spokesperson in regard to his feelings and to an extent his plans because we consider our role as one of support for whatever he needs.”