Collingwood star Steele Sidebottom is set to leave his club's hub as he looks to head home to support his partner with the birth of their first child, per afl.com.au.
Sidebottom's season is in doubt with the midfielder set to leave the Magpies' Queensland hub after the club's clash against North Melbourne on Monday.
Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley revealed that Sidebottom had made the decision approximately a month ago and that he was unsure of the veteran onballer could return to the Magpies playing group in 2020.
"Steele made the call with Alisha about a month ago that he was going to head back home. He’s got an exciting period of his life coming up. We don’t know if he can return or not. It’ll depend on Alisha and the bub. There’s a bit unknown," Buckley said in a media conference on Saturday.
Sidebottom's departure will overlap with the season's compulsion, as partner Alisha is expected to give birth in mid September. The AFL home and away season is scheduled to finish on September 20.
