Alastair Clarkson is bullish about seeing Cyril Rioli back at Hawthorn this year, despite the uncertainty surrounding the star's AFL future.
The Hawks have granted Rioli another stint of personal leave so he can return to Darwin.
Rioli also had an extended break over the pre-season, after his father Cyril Snr had a near-fatal heart attack late last year.
If Rioli's off-field dramas are not enough, the small forward also had not played since round four because of a knee injury.
The Hawthorn coach said all that counts is that Rioli knows he has the support of the club.
"He has an issue that he has to deal with up in Darwin," Clarkson said.
"We're giving him the space to be able to do that.
"I'm not sure whether it's going to be one week, one month, one year - we don't know."
"But all we do know is we have to give whatever support we possibly can."
Clarkson was then asked if he thought Rioli would return later this season.
"I'd be very hopeful of that, but we just don't know what the outcome is going to be," he said.
Clarkson added he had not spoken to Rioli in the last few days, but football boss Graham Wright is in regular contact.
"All he needs to know is he has the support of the footy club and that support has mainly been around just giving him the time and space to deal with what he needs to deal with," Clarkson said.
Rioli, 28, is a four-time Hawthorn premiership player and won the Norm Smith Medal as best afield in their 2015 grand final win.
One of the game's best small forwards, Rioli has played 189 senior games and is part of Top End football's rich Rioli-Long indigenous lineage.
