CARLTON defender Sam Rowe has contacted Jesse Hogan in support of the young Melbourne forward as he comes to terms with a testicular cancer diagnosis.
Rowe beat the same form of cancer in 2012, only months after the Blues revived his AFL career as a 24-year-old.
He missed the final 20 rounds of that season after undergoing chemotherapy treatment, but tests cleared him barely two months following his diagnosis.
The Demons revealed the news on Tuesday morning about Hogan, whose father died last month.
"I have reached out to him and no doubt I'll have a chat to him at some stage," Rowe said.
"When I was in a similar situation, I felt it was nice to talk to someone who'd been through it, so I'll certainly be there for Jesse, if and when he would like to talk.
"I've spoken to a lot of people since who haven't played footy and I think the footy's really irrelevant at this time … it is important just to take stock and get on with it."
Hogan, like Rowe, relayed concerns to his club doctor and found out last Thursday he had testicular cancer.
He told his teammates the news on Friday and did not play against Adelaide on Saturday night.
Hogan had surgery on Tuesday and Demons doctor Zeeshan Arain said the recovery period would likely be between four and eight weeks and that he could return to football this year.
The West Australian is expected to avoid chemotherapy, because of his early detection.
"He's going to need some time just to get his head around it all and it's important he has good people around him and people who support him, " Rowe said.
"It's funny, doctors say it all the time, that if you're going to get one, testicular (cancer) is the one you'd want to get, because it is extremely treatable."
Rowe waited a couple of weeks before confiding in his Carlton clubmates about his diagnosis, whereas Hogan did so the next day.
"The hardest part for me probably was seeing my friends and family around me," he said.
"It's strange, in a way, because you're getting the treatment yourself and you sort of feel in control.
"It's hard for the people around you to see you going through that, so that's something he might be experiencing, but, again, he'll rely on the people around him to get through it.
"No doubt it would have been very tough (telling his teammates) … he'd still be getting his head around it himself, so it's tough these days, because the media are onto him and he is such a big player of the game."
Rowe said there was no lingering bad blood between him and Hogan after the Demon was suspended for two games for striking him in a goalsquare incident in round two this year.
"Not at all, this is not about footy," he said.
"This is about Jesse as a person and absolutely I hope and am sure he will be fine."
