COLLINGWOOD coach Nathan Buckley has praised young forward Alex Fasolo for being brave enough to seek help for depression.
The Magpies forward trained on Thursday but will miss this week's game against Fremantle as he receives treatment to deal with his mental health issues.
Buckley said he was proud of the 24-year-old for making it known that he was struggling with depression.
"He's a great fella, 'Fas', and he has shown a lot of maturity with the way he has opened up to deal with it," Buckley said.
"I thought it showed great courage from him the way he has handled it."
Buckley said he hoped Fasolo's actions would be an example for anyone who was struggling to seek support.
"It has been courageous for him to put his hand up and say, 'I don't know if I can handle this on my own', and I think it is a good example for many," Buckley said.
"He is actually standing up for himself. He is actually saying, 'I need support here, I need assistance'."
Buckley said he became aware of Fasolo's depression last week, and described the forward's effort to play against the Brisbane Lions last Sunday as sensational.
However, he said a date for Fasolo's return to playing was unknown although he would continue to train.
Buckley said the notion that increased scrutiny on players was causing more mental health issues was flawed, as it was a community-wide problem that had many triggers.
He refused to buy into the controversy that a tweet from News Corporation's Mark Robinson, now deleted, had caused.
It led to an apology from Robinson and then one from newspaper editor Damon Johnston.
"The tweet was out of line, wrong and does not represent the Herald Sun's view on how issues of mental health should be handled in the media," Johnston wrote on the newspaper's website.
"It's clearly ignorant, but this is not about one person or another. Our major focus is on Alex's wellbeing and all our players and staff," Buckley said.
The AFL released a statement later on Thursday night praising Fasolo for speaking up.
"All of us in the community need to understand that seeking support is often the hardest and most difficult step for a person to take," AFL CEO Gillon McLachlan said.
"Collingwood's Alex Fasolo has currently taken the step to say he needs help and his family, friends and club and the wider football community is rallying around him. Our responsibility as a community is to allow him, and all people, to seek the help they need."
