Jarryd Roughead will likely attend Hawthorn's match against Sydney on Friday night, as the team tries to maintain a sense of normalcy after his cancer diagnosis.
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The 29-year-old utility had a melanoma removed from his lip last year and the Hawks announced on Tuesday that the cancer had returned and spread to other parts of his body.
Coach Alastair Clarkson said the club wanted to give Roughead a formal role at the club while he underwent treatment.
"This is where his extended family is in a sense and where all his best mates are, but he's got a surgery he needs to address in the next week or so and beyond that we'll just see how he's feeling," he said.
Roughead had spoken to the players on Tuesday and told them he wanted things to return to normal as soon as possible.
Clarkson said he and the players almost felt a little guilty about getting on with their usual routine, when they would prefer to take a break to deal with the news.
"We're all pretty shattered for what's gone on over the last three or four days, but the hardest part in a sense is we've still got to live our lives," Clarkson said.
"This type of thing goes on in mainstream life all the time, we've all had to deal with it in our lives, it's just that it's such a high-profile player that it creates a fair bit of attention.
"The sooner that dies down Jarryd and [his wife] Sarah can get on to do what they need to do to confront this battle that they've got."
The MCG match will be a big occasion for Sydney and Hawthorn – both clubs are considered serious premiership contenders and have six wins and two losses apiece for the season.
Former Hawk Lance "Buddy" Franklin has been playing outstanding football after spending time on the sidelines towards the end of last year while he dealt with a mental illness.
"We know Bud pretty well, that doesn't always mean we get it right when we play against them because he's been in fabulous form," Clarkson said.
"It's good to see, he went through a battle of his own in the off-season that will probably be ongoing for a time as well, so it's good to see him playing good footy again."
Clarkson said if his Sydney teammates provided Franklin with plenty of access to the football it would create problems for the Hawks.
"If we can go well in the middle of the ground it gives us a chance to be able to kick a score and deny him a chance to do so for them," he said.
Forward Cyril Rioli was back from the Northern Territory where he was visiting an ill family member and will be selected to play on Friday night.
