And that will come as relief to Melbourne fans, with growing speculation in recent months that Hogan, contracted to the Demons until the end of the 2017, would choose to return to his home town of Perth and play for the Dockers.

The 21-year-old has put discussions on any new contract on hold until after this season.

The photo of 2015 AFL Rising Star Hogan circulating on social media shows him posing with a Perth "house sold" sign and a beer, with a caption saying "Hogan residence".

Reaction on Facebook has been varied - with some footy fans taking it as a sign of an impending Freo move and others claiming the sign belonged to a house bought by Hogan's brother.

But it can be confirmed that Hogan himself purchased a 645-square metre block in the western suburb of Doubleview for $730,000 in early April from the same real estate agency and agent as shown on the sign. The property had originally been advertised for sale between $775,000 and $825,000 when it hit the market in February.

That said, the house on the block is a small one of fibro construction, circa 1948 and seems an unlikely living proposition for a player who is expected to command at least $1 million per year when he comes out of contract.

Hogan's manager Jason Dover, from Stride Sports, confirmed on Friday afternoon the property was an investment and that there was nothing to be read into the purchase.

Brisbane Lions star Jonathan Brown suggested in May that Fremantle should be throwing a 10-year deal worth $15 million at Hogan, who kicked 44 goals last year and already has 31 goals from 13 games this year.

Hogan, originally from Claremont, was acquired as a 17-year-old by Melbourne in the 2012 mini-draft and had to spend 2013 playing in the VFL. A back injury limited him to one game in 2014 before his break-out season in 2015.

He is seen by many commentators as the best natural fit in the long term to replace Fremantle's veteran spearhead Matthew Pavlich, who will retire at season's end.

While Hogan's Doubleview property might not be an enticing prospect to live in right now, the advertisement for the property noted the block's future potential:

"We often get requests for development opportunities where you can keep the home and build another behind. Well [this] offers the new owner the chance to keep the existing beach shack and build 2 more behind (subject to DA approval)."

Hogan made a trip back to Perth between rounds seven and eight and reportedly went surfing.

Doubleview, with its large block size, is a frequent target for investors looking to demolish and sub-divide.