In recent years we have seen a dramatic shift in the way the AFL is played.
No longer can players trudge idle, catching their breath, when the opposition has the ball. The game without the ball is now just as important as the game with the ball. The game is played at such a speed that the only time a player is not moving is when there is a brief pause in play or they’re rotating on the bench.
It goes without saying that in between games there is a massive workload for players to get through. Recovery, review, preparation – there’s no rest.
The amount of pressure on modern-day players is not new – there has been pressure on elite footballers for years – but what is new is that we are finally starting to accept that they too are not mentally indestructible.
Lachie Hunter of the Western Bulldogs is the latest player to take leave from the game to focus on his wellbeing. Dustin Martin took a leave of absence after Round 1 to continue working through the grief of losing his father, Shane Martin. An increasing number of players are coming forward to take time out of the game to focus on their wellbeing, which highlights three significant shifts in the culture of the game.
1. The game is not bigger than the individual
No matter the player or the size of their ego, club ethos has always been that no player is bigger than the club. This is true and should be a part of any sporting organisation’s cultural DNA. The shift we have seen in recent times, however, is that players like Hunter and Martin are being afforded the necessary time to tend to their personal lives.
This would no doubt rile many an ill-informed onlooker who believes that footballers are paid a lot of money to play the game and so should ‘suck it up’ and get out there. The flip side to this is if you continue to drive a car that needs servicing into the ground, it will break down in spectacular fashion eventually. It’s inevitable, and the same goes for people.
It has been inspiring to observe how clubs and in particular Damien Hardwick have handled the media regarding Dustin Martin by protecting his privacy and his space and placing no time frame on his return. Time frames are irrelevant when taking time out to focus on mental wellbeing. There is no scan available to diagnose the wellbeing of an individual to determine a path to recovery. The approach is holistic.
(Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)
2. Players are human
In the enviable eyes of many, AFL players are living an entitled lifestyle in the spotlight, doing what they love week in and week out. Surely this is what living the dream is about, right? Yet when news breaks about a player taking time away from the game, many an observer throws their arms up asking why they’re so ‘precious’.
Being an elite footballer today would leave almost nearly no time to stop and take a deep breath and focus on personal wellbeing, and it’s been reported that the soft caps on club personnel have hit player support and mental health staff in particular.
Apart from trying to keep a career steady on the fast rails of the AFL playing life, a player also has a family life to attend to. This is something that can only be described as a juggling act for many, and it’s no secret that some players handle it better than others. Some people in life thrive under mountains of pressure and are extremely resilient, but there is also an increasing percentage of players who are susceptible to stress and the pressure of life in and outside of the AFL.
3. The stigma surrounding mental health is definitely shifting
It goes without saying that it is now more publicly acceptable for professional athletes to come forward and say that they are struggling. This great game was forged on grit, blood, sweat and guts, all traits that have long been entrenched in football folklore – the essence of the fight, giving nothing and taking everything.
Former premiership Kangaroo Wayne Schwass has been very vocal in recent years through his work with PukaUp about his struggles with mental health during his playing days. No-one would have known thanks to the way he went about it on the field – he was a hard, skilful, team-oriented player. But off the field he was battling demons.
Back then there was nowhere to really go for support, and it could have been potentially career-ending to come forward with such an admission. Schwass has been brilliant in his advocacy for mental health in recent years, making it okay not just for current players but for anyone from any walk of life to talk openly about mental health.
Mental health issues don’t discriminate, and in the lightning-fast AFL world careers can be over in one unfortunate contest, and immense is the pressure to get their body up every week, to maintain a spot in the first 22, to avoid the cynical media attention, to overcome injuries and setbacks, to be someone at home.
Footballers are humans and society has only just worked that out. Regardless of their enviable position, they are not immune to mental health problems, and it is important that we respect this as fans and media.
Dusty does Danger
Roar Rookie
We would love to have him back fully fit. We really miss his presence in the midfield and around the ground. Add a fit Lambert and we would be competitive through the middle. The reality is he has given more to the club then we would have dreamed. There is always one stand out player in the comp under the microscope. Remember Buddy had time out, Plugger moved north and Ablett was better off at Geelong. The game is better when he takes the field.
Dusty does Danger
Roar Rookie
Totally forgot about the Mosquito- real shame, showed promise and would have been great for the game. He was at home in that Dreamtime game!
Jack Russell
Roar Guru
Not for a million bucks a year. Any club would take him, but his worth has unquestionably gone down.
Milo
Roar Rookie
He's out of contract end of next year for what its worth. But as one of those supporters mentioned, Im not exactly thinking we are gone because there's no Dusty. Most tiger supporters are realistic (even if they dont outwardly admit it) that the premiership era is over, so looking after our players especially those that have given so much is not really a chore.
Billy Good
Roar Rookie
Clubs would be forming a queue to take that risk on Dusty
Jack Russell
Roar Guru
But that’s like any other injury…..it’s accepted and medical experts are brought in to solve the problem. Given Richmond are 2 and 4, I reckon the club and supporters, whilst supporting Dusty, aren’t exactly thrilled he’s missing. If he was out of contract at the end of the year, there is absolutely no question his value would be seriously affected. What club would pay him a million bucks a year if he’s not going to be on the park?
Billy Good
Roar Rookie
I disagree, the whole point of the article was that mental illness is accepted, not scrutinised and recovery is achievable in the right environment. I highly doubt Dustin Martin’s value has been affected by his absence from the game
Jack Russell
Roar Guru
I guess mental health will just be treated like any other injury - and that's going to mean that a player's mental status will probably be under a lot more scrutiny than it used to be. The reality is that a player is paid to play, and if he's not playing for whatever reason, it's going to affect his worth. Doesn't matter whether it's bad knees, bad hammys or for mental reasons.
Milo
Roar Rookie
Thanks Billy good article and agree with the sentiments. One additional point is that while the club is certainly bigger than the individual, that is actually another reason why clubs have now changed. Smarter clubs realized early doors that by affording players the time they needed they weren’t just serving the individual player themselves, but also selling the club as a compassionate, understanding place to work which in turn attracts players to it. It may also give clubs another tool in the box when selling themselves to a player even if that same player may be offered a little less dollars there than elsewhere. And of course there’s the loyalty factor built within the player themselves who will remember how he/she were treated during the time at their next contract negotiations.
Chris Lewis
Roar Guru
Good article. Interesting topic ,and sad for the players that suffer from mental issues. I wish the all well and hope they get back to the game they love, if they can.
Charlie Keegan
Roar Guru
Yes I’m glad to see that the AFL clubs in large part have started uncritically accepting when a player needs a mental health leave of absence they get a mental health leave of absence. Like the Bombers management of Anthony McDonald Tippungwuti who has exceptionally complex demons relating to his treatment as a child, they gave him the time and allowed him to come back through the 2s just to give him that little bit more time out of the public eye where as the Bombers (as you can see with Merrett and Stringer this week) typically rush players back from physical injuries. Also the way they handled Irving Mosquito as well, even when he retired they provided the support necessary to ensure that he could recover from his acl