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It’s been a big year for Dayne Beams, who started off the year as the captain of the AFL‘s Brisbane Lions. After losing his father to cancer in March, the 28-year-old stepped down from his captaincy of the Lions to deal with his grief and support his family.
Speaking with Neroli Meadows on Fox Footy‘s On The Mark this week, Dayne and brother Claye Beams spoke about the aftermath of their father’s death, and Dayne, in particular, got quite candid about his year, recognising that he missed his milestone 150th career game because he was experiencing a full emotional breakdown including suicidal thoughts.
It scares me a little bit to actually think about but there were times when I had suicidal thoughts — not that I’d ever act on them though.
Claye came over one night when I was having a bit of a meltdown and I guess I told him that I was having these thoughts… I’ve got a wife and two kids that I’d leave behind and I’d never act on them, but it was really scary to actually experience those thoughts and feelings and for me, that was the point where I guess I needed to go and seek some more professional help.
The interview is a heartbreaker, and it came as Dayne Beams stepped up as a featured player for the AFL Players Association‘s Courageous Conversations – where players are open and transparent about their mental health and lives outside of football. On the day of his milestone game – a time when a player is usually the most stoked to be out there on the ground – Dayne was a wreck to the point where he was taken from the playing squad due to “illness”.
No one actually knows this but I was out that day sick but I wasn’t really sick… I ended up having a bit of a breakdown in my room.
I had a build-up of emotion, I had my 150th, the night before and then just thinking about dad… I just didn’t feel like playing football.
Dayne says that he’s now managing his mental health with professional health and medication and that looking back he realises
It’s an issue that seems to be a more recurring theme every season – players are openly opting to take time away from the game to focus on their mental health. From Tom Boyd over at Western Bulldogs to Aaron Francis at Essendon, more players at an elite, professional level are recognising the negative effect the serious pressure and stress that playing top-tier footy is having on their mental health, and taking steps to put themselves first.
Frank and transparent discussions like Dayne’s are a part of continuing the shift of approach to how Aussies, men especially, treat and talk about mental health. By having people who exist in positions of power and influence in hyper-masculine communities and spaces be honest and forthcoming about their emotions challenges the longstanding notion that it’s “not manly” to experience and address your emotions.
PEDESTRIAN.TV‘s resident footy fans Josephine Rozenberg-Clarke and Courtney Fry discuss Dayne Beams’ interview in the latest episode of our AFL podcast Balls Up, which you can check out below.
