In what has been one of the more devastating weeks of AFL off-field, with the announcement of Adam Selwood’s passing on Saturday and Robert Walls deciding to end his fight against acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, the AFL world has come together in support of men’s mental health and what needs to be done about it.
The calls for stronger support networks and a round dedicated to awareness surrounding mental health, particularly, in relation to our games beloved athletes are growing stronger and stronger as we begin to see more athletes face struggles.
We have, however, seen some significant strides in the acceptance and understanding of players when they opt to check out of the game for some time to work on themselves and their minds with recently Carlton players Harry McKay and Elijah Hollands, and Melbourne premiership player Clayton Oliver stepping away to ensure they were in the right headspace to continue to find the passion for the game they grew up with and ensure they were the best men they could be on and off the field.
In 2020, Hamish McLachlan hosted a series published by the AFL titled ‘Last Time I Cried’, in which current and ex-AFL stars opened up in front of the camera regarding the emotional rollercoasters they have been through.
The series covered the likes of Dayne Beams and his struggles with the passing of his father, Patrick Dangerfield on his grieving of Adelaide coach Phil Walsh’s passing, and even Hamish opening up himself in the final episode regarding his fear of losing his young daughter.
‘Last Time I Cried’ was one of the first real accesses we have ever had as spectators in to the mental side of the game and it simply showed fans that AFL players are the exact same as any other spectator off the field.
Less than a year prior to the show’s pilot, the tragic passing of Danny ‘Spud’ Frawley rocked the AFL world in late 2019,; his work on the likes of The Bounce, SEN and the friendships and lives he made an impact on has meant that his legacy has been able to be carried on.
‘Spud’s Game’ has become a yearly tradition for the St Kilda Football Club and the Bounce have named the best defensive spoil the ‘Golden Fist’ in his honour.
McLachlan was given the privelige of honouring the life lived by Spud by being the MC of the final farewell where he has publicly shared how eye-opening it was for him to look around the funeral to see dozens of old-school hard-ass men who played alongside Frawley deep in their emotions.
Hamish McLachlan before Spud’s Game in 2024. (Photo by Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images)
Whilst the ‘Last Time I Cried’ series only had one season back in 2020, its impact was severe and we have seen more players than ever understand the mental health side of the game and that it’s okay to take a break when it’s needed.
This year, Hamish is back at it again with a new series ‘Unfiltered’ which works on a much more conversation approach allowing players to open up if they choose.
Young Hawthorn key forward Calsher Dear bared up on his strong start to his AFL career last year and how tough it was for him to do it without his father, Paul, the 1991 Norm Smith medallist who lost his battle with pancreatic cancer in 2022.
Calsher explained how the last year was tougher on him than the year his father died, with him finally getting to follow in his father’s footsteps and making it to the AFL without his father by his side and the reality sinking in that his father was gone forever.
Hamish McLachlan’s work has been a driving change for mental health within the AFL world, and if you haven’t I strongly recommend watching ‘Unfiltered’ and ‘The Last Time I Cried’ to get such a great understanding of what players go through behind closed doors, that they are then inclined to perform with a brave face in front of up to 90’000 the next week.
Never be afraid to reach out.
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