Wayne Bennett leads calls for Aussie men to speak up and not let the death of Paul Green be in vain

A chorus of big name NRL identities led by master coach Wayne Bennett have called for all men to speak up if they are struggling – and not let Paul Green’s death be in vain.

Green was found unresponsive at his Brisbane home on Thursday and could not be revived. He was just 49.

The death of the charismatic former NRL player and coach has rocked the NRL community, but has also shone a light on a big problem in Australia – men’s suicide. 

ABS data shows that three-quarters of the suicide deaths in 2020 were men, with people in the 40 to 54 age bracket accounting for 26.7 per cent of those deaths.

Male suicide rates increased from 16.2 deaths per 100,000 in 2011 to 18.6 deaths per 100,000 in 2020. More than 25 per cent of the 759 suicides in Queensland in 2020 were men aged 40 to 59.

 Bennett said it was time to shatter conceptions that being a man meant suffering in silence and to provide support and assurance for those that are battling.

‘The challenge for men is to let us know if you’re in that [dark] place,’ Bennett said to News Corp.

‘Let us know, because when you open up and talk about your problems, you’ll realise that you’re loved and cared for much more than you give credit for. Talk to someone you trust, but please just talk to someone. Have that conversation.

‘Men don’t want to burden us with their problems, and Paul was a man.

‘We don’t want to be seen as weak and that’s all men, not just footballers. There are a lot of guys who have done what Paul’s done, unfortunately, and no-one knows about them.

‘Men are vulnerable and it’s okay to show that we are. You have to let us know so we can try to help.

‘Because this [Green’s death] helps nobody; this hurts us all.’

 Brisbane Broncos and Queensland legend Wally Lewis said the first step to ask for help was the hardest, but support is available for everyone experiencing depression or suicidal thoughts.

 ‘Among former footballers there was always this gladiator-type role that if they admitted they needed some assistance or were struggling, they saw themselves as being a bit weak,’ he said.

‘There’s a lot of steps you can take to address mental health and the first one is often the hardest, that admission that you do need some help or some advice.

‘There’s a real opportunity to shine a light on it now and to understand there are people who are professionally trained to deal with this issue.

Current Broncos coach wants the NRL to invest more resources into supporting past and present players that are doing it tough. 

‘It’s important we check on each other each day – particularly with the mental health side of things,’ he said.

‘It’s something I believe the NRL needs to put more focus on, particularly around our players, coaches and support staff. Everyone that’s involved in the game.

‘We need to make sure there’s someone there for you if you want to reach out.’

‘It can affect players, fans, even journalists, who might hate to admit that they’re facing some difficulties.’

NRL boss Peter V’landys also urged all men struggling with depression or mental illness to reach out, speak up and seek support.

‘It [Green’s death] just shows you how fragile life is and that we should take care of each other,’ he said.

‘If there’s a message here is if people self-doubt themselves or have problems, it is a normal human reaction. Speak about it, talk about it.

‘We all go through doubting ourselves, we all go through some terrible times but it doesn’t hurt to talk to somebody about it and this is a classic example.

‘If anything comes out of this, which is one of the saddest things I’ve been involved in rugby league, it is that people do reach out if they have troubles.’

 The NRL is marking a minute’s silence before every game this round to honour Green and that tribute will be especially poignant during today’s clash between the Cowboys and the Roosters.

Green was a player and on the coaching staff at both clubs and won premierships with both Sydney and North Queensland.

That included the watershed 2015 Cowboys premiership. A number of players from that match remain at the club to this day.

 

Current coach Todd Payten said all players had been offered support. 

‘[The players] have all been a little bit different in their own ways. Some guys have a long history with Paul, so we reached out to those guys yesterday and had a chat,’ he said.

 ‘We understand that grief affects people differently at different times and the club has been great in putting resources around staff and players to make sure that they can come up with strategies to best deal with that and talk through how they feel.’

‘We’ll be paying our respects with black armbands and we’ll do a minute’s silence. I’m sure as a club we’ll also do something at our home game next week.

‘There’s a fair motivation about what’s ahead of us this weekend and who we’re playing and what we’re doing. It’s been a difficult 24 hours, and as a club and as a group we just have to put our arms around each other and make sure that we keep an eye out for any signs.

‘At the end of the day, I guess it’s a good reminder of how fortunate we are to do what we’re able to do, and we’d like to perform well in Paul’s honour.’

For help in a crisis call 000. If you or anyone you know needs support, you can contact Lifeline 131 114, or Beyond Blue on 1300 224 636