Collingwood forward Alex Fasolo says mental health issues are hugely widespread across the AFL, which he says is ignorant to the challenges. But Fasolo suggested mental health battles were being fought by more players than were prepared to go public about it. Western Bulldogs pair Tom Boyd and Travis Cloke both took a leave of absence on mental health grounds. Two-time premiership player Lance Franklin withdrew from the 2015 finals due to a serious mental health issue, returning in 2016. Barry Hall, Courtenay Dempsey, Chad Fletcher, Nathan Thompson and Wayne Schwass have all detailed their mental health challenges after retiring.

Source: The Guardian September 14, 2017 05:13 UTC