St Kilda forward Tim Membray has revealed he hid the full extent of his battle with mental health from his team-mates before suffering a shock late withdrawal from last September’s AFL elimination final.
Six months on, Membrae has spoken publicly for the first time about his struggles and the “personal health issues” that prevented him from playing in the season-ending game against Greater Western Sydney.
The 29-year-old did not go into details of the experience in a video posted to St Kilda’s website and social media channels on Thursday, but said he had been suffering for some time and resisted pleas from his wife Emily. He said he was doing so. Get help.
Since then, Membray has spent time prioritizing his mental health, training with St Kilda’s main group throughout pre-season and preparing strongly for next year.
He is now “coming out the other side” of his battle with mental health and is in “a really good mental state” as he prepares to play in St Kilda University’s Round 1 match against Geelong on March 16. “It is in.
“Last year obviously didn’t end the way I wanted it to end,” Membray said in the six-minute video.
“Looking back on it now, it’s probably something I’ve been dealing with for a long time, sometimes even wearing a mask.
“I didn’t know how to deal with what I was going through, who to talk to, who to believe.
“My wife definitely knows what’s going on and has urged me to get help, but at the same time, try as hard as you want, but I don’t really know what to do. did.
“I had no idea how to ask for help or anything, so I had to pick myself up quickly. Thank God I did.”
Membray’s mental health deteriorated and injuries limited him to seven games during the 2023 home and away season.
The forward, who played 160 games, said he was grateful for the support of his family – Emily and the couple’s two daughters, Len and Bo – as well as his St Kilda team-mates and coaches.
“When I think back on this whole experience, probably the hardest part was seeing the girls go through it all,” Membry said.
“Sometimes my mind gets foggy and I don’t really think about anything.
“Emily has been such a huge support throughout my life. Without her, I wouldn’t be here today. She’s truly incredible.”
Membrey is currently focusing on her own mental health and encourages anyone who is struggling to seek help.
“My biggest thing right now is, ‘Take off the mask and be who you want to be,'” he said.
“People will judge you, people will say things about you.
“But you’ll be the happiest you’ll ever be when you’re happy with who you are, proud of what you’ve done, proud of what you’ve been through.
“And if you’re in a good head space, you’re happy, you have people around you that you love and are close to…that’s what’s really important to me right now.”
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