Footy legend’s inner demons: Greg Inglis faces retirement as he wrestles with his mental health – as coach admits the champion is ‘in a sad place’
- Rugby League legend Greg Inglis could retire from the sport this week
- There are concerns about what the decision could do to his fragile mental health
- Wayne Bennett says he will support Inglis in whichever avenue he chooses
- Inglis has been sidelined most of this season dealing with a spate of injuries
- He previously checked into a mental health facility to deal with depression
Rugby league legend Greg Inglis could retire as early as this week, but there are concerns about what the decision could do to his fragile mental health.
The 32-year-old’s teammates at South Sydney Rabbitohs have been offering Inglis support as he decides whether it is time to walk away from the game after 16 years.
And while new coach Wayne Bennett says he will support Inglis in whichever avenue he chooses, he admitted the future Immortal was in a ‘sad place’.
Bennett is poised to meet with his team captain on Monday to discuss his future after a spate of early season injuries.
Rugby League legend Greg Inglis could retire as early as this week, but there are concerned about what the decision could do to his fragile mental health
He told The Sunday Mail he has ‘enormous respect for him… but most of us don’t do sad well and Greg certainly doesn’t do sad well’.
‘He is getting around sad and we’re all trying to help him at Souths. He needs to make the decision that is going to take him out of that sad place.’
Inglis entered himself into a mental health facility in 2017 to help with his depression, and acknowledged he would need to ‘continue therapy’.
‘I have people I can have a chat to when I’m feeling a bit down. You’ve got to continue the therapy. You’re never out of it, even though you think you’re fine. I think you’ve still got to continue it and that’s what I’m doing,’ he said.
Bennett is poised to meet with his team captain on Monday to discuss his future after a spate of early season injuries
Bennett said Inglis’ decision would be a personal one, and discussed how players of Inglis’ caliber struggle to deal with life after the game.
‘There is so much pressure on the champions because these guys are so great at what they do. There is so much pressure. They are so proud of their performances. They hate failure.
‘Greg is a classic case. He gets to this point in his life where he is scared. They all try to hang on. They have never worked in the workplace.
‘Post-football Greg has no idea what he will do. They don’t plan for this day (of retirement)… that day is not in their diary,’ Bennett said.
Bennett said Inglis’ decision would be a personal one, and discussed how players of Inglis calibre struggle to deal with life after the game
The Rabbitohs captain was caught driving 99km/h in an 80km/h zone on the outskirts of Lithgow on October 1, 2018.
Inglis pleaded guilty to drink driving in November and NSW’s chief magistrate Graeme Henson granted Inglis an 18-month conditional release order.
The Magistrate noted his loss of the Australian team captaincy, driving and playing suspensions, and substantial charity work.
‘He does consider himself to be a role model and he hopes that in accepting full responsibility, he will be able to continue as a role model,’ his lawyers told reporters outside court.
Inglis required a knee reconstruction in the off season, and is also experiencing arthritic pain in his shoulder, sidelining him for most of the 2019 season so far.