Tim Smith has done the right thing. By taking indefinite leave to battle bipolar disorder he has sent a great message to us blokes. And that its okay to be open with your problems. That it is okay to take time out to deal with depression. It is not a sign of weakness.
The death of Cronulla great Steve Rodgers in early 2006 showed that depression can haunt anyone. Aussie blokes have this habit of taking on the black dog by themselves. A belief that stoic abearance by hiding their feelings is the way to handle such disorders.
And of course there are the revelations last year of Andrew Johns who battled his depression during his career. Johns also hid his depression, often masking it with booze and various pills.
Most league fans will know that Tim Smith has had his own troubles with alcohol. And it seems that this was a manifestation of his own struggle with personal demons.
Unfairly, Smith has been the focus of blame for Parra’s recent form. For some reason he is at fault for Parra’s leaky defence. While some old school types may say that he needs to ‘harden the fuck up’, such an attitude ignores the dangers of depression and harks back to what is wrong with the Aussie male psyche. He may have soldiered on but at what cost to his health?
All league fans should hope that Smith does find peace and recovers to rejoin the NRL. And that league loving blokes take heed of the message that it is ok to be open with your problems and do what is need to overcome them. And not bottle them inside.
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Club Troppo » Missing Link Daily // Jul 22, 2008 at 4:09 am
[...] Cronin argues that Parra’s Tim Smith is a courageous example for all [...]