League: Crusade to tackle the blues

Chris Walker.

It is a Tuesday night and Chris Walker, the former NRL star who confesses to once consuming 100 drinks in a two-day booze-up, is having an anxiety attack.

He is holding a microphone. His heart begins racing like a Formula 1 engine. Sweat pours from his forehead. He stands before 120 coal miners, many of them physically tough but mentally broken.

They watch Walker's breakdown partly in shock, partly with empathy. Suddenly, they are kindred spirits, having been bitten by the black dog of depression.

The former Queensland Origin star has arrived in the tiny central Queensland town of Rolleston, 700km north-west of Brisbane, as part of a personal crusade to improve mental health among Australian men.

Walker is one of many NRL identities who are frustrated and saddened by the slew of suicides that have rocked the game. In the past two years, six elite-level rugby league players have taken their lives.

Walker is one of several former stars trying to make a difference, even if he has to confront his own demons.

"Five minutes into my presentation, I had an anxiety attack in front of a room full of blokes," he says.

"It's hard to explain to people who have never had an anxiety attack. You could be in a huge room and, when I get anxiety, the room shrinks to the size of a port-a-loo. You feel trapped, claustrophobic. My heart beats faster. I break into sweats.

"That night I composed myself and went back out there 30 minutes later to face the miners. I ended up talking to them one by one and 80 per cent of them said, 'Chris, I felt sorry for you up there because I know exactly how you feel'."

Walker's battle, and the confessions of Rolleston's tough-as-nails miners, underscore the mental health issues that can just as easily afflict the NRL's brightest stars.

In Australia,about 45 per cent of people will experience a mental health condition in their lifetime.

Penrith grand final winner Scott Sattler, Broncos coach Wayne Bennett, former Titan Preston Campbell and dual internationals Lote Tuqiri and Mat Rogers have offered to help Walker in the quest to aid men of all ages.

"The problem with guys is they don't want to talk about their problems, then all of a sudden it's too late," says Walker.

Every month on a Tuesday, Walker and Sattler visit the miners Eventually, they hope their initiative will have a national footprint.

"Myself and Chris are serious about addressing mental health," Sattler says.

- Sunday Mail