Former Roosters and Titans Daniel Conn reveals mental health challenges
Former Sydney Roosters and Gold Coast Titans forward Daniel Conn reveals harrowing details of attempts to take his own life
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He played 59 NRL games and featured in a grand final in 2010 - now former Sydney Rooosters and Gold Coast Titans forward Daniel Conn has gone into detail about his battle with mental health issues.
The 33-year old was forced into retirement in 2011 while playing for the Tricolours after suffering a broken neck at just 25.
It was what happened next that is a scary reminder of the pressures involved with playing professional sport, and the affects of when that is taken away at a young age.
Speaking with former Australian Test cricket skipper Michael Clarke for Law Partners Injury Lawyers, Conn revealed that he tried to take his own life while contracted with the Titans.
“When I was playing for the Titans, I checked myself out of hospital when I shouldn’t have," he said.
"I’d had an operation on my foot and knew I wasn’t going to get back in the team. I was driving from Brisbane back to the Gold Coast…and I veered into a big besser block.
"The besser block went pretty much straight through the middle, I was banged up but not in any terrible way.
"I told everyone it was an accident…it took me a while to admit to people that was me trying to finish it off."
Conn appeared to get back on track and signed with the Roosters heading into the 2010 season - the same year the club made it to the Grand Final against the Dragons.
The second-rower featured in the 32-8 loss, and was a part of their side the following seasn until the neck injury occurred and his career ended.
And it was then that Conn attempted suicide two more times and admitted he struggled with his identity following the premature end to his rugby league career.
“When I got told that’s footy…that was all that I knew...at school I was there to play footy and not learn everything else," he said.
"After I finished footy, the neck was getting to me to a point where I had access to medication…I had a pretty fair crack at overdosing. I had to get my stomach pumped…that was pretty scary.
"The third time, was probably the scariest one. It was in Maroubra, late one night on the edge of a cliff after a few too many drinks, it was after my neck and the boys were doing really well.
"It was that loss of identity starting to get to me, and that one was probably the closest."
But after travelling the world to try and clear the demons he was battling, Conn returned to Australia and realised it was time to face them and decided to go and see a pyschologist.
And a conversation with the doctor prompted him to turn things around and find a new career in the fitness world.
“I tried to forget about footy and my neck, saw a bit of the world...when I came back, that’s when it sort of clicked and I said okay now it’s time to progress into something else," he said.
"I was talking to a really good psychologist at the time, I confessed to him and he was the first person I confessed to about what I tried to do.
"And he told me I had a reason to be here, and that I’ve got a purpose. He told me I had to do something with it.
“It came from F45 and my purpose there was to travel all around the world and teach people how to exercise properly and what it does for you.
"F45 speaks for itself, it went quite well – but it wasn’t something I could call my own. Then I got asked to become a part of Hustle Boxing.
“You’ve got to go back to your lifestyle — what are you doing that’s making you happy.
“I write...if something’s making me feel really bad, I write that down. I still give that to 18, 17, 16-year-olds — is to start a little journal.
“Write down three things that you’re grateful for and three things that you want to happen in your life for yourself, not for anybody else, for yourself.”
If you or anyone you know needs help, contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or visit lifeline.org.au.
