‘Men don’t talk enough’ – GAA and Samaritans mark 10-year partnership helping players with their mental health

“There has been some improvements, but there’s definitely a long way to go,” Limerick hurler Dan Morrissey said.

“Talking about your feelings and your mental health… men don’t talk enough.”

As part of the campaign, volunteers seek to “meet players where they’re at”, by giving brief speeches to teams about the resources available to them through the Samaritans.

Morrissey said younger players can often put huge amounts of pressure on themselves to perform.

“Every training session is nearly a trial, they don’t want to be dropped off the team,” he said.

Balancing full-time employment or education alongside the requirements of being a top-level GAA player can ­easily lead to players getting overwhelmed, Morrissey added.

He said that while he appreciated the role sport and the GAA has played in his life, he has had to learn to take a step back sometimes.

“Hurling’s very important to me, it always will be, but I appreciate there’s a lot bigger things in life as well,” he said.

Dublin footballer Nicole Owens said the GAA’s partnership with the Samaritans offered support to those unsure of how to ask for help with their mental health struggles.

“The Samaritans are there as a chance to talk, I think that’s probably the big step,” she said.

Owens has previously talked about her own experience of depression, and highlighted the importance of having a safe space to talk.

“Probably that was my biggest step in my journey, the importance of talking,” she said. “And I think just getting that message out there, that there are resources there, there is support there, and to open up.”

Former Galway hurler Iggy Clarke also spoke at the event, saying that the partnership had become more relevant than ever as pressures on GAA players had increased in the modern age.

“I don’t understand the pressure and commitment of now,” he said. Clarke reflected on how he and his teammates “got away with murder” in comparison with what was expected of players now.

He encouraged young players to speak up about their suffering.

“Any time we externalise what’s inside ourselves, we lighten the load,” he said.