Waalitj Marawar (West Coast) forward Jake Waterman reveals how Eagles handled Adam Selwood's death
A raw Jake Waterman has opened up on how Waalitj Marawar (West Coast) dealt with the sudden death of premiership player Adam Selwood, with the big forward revealing the alarming number of ex-AFL players suffering with mental health issues scares the 's***' out of him.
Emotions were high as the Eagles finally tasted victory on Sunday, taking down Euro-Yroke (St Kilda) by 28 points at Optus Stadium and snapping a nine-game losing streak to start the season.
But the victory was shadowed by the tragic loss of Selwood, whose death came just three months after his twin brother Troy's.
The club released emotional statements and tributes in the lead-up to the clash and during the game, Waterman revealing the news shook the playing group barely 24 hours out from bounce down.
'The team meeting had to be pushed back a little bit because everyone was in the room, but I don't know how many of the boys were mentally involved in the captain's run meeting,' he told 6PR.
'Some blokes were mourning. Myself, I was rattled and just felt an emptiness and a lack of motivation.
'Obviously, when game time comes around, the adrenaline gains as the game comes closer, but there was just an overwhelming sense of sadness and grief for a lot of our past players at the moment.'
Waterman also took time to reflect on the issue at large and had a poignant message for the industry.
'It's an interesting one to sit back and think about in terms of what it means to past players of this club, because we play this career and you rock up to footy every day to be a part of something bigger than yourself,' he said.
'You've got this routine, you run out on game day, you play in flags, you run out in front of hundreds of thousands of people, and then you retire one day.
'And then 10 years down the track, it feels like nothing can compare to what we go through as footballers, and it scares the s*** out of me, to be honest, that we're losing so many great people who you think are going fine, but they're just not.
'The message is for current players and past players to reach out and get some help because you are loved much more than you know.
'We are losing too many great men.'
Eagles coach Andrew McQualter revealed on 7NEWS Selwood had been engaged with the club's WAFL side in recent weeks and that support networks were being put into place to help players and staff.
'This is going to be ongoing for a little while for a lot of people,' he said.
'There were a lot of deep connections with Adam for people throughout our organisation, and he had such a big impact on a lot of people.
'Even as recently as a couple of weeks ago, (he was) helping out with our WAFL program, and he'll be sorely missed.'
Lifeline: 13 11 14.
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