Latest news with #LiamStocker
News.com.au
08-05-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
St Kilda defender Liam Stocker opens up on his prescription drugs nightmare
St Kilda defender Liam Stocker has opened up on his battle with prescription medications that wiped out a season of his career at Carlton and left him 'in tatters'. In an exclusive interview with the Herald Sun, Stocker, 25, detailed the night in the Queensland hub in 2020 when he 'lost control' of his life and abused prescription medications to 'quieten the noise' amid some serious mental health issues. 'It was my second last day in the hub and I had been spiralling since I had got up there, in fact I was past spiralling,' Stocker said. 'I was training on it (medication) and all sorts of stuff and you get to a point where you are not even a human being.' Ahead of 'Spud's Game' against his former Carlton teammates at the MCG on Friday night, Stanton revealed the frank conversation with former assistant coach Brent Stanton that promoted his six-month break from the game to deal with his drug and mental health issues in 2020. He said the support he received from the AFL helped save his life, and ultimately put him on a path to resurrect his career at St Kilda under senior coach Ross Lyon. The Sandringham product first stepped into an intensive spotlight when the Blues pulled off the AFL's first ever live draft pick swap to claim Stocker with pick 19 in 2018. But Stocker said his four years at the Blues were a struggle and took full responsibility for his patchy form and relationship issues which led to his shock exit from the club in 2022. The tough defender said he was immensely proud of how his life now looks in his second AFL chapter at the Saints. 'When I got delisted (from Carlton) I was pretty relieved,' he said. 'Things just seemed a lot brighter outside of the AFL world. 'But slowly I started to get the hunger back and started realising (he wanted to give it another go) after reading Wayne Bennett's book 'Don't die with the music in you'. 'But it was about doing it so I could enjoy it (football) in the long term. 'Not just the flash in the pan where I feel good straight after a win but then during the week I'm miserable. 'I wanted some consistency and with the help of my psychologist and my psychiatrist I got a really good plan in place where my football didn't determine my mood.'
Daily Mail
08-05-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
Footy star reveals the moment he hit rock bottom due to his drug problem - and the three words of advice that made him turn his life around: 'I was in tatters'
Liam Stocker admitted he felt like he 'wasn't even a human being' during one of the lowest points of his life. Sat in a bathroom in a hotel in the Queensland hub one evening in 2020, the 25-year-old said he had spiralled out of control, using prescription medication as a coping mechanism to deal with his mental health issues. During that moment, the Stocker could not recall how many anti-anxiety tablets he had taken and admitted he 'couldn't think straight', but delivered a very clear message to those battling mental ill health, that it is important to speak up. The New South Wales born defender was drafted to Carlton as pick 19 of the 2018 National Draft, making his debut in round seven of the 2019 season before going on to make five appearances for the club that year. Stocker had suffered from anxiety and admitted that he found it difficult to deal with the issue, telling The Herald Sun during a candid and honest interview that he 'didn't know of any positive coping mechanisms' at the time. He turned to prescription medication, because, as he says, it eased the pain he had been feeling and dampened the noise around him. The footy star (pictured right) had been playing for Carlton when he had suffered from mental health issues and had used prescription drugs to cope with the illness Stocker admitted that he felt more nervous alone than when turning out in front of a packed MCG, but his problems came to a head while Carlton were in the hub during the Covid-19 affected season in 2020. 'I was just sitting in the bathroom in Queensland and I would have had – well, I don't know how many anti-anxiety tablets by that stage – but I couldn't think straight,' Stocker told The Herald Sun. He revealed that he had sent a message to the Blues' player development officer, Lilian O'Sullivan, adding: 'I was in tatters.' 'It was my second-to-last day in the hub, and I had been spiralling since I had got up there; in fact, I was past spiralling. While he had been in the hub for two weeks, he revealed he could hardly remember much of that time. It was then that he went to the development officer's room and opened up about what was going on. During that meeting, Carlton's assistant coach Brent Stanton also stepped in, with Stocker subsequently telling the footy coach that he was planning on leaving the hub and heading back home. But it was Stanton's three-word response that helped Stocker turn his life around. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Liam Stocker (@liamstocker) '"And then what?"' Stanton had asked the defender. 'He challenged me, and it was the first time anyone had really challenged my behaviour.' Stocker explained to the coach that he wanted to take three weeks away to address his mental wellbeing - but the Stanton responded: '"I don't think that's going to make a difference".' The former Carlton star was stunned by the words, admitting he was left questioning what he was going to do next - but admitted Stanton's comments were a crucial turning point. 'That was really the trigger point to really fix things myself. That is when things started to change,' Stocker said. He would leave his team in the hub, heading back to Melbourne to spend some time away from the game and did not feature for the Blues for the entirety of the 2020 season. After seeking professional help, with the assistance of the AFL, Stocker says things finally slotted into place. He revealed he realised that the prescription drugs were not going to be a long-term solution, adding that it was a 'consistency of routine that ends up fixing your problem'. While admitting he was nervous about seeing a psychiatrist and psychologist, he added it was needed. After making these changes, Stocker said it was here that 'everything improved one hundredfold.' The 25-year-old would make a return the following season, playing 17 games for Carlton and a further six in the 2022 campaign before he was delisted by the club. Questions had again mounted over his future in the game, with the footy star revealing he had planned to take up a mental health position at Old Haileybury. But St Kilda boss Ross Lyon issued another challenge to him. He and assistant coach Corey Enright offered the defender a career lifeline, with Stocker first joining the Saints in a training capacity after the 2022 season. Lyon would give him some tough love, advising the 25-year-old that he was unfit and said that to gain a spot on the list, he needd to lose some weight before January. Stocker did just that. He cut his weight, worked on his fitness and would secure his place in the side. That season, he'd go on to establish himself as a key component of St Kilda's backline, making 23 appearances and banking some career best numbers. This season, he is enjoying some of his best footy yet as one of the leagues most physical and astute defenders. He admits it is his feeling of 'belonging' at St Kilda that has been pivotal in helping him play at his best footy yet and added he's loving life playing in the red, white and black. This weekend, St Kilda will host their annual Spud's Game, in honour of the late footy great Danny Frawley, with the club raising awareness to those all around Australia that 'no one should have to carry mental health issues alone'. 'Spud's message is really clear, you just have to share this stuff,' Stocker said.
