Latest news with #WesternBulldogs
News.com.au
a day ago
- Health
- News.com.au
Bulldogs star Rory Lobb opens up on overcoming bullying
As a boy, Rory Lobb would often pretend to be sick so he could stay home from school and avoid the bullies that tormented him. 'I had a lot of anxiety to go to school,' the AFL star recalls. 'Mum was always wondering what was wrong with me, but it was actually nothing. 'I'd literally sit at home all day and eat.' The Western Bulldogs swingman, who grew up in Perth, left school at 14 after verbal and physical harassment left him feeling'very depressed'. 'It was just really hard on me,' he said. Australia is in the grips of a mental health crisis, and people are struggling to know who to turn to, especially our younger generations. Can We Talk? is a News Corp awareness campaign, in partnership with Medibank, equipping Aussies with the skills needs to have the most important conversation of their life. Lobb worked as a painter, builder and machine operator, and was picked up by Greater Western Sydney in the 2013 draft. Later, he joined Fremantle before signing on with the Dogs ahead of the 2023 season. Now, he is encouraging people to speak up as part of News Corp's Can We Talk? campaign, in partnership with Medibank. Lobb urged others facing challenging times to share with loved ones, or a mental health professional. 'The more that you speak out about it and don't internalise … the better you'll be,' he said. 'In a way I'm subject to bullying these days on social media. 'Throughout my career I've found ways to combat that and speaking to people, having a really good relationship at home with my partner Lexi, and also having really good people around, I feel like has really helped me. 'Now, I don't really suffer from anxiety anymore.' He said his struggles as a youngster helped him build the resilience he carries now. The 32-year-old, who stands at more than 2m tall and has reinvented himself as a key defender in recent years,said he focused on being in the moment. 'I really enjoy going into work and hanging out with my teammates,' he said. 'The 'Doggies' (club) is just amazing for me … they're very supportive with everything I do.' Lobb has opened up to club psychologists and also has 'really good relationships' with his coaches. Known for his wild and ever-changing hairstyles, the cult figure said he brushed off negative comments on social media and focused on his inner circle. 'In the media I might be perceived as a little bit loud and out there, but I like my own time,' he said. 'I like to spend time with my family and friends.' Lobb is due to marry influencer fiancee Lexi Mary, who he said had been 'so amazing' for him, in October. Mary, who has more than 44,000 TikTok followers,also blocks out the noise from trolls online. 'I used to get a lot of negative comments, particularly when Rory was going through his trade saying that I was forcing him to move to a different club,' she said. 'That was a lot for me to take on. 'I feel like people just automatically think they know you and think they can comment on you and how you speak and your appearance. 'I just really try and focus on the people in my inner circle who do know me, and know within myself that I'm a kind person. 'I wouldn't let someone get to me who can hide behind a fake burner account.'
Daily Mail
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Footy heartthrob Bailey Smith reveals why his famous sixpack hurt his mental health as he opens up about turning to alcohol and needing professional help after break-up
Bailey Smith has revealed that the pressure to keep his Instagram-famous sixpack was one factor in an avalanche of stress that hit him so hard he ended up spending six weeks getting professional help in a mental health facility. The 24-year-old has had a torrid 12 months as he battled through a serious knee injury, endured a relationship break-up and dealt with the fallout from his switch to Geelong after spending the first five years of his career with the Western Bulldogs. Smith confessed he turned to alcohol while he 'fell into a bad spiral' after doing his knee and breaking up with his girlfriend of two years, Gemma Dawkins, last August. His high-profile split with the Dogs added fuel to the fire as fans turned on him and drove a wedge between him and his old teammates while the injury made it impossible for him to use footy as a 'mask'. 'When you have to sit with yourself and be your own source of entertainment, fulfillment, stimulation, that's when I had to look inward and realise, "S**t, I am pretty f***ed up and I need to sort my s**t out,' he told the Real Stuff podcast. 'I got into some bad ways going flat-out after my knee [injury] and getting on the p**s and being an idiot, which we all do, but that's my coping mechanism. 'I really had to look inward ... that's when I found out that f***, there's nothing much to look inward here, other than a bit of a s**t storm.' Adding that he 'lost a lot of relationships' over his move to Geelong, the Cats star revealed he spent the six weeks at the facility seeing psychologists every day and meditating. 'There were multiple times where I thought [this is] rock bottom but then you find out rock bottom keeps going for a bit.' Footy fans who follow Smith on Instagram are used to seeing him flaunt his enviable physique - but if they reckon it's a source of pride and joy for him, they're wrong. 'It's hard, because I get this recognition for how you look and Instagram following for how I look, not football initially,' he said. 'It's hard not to attach your identity to that and self-worth and worry about how many abs you've got and all that sort of bulls**t. 'It got a bit poisoned by feeling like I was doing it to live up to the expectations of others and not because I loved fitness and exercise.' Smith explained he's 'never been more content and at peace than I am now' after relocating to a 15-acre property near Geelong, where he can 'sit and be zen'. His Bulldogs split was the talk of the AFL in the lead-up to last Thursday's clash with the Cats, which Geelong won. Smith stirred the pot ahead of the match by taking a shot at the Dogs for playing in front of just 5000 spectators when they took on Port Adelaide in Ballarat last month. He apologised to Ballarat locals by arranging for more than 2000 cans of grog to be handed out for free in one of the town's bottle shops. Smith was in hot water after the Cats' win when he talked about the possibility of celebrating a win with a few 'nose beers' - slang for cocaine - in a comment on Instagram. One follower asked the midfielder if he'd had 'nose beers after the game mate?'. Smith responded by writing 'na bro, after the flag maybe tho', with the comment coming after he admitted he was holding a bag containing a white powered drug in a photo that went viral after the 2021 season. That saw him get slammed by AFL CEO Andrew Dillon. 'We are talking with Geelong and talking with Bailey and we wouldn't want to see it again,' Dillon said. 'He delivered the comments, he put up an apology and I absolutely don't condone it. Drug use is a serious thing and shouldn't be joked about. 'If he has time again, I'm not sure he'd do it.' However, AFL Players Association boss Paul Marsh cautioned the league against overreacting. 'I took it as something that was tongue-in-cheek,' Marsh said. 'Maybe [given his] time again he wouldn't do it but at the same time we don't want to take down a guy for actually showing personality.' Smith's split with Gemma Dawkins came after he first confirmed their romance in May 2022. The couple made their public debut at 2023 Derby Day in Melbourne.
Sydney Morning Herald
4 days ago
- Health
- Sydney Morning Herald
‘A bad spiral': Bailey Smith opens up on the panic attacks, mental health struggles that led him to seek help
Geelong star Bailey Smith has laid bare his struggles with anxiety and his efforts to restore his mental health after he fell into 'quite a bad spiral' during his recovery from a serious knee injury last year. In a revealing and rare interview, the 24-year-old who has started his Cats career in brilliant form, opened up on the professional and personal support he received after falling to rock bottom and realising the need to 'sort my shit out'. 'I fell into quite a bad spiral where I had my knee [injury]. I did not have the mask of footy and all of that sort of stuff to really distract me from what was going on internally,' Smith said. 'When you have to sit with yourself and be your own source of entertainment, fulfillment [and] stimulation, that's when to look inward and realise, 'Shit I am pretty f----- up and I need to sort my shit out'.' Smith was speaking on the Real Stuff podcast, which goes to air on Wednesday, as an ambassador for Stuff That Matters. One of the most marketable stars in the game said he had struggled with his mental health since he was a teenager, but it had taken him a long time to seek the support he needed. 'I still see my psych to this day and worked on those new routines and new habits in terms of meditation and ways to look inward. It was a pretty tough time,' Smith said. Smith has often been in the spotlight since his trade from the Western Bulldogs to the Cats, in part because of provocative comments in television interviews or on social media, but he said his public image did not make him immune from mental health issues. He was willing to talk about his experiences to de-stigmatise conversations about emotional wellbeing.
The Age
4 days ago
- Health
- The Age
‘A bad spiral': Bailey Smith opens up on the panic attacks, mental health struggles that led him to seek help
Geelong star Bailey Smith has laid bare his struggles with anxiety and his efforts to restore his mental health after he fell into 'quite a bad spiral' during his recovery from a serious knee injury last year. In a revealing and rare interview, the 24-year-old who has started his Cats career in brilliant form, opened up on the professional and personal support he received after falling to rock bottom and realising the need to 'sort my shit out'. 'I fell into quite a bad spiral where I had my knee [injury]. I did not have the mask of footy and all of that sort of stuff to really distract me from what was going on internally,' Smith said. 'When you have to sit with yourself and be your own source of entertainment, fulfillment [and] stimulation, that's when to look inward and realise, 'Shit I am pretty f----- up and I need to sort my shit out'.' Smith was speaking on the Real Stuff podcast, which goes to air on Wednesday, as an ambassador for Stuff That Matters. One of the most marketable stars in the game said he had struggled with his mental health since he was a teenager, but it had taken him a long time to seek the support he needed. 'I still see my psych to this day and worked on those new routines and new habits in terms of meditation and ways to look inward. It was a pretty tough time,' Smith said. Smith has often been in the spotlight since his trade from the Western Bulldogs to the Cats, in part because of provocative comments in television interviews or on social media, but he said his public image did not make him immune from mental health issues. He was willing to talk about his experiences to de-stigmatise conversations about emotional wellbeing.
Daily Mail
5 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Footy firebrand Kane Cornes defends himself over 'ridiculous' report on fiery Luke Beveridge exchange
Polarising Channel Seven footy commentator Kane Cornes has called out Fox Footy for a report it did on his fiery exchange with Luke Beveridge last Thursday night in Geelong. Cornes already had a frosty relationship with the Western Bulldogs coach - and the relationship didn't get any better after the pair exchanged words at the GMHBA Stadium. The former Port Adelaide star revealed at the beginning of the month that he has been banned from entering the Bulldogs' changing room while conducting his broadcasting duties for Channel 7. The reason for the ban is still unclear but Cornes has in the past questioned whether Beveridge, who won a premiership in his second season with the Doggies, is the right man for the job. Cornes later said he didn't have an issue with the coach's reaction after the pair clashed, but he wasn't happy with how Fox Footy reporter Jon Ralph covered the incident. 'Cornes was already banned from the Dogs' rooms after a series of negative articles and comments in regards to Beveridge,' Ralph said in his report. 'The club believes it's personal – called him a 'poor ambassador for his football club', called for his sacking repeatedly. 'People around the situation felt like Cornes stepped into his space and they're thankful that Beveridge did walk on. Cornes said Beveridge was 'starting quite strongly at him', so he said 'G'day Bevo' – and it wasn't received well.' 'The question here is whether this is deliberately disrespectful and antagonistic, whether it was the time and the space for Cornes to talk to Beveridge. 'It'll be great for the Cornes publicity machine, but I think Beveridge in a really highly emotional state in what he would believe to be a safe space pre-match dealing with all the issues he faced with the Bailey Smith saga, this was not the time and the place and felt like he was specifically baited from someone who the club had already banned. 'Certainly an unnecessary and sorry saga that continues between Cornes and Beveridge.' Speaking about the issue on The Agenda Setters, Cornes called for Ralph to apologise for saying he encroached into Beveridge's space. 'I read that too and it was ridiculous,' Cornes said. 'I think it's important as your journalist to have your integrity intact and the last thing you want to do is mislead and misrepresent an incident that went down and you want to get both sides of what happened. 'What Jon Ralph said there is embarrassing, he misled and misrepresented what happened, and all he had to do was check the vision before he wanted to run a narrative that suited him for the benefit of his channel and himself. 'I thought those comments were really ordinary. I have not heard from Jon, I would have expected an apology off the back of that, but all he had to do was ring me and asked me what happened or look at the vision and not take the word of the Western Bulldogs word for word before he went with that.' Another angle of the controversial incident was shown on the program, which clearly showed Cornes only moving towards Beveridge after the coach had walked past. 'Where have I encroached on the space?' Cornes asked.
