Rugby league legend Johnathan Thurston has opened up on the death of his former coach Paul Green, and urged people to be more open about their feelings and mental health issues. Green, the former North Queensland coach who also led Queensland in State of Origin, died last week at the age of 49.
He was found dead at his Brisbane home and it has subsequently been confirmed that Green took his own life. Thurston has openly challenged people to be more vocal if they are struggling with their mental wellbeing, and says that society needs to be able to talk about their worries in light of Green's death.
An extremely emotional Thurston told Channel 9's 100% Footy: “Mental health has really come to the forefront the last 10-15 years. Before that it was an era of ‘she’ll be right, mate’. Well it won’t be right! It’s not going to be right.
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“We need to be there for our mates and get them to talk about their feelings and what they’re going through and (get them to) seek professional help if they need it. The days are gone of ‘she’ll be right’, of suicide taking far too many lives in this country. We need to be able to talk about it.”
Thurston was visibly distressed when asked about Green and fought back tears as he admitted: “Rollercoaster of emotions. It’s hard.. I’m sad, I’m angry. I think of Amanda (Green’s wife) and the kids. It just breaks my heart.
“He was still like the rock for everyone else. He was saying, ‘Give me a call if you need to chat. You’ve got so much to live for. You’ve got health, family, kids’.
“So it just doesn’t make sense.”
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