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Open Mike

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Scoopar said:
I grew up in Essendon and went to Essendon Tech. Pretty sure Mark "Wally" Eustice went to Essendon Tech after he left Essendon Primary School. He was about three years behind me at school. Brilliant junior footballer, well known in the Essendon District League, playing for Strathmore. He was destined to become a long term Essendon player, similar to Bomber Thompson who was another gun junior in the local league (Airport West) around the same era.
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Just to correct this, Mark went to Strathmore High. He left at the end of Year 11. Interestingly, despite growing up in Essendon, destined to play for the Bombers, he was a Carlton supporter.
 
That was brutal to watch. The courage it must have taken for him to share that on TV is pretty incredible.

Sheahan deserves kudos for handling it so well.
 

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craigos said:
When he was reading that diary entry, sh*t, just happened that I was cutting onions at the time but man that was just raw.
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What's sad is that there are plenty of blokes out there (ex-footy players and otherwise) in that 40-60 year old age range who probably either feel the same or have the same prospects or immediate future in life going forward. Whether it's through their own doing (drugs, alcohol, marriage break-up, unemployment) or just "slipping through the cracks", there'd be plenty out there in a similar position or frame of mind. Not really sure how you can prevent it, as most who don't know them or know their story would probably just dismiss guys like him as "losers" or "deadshits" and move along, but if you reach middle age and are alone or unemployed these days, and don't really have a clear skill or talent, or didn't really make the most of what you once had, the outlook can be pretty bleak.
 
That was a powerful interview to say the least and despite Mark's incredible lows I admire him for the way he's trying to turn his life around the best he can. It's clearly evident that he'll continue to battle these problems but I was very much in awe of his honesty and I must admit as someone who doesn't possess heavy knowledge on the topic of depression and mental illness I really felt like I was educated here and understand what it would be like to be a person suffering from a mental illness.

The issues facing Mark also reaffirm why we need to put things into perspective when following the footy. We're all very passionate about the game and love our respective teams but it all seems trivial when I saw Mark last night. No one could honestly say that they were not sympathetic for him. I wasn't on the verge of tears but I deeply felt for him but if this interview can help other sufferers like Mark and make the wider public aware and educated about mental illnesses and depression then I think the interview will have achieved its purpose.

The interview also made me think about Mitch Clark and some of the demons he has faced and is continually facing even as a professional footballer. The comparison in the support network from Mitch to Mark's playing days are paramount and I'm glad societal attitudes towards this issue have changed significantly and Mitch is in a far better place to handle depression unlike the days when Mark was playing sadly.

Mike handled the interview really well and didn't push him too hard or go overboard with the questions so credit to him as well for the way the interview was conducted overall. You could sense that he was strongly compassionate and sympathetic to Marks's issues.

I wish the man the best of luck for the future and hopefully he keeps going on the journey of rehabilitation. The fact that he's made it this far going cold turkey on drugs and alcohol is a credit to him.
 
mediumsizered said:
Just to correct this, Mark went to Strathmore High. He left at the end of Year 11. Interestingly, despite growing up in Essendon, destined to play for the Bombers, he was a Carlton supporter.
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Thanks for the correction. I wasn't entirely sure. There were quite a few good footballers out of the local primary schools, especially Essendon State school, that went to Essendon Tech and I thought he might have been one of them.
 
Damon_3388 said:
What's sad is that there are plenty of blokes out there (ex-footy players and otherwise) in that 40-60 year old age range who probably either feel the same or have the same prospects or immediate future in life going forward. Whether it's through their own doing (drugs, alcohol, marriage break-up, unemployment) or just "slipping through the cracks", there'd be plenty out there in a similar position or frame of mind. Not really sure how you can prevent it, as most who don't know them or know their story would probably just dismiss guys like him as "losers" or "deadshits" and move along, but if you reach middle age and are alone or unemployed these days, and don't really have a clear skill or talent, or didn't really make the most of what you once had, the outlook can be pretty bleak.
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Good post. I'd imagine that sense of feeling isolated or left behind would be made worse as we are constantly bombarded with images of so-called success - money, fame, houses, cars, holidays etc. - and some people can feel worthless if they haven't achieved those things. And sadly some people who do value those material things do view those left behind as worthless. To me it's similar to the way body image has been marketed, or even some of dodgier aspects of the "wellness" industry. Failing to live up to those standards (in many cases unreachable) can adversely impact the way people feel about themselves, and the way that they are treated.
 
Real good interview and kudos to Mark for being so open, honest and raw.

Bringing up Cousins was both predictable and cringe worthy. No need to go down that path, there was plenty of material to work with.
 
PastiesPeake said:
Real good interview and kudos to Mark for being so open, honest and raw.

Bringing up Cousins was both predictable and cringe worthy. No need to go down that path, there was plenty of material to work with.
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They also spoke about Mitch Clark.

I think it was relevant to raise both players. One from the depression side of things and the other from a post football drug dependancy side.
 
I disagree. Why single out Clark and Cousins? Well, we all know why, but what about the other 100 or so players that have drug addiction / depression issues?
 
PastiesPeake said:
I disagree. Why single out Clark and Cousins? Well, we all know why, but what about the other 100 or so players that have drug addiction / depression issues?
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Probably because they're "known" high-profile stories that can be easily referred to as an example, and a comparison between recent times and Eustace's playing days.
 

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I hadn't heard of this guy before I watched the interview and all I knew was that he battled addiction and bipolar disorder. I was expecting a Ben Cousins style "yeah I took a few drugs but i still have it all" type message. I did not expect such a raw, emotional and cut man.

When he was reading the diary entry it would've taken him back to those incredibly dark and tough times. And how he talked about all his relationships with people that had broken down and he said it was his own fault.

Full credit to him for continuing reading the diary even when Mike offered to spare him the suffering that he was obviously going through whilst reading it.

You've got to feel for the guy. He probably has to battle through this each and every day and it haunts him all the time. After watching the interview I felt a sense of emptiness that even though he is almost 3000 days clean, his life is still terrible (although much better these days).

This is the kind of video we should be showing young people to discourage drug use, not the Ben Cousins documentary.
 
garrydavis said:
You've got to feel for the guy. He probably has to battle through this each and every day and it haunts him all the time. After watching the interview I felt a sense of emptiness that even though he is almost 3000 days clean, his life is still terrible (although much better these days).
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Im not sure what would of happened if it wasn't for the help of Greg Williams and his wife while he was in rehab, if it wasn't for them he would of walked out of rehab and probably straight onto the streets.
 
I think Mike needs to interview Fred Cook.
And devote at least an hour to it on our screens.
He'd have some stories.
 
inamedthegiants Top call. Fred Cook would make the hair stand up on the back of the neck. Having lived through the Cook era, he was a massive name in Melbourne through the 70's and 80's. If he was prepared to discuss his involvement with Melbourne's 'under belly' it would be on the same level as Mark Eustice in terms of "How the hell did it get to that."
 

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Scoopar said:
inamedthegiants Top call. Fred Cook would make the hair stand up on the back of the neck. Having lived through the Cook era, he was a massive name in Melbourne through the 70's and 80's. If he was prepared to discuss his involvement with Melbourne's 'under belly' it would be on the same level as Mark Eustice in terms of "How the hell did it get to that."
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Have you read his book mate? I haven't, yet, saving it for my cruise at the end of the year.
If he could be half as honest and raw as Mark was this week...
 

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