St Kilda forward Tim Membrey has revealed he hid the full extent of his mental health battle from teammates last year before his shock late withdrawal from an AFL elimination final in September.
Six months on, Membrey has spoken publicly for the first time about his struggles and the "personal health matter" that prevented him from playing in the Saints' season-ending loss to Greater Western Sydney.
The 29-year-old did not delve into the specifics of that experience in a video posted on St Kilda's website and social media channels on Thursday, but said he had been struggling for some time and had resisted pleas from his wife, Emily, to get help.
Membrey has since spent time prioritising his mental health and trained with St Kilda's main group throughout the pre-season in a strong preparation for the year ahead.
He is now "coming out the other side" of his mental health battle and "in a really good headspace" as he readies himself to feature in St Kilda's round-one clash with Geelong on March 16.
"Last year, obviously, didn't end the way I wanted it to end," Membrey said in the six-minute video.
"Looking back on it now, it's something that I had been probably dealing with for a long time, and putting a mask on at times as well.
"I didn't know how to deal with what I was going through and who to speak to, who to trust.
"My wife certainly knew what was going on, and she was pushing me to get help, but at the same time, you know, push as hard as you want, but I just didn’t really know what to do.
"I didn’t know how to get help or whatever, so I had to get on top of it pretty quickly and yeah, thank God I did."
Membrey's mental health deteriorated while injuries limited him to seven games during the 2023 home-and-away season.
The 160-game forward said he is grateful for the support of his family - Emily and the couple's two daughters, Wren and Beau - as well as his St Kilda teammates and coaches.
"Probably the toughest thing when I look back on the whole experience is with the girls going through it all," Membrey said.
"You get yourself in a headspace and you're not really thinking at times.
"Emily has been a great support my whole life, really. I wouldn't be here today if it wasn't for her. She's just unbelievable."
Membrey is now focused on his mental health and encouraged others to get help if they are struggling.
"My biggest thing now is, 'Just take the mask off and just be who you want to be'," he said.
"People are going to judge you, people are going to say things about you or whatever.
"But the happiest you'll ever be is when you can just be happy in your own skin, be proud of what you've done (and) be proud of what you've been through.
"And if you're in a good headspace, you're happy, you've got people around you that you love and are close to ... for me, now, that's really all that matters."
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