This week’s episode of Behind the Roar features former NRL star Feleti Mateo who these days is doing a terrific job with Wests Tigers in wellbeing and education.
We talk about his stellar career, his struggles with depression, his unique playing style, his brief dash to London, and his willingness to help Polynesian players feel more connected with their culture.
Episode 23 of BTR will drop at 4pm on Wednesday and is available on Apple, Spotify and YouTube.
Mateo was one the NRL’s most gifted ball-playing forwards who played more than 200 games across 11 seasons.
When it came time to hang up the boots in 2016 he freely admits he struggled to cope with life beyond footy, finding himself in a dark place and suffering from depression.
He fought hard to regain his health and find happiness, coming out the other side to become a better person.
“ I knew I needed to reach out to someone when I was at Manly,” Mateo said.
It became clear I had some problems when I was driving to pre-season training and crying my eyes out all the way.
“It was a big wake up call for me and I started the process of getting help, talking about things, and eventually I started getting better day by day."
These days the former Tongan international is helping Wests Tigers to deliver a range of programs in wellness and education.
Makes sense doesn’t it. A player who is in a good space off the pitch, is more likely to perform better on the pitch.
“Because of my experiences I feel like I'm in a good place to be able to speak about it openly with people,” he said.
“The biggest thing for me now is like, realizing that everyone has their struggles, but if you talk about your struggles, you can normalize it.
I think the way I coped with my off-field struggles is more important than my on field success.
Feleti Mateo
It’s anything but a nine-to-five job for Mateo and his Wests Tigers wellbeing colleagues. It’s about being there whenever needed.
“We're there for the players 24 hours a day, seven days a week,” Mateo said.
“We are available by phone, whatever, each one of us. And if one of us can't get there, someone else will.”
Mateo says the challenge is to continue to change the stigma around mental health.
“Obviously we help people that have issues or struggles, but we are also in the positive space as well and we want to change the stigma around seeing a wellbeing person,” he said.
“A lot of people think if you walk into our office, it's because something's wrong but it’s not always the case.
“We're trying to help the guys in many different areas of their life.”
We encourage the players to understand that if they come to see us, it's a strength, not a weakness.
Feleti Mateo
“We point out that they’re coming to have a chat because they’re trying to better themselves, and that’s healthy.”
Mateo is also an advocate for connecting players with their culture, as Polynesian participation numbers grow exponentially.
“I definitely think more can be done in this space,” said Mateo.
"So many of our players want to learn more, and that’s to be encouraged.
When they’re more connected to their culture, they feel more empowered, they feel more identity.
Feleti Mateo
“Then they take that onto the field, you can only feel stronger, like you've got your cape on.
“Like you're ready to go, and you're representing your people, you know where you're from, your heritage, it's all combined in my opinion.”
All that and a whole lot more on this week’s Behind The Roar.
