November 10, 2022
“It’s okay to not be okay – but you can always reach out to someone.”
Rugby league legend Greg Inglis shared this important message to an eager bunch of young footballers during his “Goanna Academy” visit to Kingaroy on Thursday.
The former Maroons and Indigenous All Stars captain, Kangaroo and Clive Churchill Medal winner was brought to the South Burnett with the support of the Toowoomba Hospital Foundation.
He began by shepherding a series of free skills and drills workshops for young players from teams across the region.
There were just 200 places which were quickly snapped up when bookings opened.
Eight skills stations were set up around T.J. O’Neill Oval with small groups moving from one to another.
Representatives from the Dolphins, NRL and QRL were also on hand to help out.
There was also plenty of time for the youngsters (and their parents) to pose with Greg for photographs and collect autographs.
After this, Greg gathered a group of players aged from 12-17 for a special talk inside the Red Ants Clubhouse.
He shared some more important skills, this time about life.
Greg talked about his ups and downs, from his years wagging school in NSW to the expectations put on him during his famous career.
And he didn’t shy away from his visits to rehab, describing his waves of emotion and the “mask” he felt he needed to wear at times.
What people saw when they looked at him, and how he felt inside, were often two different things.
But things changed when he reached out for help.
Greg said one-in-four people would experience mental illness during their lifetime.
He now wanted to break the stigma that surrounded mental health issues.
“This is why I am here today, and why I started the Goanna Academy,” he said.
After talking with the young footballers, Greg began another session discussing mental health issues, this time sharing his story with the players’ parents.
