Shaun Lane has known chronic depression his whole life.
Learning to make the best of a difficult situation has been the catalyst for his career-best form.
“My old man [Jeff Lane] has had chronic depression since he was four years old,” the Eels back-rower told the Herald.
“It’s been my whole life that he’s had that going on, so it’s my normal, to be honest. It’s part of our family.
“It’s sad to see him down, depressed or in a rut. But you understand and accept that all you can do is be there for him and be there to support him.
“Obviously, that’s played a huge part in my life and throughout my journey he’s still been there the whole way.
Eels back-rower Shaun Lane.Credit:Getty
“I’m very close to my family and that means so much to me. I understand the importance of being on top of your mental well-being.”
Rugby league has been the other constant for Lane and his family.
Jeff coached numerous junior sides including Lane and his siblings (older brother Brett played one game for the Bulldogs in 2012) in Matraville with mum Debbie often acting as team manager.
A collision of family and football has proved Lane’s making.
Having seen his father’s struggles at close quarters, the 27-year-old is a vocal advocate for mental health awareness and a keen student of human behaviour.
Lane is set to complete a graduate diploma in psychology at UNSW early next year, with honours or a master’s degree among his options down the track.
“Dad’s issues are probably the most significant factor in my studies and interest in psychology,” Lane said. “I had always been super-curious about how his mind worked comparatively with other people’s and why he was constantly sad.
“Other people could get over things. He couldn’t. It intrigued me about how people’s minds work.
Shaun Lane has come a long way between the ears since his early days with Canterbury and the Warriors.Credit:NRL Photos
“Then there were some other things I went through over in New Zealand [during a one-year stint at the Warriors in 2016]. I was quite down.
“I was allowing the negative thoughts and feelings to get to me, and I wasn’t performing. I didn’t have the mental skills to put up with what I had been thrust into. That made me more interested as well because it was personal and professional.
“The way I see these circumstances is as a tool to improve my own position in life.”
That year in New Zealand, spent in reserve grade, aside from 20 minutes off the Warriors’ bench in one match, had Lane homesick, miserable and wondering how much longer he would last in the game.
Coming out the other side of it, with the mental tools to survive a setback, has seen him improve every year since.
Shaun Lane’s prowess on Parramatta’s left edge has him in World Cup contention.Credit:Getty
Lane’s combination with Dylan Brown is arguably Parramatta’s most dangerous going into Friday’s grand final qualifier against North Queensland.
Thirteen line break assists, 34 offloads and an average of 129 running metres a game have Lane in contention for a World Cup touring spot with the Kangaroos.
The difference, after almost 150 NRL games, is all in the mind, with Lane now meditating before kick-off to keep his head in the here and now.
“I’ve done a lot of work with Andrew May; my psychology studies have seen him take quite an interest in me,” Lane said of the Eels’ mental skills coach and former performance manager in NSW and Australian cricket set-ups.
“I’ve gone and done presentations with him in his work outside Parramatta. I’ve spent days with him in his office. We text each other quite often. I see him as a bit of a mentor for me. I see myself going down a similar path working in sport with mental skills coaching.
“I’ve done a lot of work on my own thinking, a lot of meditating and a lot of journaling.
“It helps me stay on top of my emotions and my thoughts, process them and understand how to stay as focused, motivated and happy as possible.”
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