An honest Nat Fyfe has opened up on the mental demons that came with the string of injury setbacks while also offering a message of hope to come out of hitting “rock bottom”.
Fyfe stepped down as Fremantle captain last week after six seasons at the helm, having managed seven games for the Dockers in 2022 after an injury-interrupted campaign.
But as Fyfe revealed in a frank interview with ABC Summer Grandstand’s Ben Cameron, the injuries themselves were “just a small reflection of what was going on inside”.
In this case, Fyfe said he experienced anxiety and depression as he worked his way back from shoulder, back and hamstring injuries.
While admitting it was a “pretty grim” period, Fyfe also described it as “probably the most profound experience” of his adult life in a candid discussion on his difficult 2022 season.
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“I had a fair bit to deal with, I had a good hard look at some of the ailments that we all face as humans in life, in terms of anxiety, depression, and a bunch of those internal emotional things, which then came out as injuries,” Fyfe told ABC Summer Grandstand.
“I had the shoulder that failed, then I got an infection, then I did my back, then I did multiple hamstrings.
“Internally I was cooked, and I was just fighting my way through it and I just kept breaking down.
“So it was pretty grim, and I still would look in the mirror and sort of see the old me.
“I couldn’t quite relate with this new person yet, and when I was in that position and I still had a fair way to go as far as trying to figure things back out and getting that kind of internal energy system going again, so it was tough.”
Fyfe though was able to “come out the other side” and described it as the “most profound teaching environment”, having learned a lot about himself as a person away from the field.
“That space was, as I said, the most profound teaching environment,” Fyfe said.
“You can go through that, find resilience out of it, come out the other side, I feel like that’s the juice I now need for the back end of my career.
“The past accolades were getting stale, there’s only so long that you can parrot that you’re a two-time Brownlow Medallist from years ago, they were starting to get stale and I had no juice and motivation out of them.
“So a good hard look at rock bottom has fired me back up again.”
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Fyfe also opened up on his initial reluctancy to transition into the forward line and how he came to embrace a “beginner mindset” that now has him ready for the late career change.
“Father time is undefeated,” he said.
“[My body] started to not be able to handle those loads anymore so I had to figure out a way and I am figuring out a way to evolve.
“It was working out how to connect with your training at the time when you can’t get the absolute most out of it and let go of the guilt that comes with not being able to train. I am on a journey with that.
“Kicking and screaming the universe has dragged me into that next phase where I am now a forward. I was stuck for a while there still trying to be what I was. We all cling to our past at times.
“I now feel like I am open that I have got that beginner mindset again. I am ready to learn of anyone and everyone that can teach me something. Jye Amiss is teaching me something about goal kicking at the moment — a second-year player.
“Cerebral is the right word. Overthink is another way of putting it. It is a great strength when I get it all lined up but it can tear me apart when it doesn’t quite work.”
If you or someone you know needs help, contact Beyond Blue on 1300 224 636 or Lifeline on 13 11 14. RUOK? is a suicide prevention charity that aims to start life-changing conversations
