After dedicating years to living out his dream of playing rugby league, Tyrone Roberts believed he was well prepared for life after football.
Tyrone had built strong relationships, a supportive family and had always been a professional on and off the field. However, the transition out of rugby league proved more difficult than he ever imagined. Retirement brought a kind of uncertainty he wasn’t used to.
“When you finish your career and you’re transitioning out, it is a tough period,” Tyrone said.
“I know a lot of men would struggle. I didn’t think it was going to be so hard. It took about two or three months for me to find my feet. I call it the grey area. You don’t know what you want to do because you’ve put so much into rugby league.”
After 191 games across the NRL and Super League, Tyrone was determined to find his next purpose.
“I went into one community where there had been six suicides within 12 months,” Tyrone said.
“I’m thinking to myself, ‘How can I help this?’ Mental health was something big that was happening in that community, and I had no experience around mental health.”
Through the RLPA’s Past Player & Transition Program, Tyrone accessed education funding to complete a Mental Health First Aid course.
“It wasn’t until I did my Mental Health First Aid course that I realised, going through my career, the ups and downs, the losses, the wins, how I was affected and how my wife and kids were affected,” Tyrone said.
The course gave Tyrone the confidence and knowledge to pursue a new direction in his post-career
“I was scared to do it, but once I did it, I realised I was so glad and so happy that I did,” he said.
“It just opened my eyes to how I can be better in the community and make a change.”
Today, Tyrone works with the Aboriginal Medical Service Bulgarr Ngaru in Grafton, helping young people transition out of juvenile detention and supporting them to build positive futures.
“I work with young kids transitioning out of juvenile detention and helping them become a better person outside of that,” Tyrone said.
“It’s about showing them that’s not the life that’s for them and that they can make a choice.”
Without the support of the RLPA, Tyrone believes he may never have taken that step.
“Without Chris Houston and the team at the RLPA, I wouldn’t have done that mental health course,” he said.
“It wouldn’t have put me in the position I am now.”
