Michael Hooper offers candid reflection of past three months and his mental health journey
Former Wallabies captain Michael Hooper has opened up about the mental demons that led to the champion flanker taking almost three months’ personal leave.
He’s Australia’s longest-serving Wallabies captain and only four-time player of the year but Michael Hooper is offering no promises ahead of his impending return from a near-three-month mental health break.
Speaking for the first time since dramatically exiting the Wallabies camp on the eve of Australia’s opening Rugby Championship fixture against the Pumas in early August, Hooper revealed he’d sought “all types” of help from family, friends, sports therapists and professional counsellors.
In a candid interview, the ironman flanker said that wasn’t easy.
“As a younger man, I viewed asking for help as, I guess, a bit of a weakness. You want to feel like you have it all worked out and I certainly didn’t,” Hooper said ahead of the Wallabies’ spring-tour opening Test against Scotland on Saturday.
The 30-year-old singled out his wife Kate for her unwavering support, admitting he’d struggled to balance the demands of being a new father with life as a travelling rugby star.
“I’ve been playing the game for a long time, had some great changes in my life happen this year and there were a lot of things running through my head showing up in Argentina, and Argentina wasn’t the place where I needed to sort these things out,” he said.
“I wanted to be around family. I wanted to be in a place where I could put the time in to those things that I needed to put in.
“That doesn’t mean that I’m sitting here now completely cured. It’s not like that at all. At that point in time, I needed to be somewhere else. That wasn’t Argentina.
“I know that’s quite vague but, yeah, I’m still getting my head around it. It’s not that long ago.”
Telling Wallabies coach Dave Rennie he wanted out was among the most difficult conversations Hooper has endured in his decorated 121-Test career.
“I have high expectations of myself and pulling out of a game is certainly right up there with something I couldn’t see myself doing. Of course it was hard,” he said.
“It came around suddenly … the beautiful thing about rugby and the hard thing about all sport is there’s always the next goal so that you can move on and you can move on quick.
“It was probably exacerbated being overseas away from home but certainly where I’m at, in my career and things like that, you start to look at post-rugby. I’ve got a family now.
“So there’s a lot (more) elements now than being a 22-year-old and pretty much being concerned about yourself and I think that played into it.”
Hooper feels grateful to be living in an era where mental health is more openly spoken about.
“I’ll look back on this period and going through it, it’s a part of life. It’s part of being human, all this stuff, a great time in my life,” he said.
The 64-Test Wallabies captain said he was 100 per cent behind new skipper James Slipper and that regaining the leadership was the least of his concerns ahead of his planned comeback in Europe.
While acknowledging playing in a third World Cup next year was a massive lure, even that is not a given as Hooper focuses solely on simply enjoying playing the game again.
“I’m excited. I’m excited to be back – at this stage. I’m also realistic knowing that last time I was in here it didn’t quite work out,” said the champion No.7.
“So I’m back putting myself in this position because I want to be here. I’ve got some great support around me and I’m realistic that there’s going to be some really good days, and days that the realities of travel and rugby and stuff are difficult.
“But I think that’s part of the whole journey. Part of doing what we do is that whole rollercoaster.”
Comments on RugbyPass
Bar the injuries, it’s pretty much their top team …
2 Go to commentsDon’t disagree with much of this but it appears you forgot Rodda and Beale, who started at the Force on the weekend.
9 Go to commentsExcept for the injured Zach Gallagher this would be Saders best forward pack for the season. Blackadder needs to stay at 7, for all of Christies tackling he is not dominant and offers very little else. McNicholfullback is maybe a good option, Fihaki not really upto it, there was a reason Burke played there last year. Maybe Havilli to 2nd five McLeod to wing. Need a strong winger on 1 side to compliment Reece
1 Go to commentsTo me TJ is clearly the best 9 in the competition right now but he's also a proven player off the bench, there's few playmaking players who can come off the bench as calm and settled as he is, Beauden can, TJ can and I doubt any of the scrumhalves in contention can, if they want to experiment with new 9s I want him on the bench ready to step in if they crumble under the pressure. The Boks put their best front row on the bench, I'd like to see us take a similar approach, the Hurricanes have been doing similar things with players like Kirifi.
35 Go to commentsROG has better chance to win a WC if he starts training and make himself eligible as a player. He won’t make the Ireland squad but I reckon he may get close with Namibia (needs to improve his Afrikaans) or Portugal. Both sides had 1000:1 odds to win the RWC in 2023 which is an improvement on ROG’s odds of winning a RWC as a coach. Unlike Top 14 teams, national teams can’t go shopping and buy the best players - you work with the available talent pool and turn them into world beaters.
2 Go to commentsthat backline nope that backline is terrible why would you have sevu Reece when he’s not even top 5 wingers in the comp why have Blackadder when there’s better players no Scott barret isn’t an automatic the guy is more of a liability than anything why have him there when you have samipeni who’s far far better
35 Go to commentsAh, good to find you Nick. Agree with everything about Cale. So much to like about his game
49 Go to commentsNot too bad. Questions at 6, lock and HB for me. The ABs will be a lot stronger once Jordan and Roigard return. Also, work needs to be made to secure Frizzell back for next season and maybe also Mo’unga; they’re just wasting time playing in japan
35 Go to commentsOn the title, i wonder for many of those people it is a case something like a belief in working smarter, not harder?
1 Go to commentsForget Sotutu. One of those whose top level is Super Rugby. Id take a punt on Wallace Sititi Finau ahead of Glass body Blackadder.
35 Go to commentsI’m a pensioner so I've been around a bit. My opinion of SBW is he is an elite athlete and a great New Zealander and roll model. He has been to the top and knows what he's talking about. To all the negative comments regarding SBW the typical New Zealand way, cut that tall poppy down.
17 Go to commentsI'm not listening to a guy moralise over others when this is the guy who walked out mid season on Canterbury RLFC when he had a contract with them, what a hypocrite. All the Kiwis sticking up for this unprincipled individual because they can't accept justified criticism, he has zero credibility or integrity. Those praising him are a joke.
17 Go to commentsI’d put Finau at 6 instead of Blackadder but that’s the only change I’d make. Can’t wait to see who Razor picks.
35 Go to commentsTamati Williams, Codie Taylor, and Same Cane? Not sure about Hoskins Sotutu at test level. Wasn’t that impressive last season. Need a balance between experience and talent/youth.
35 Go to commentsInteresting insight. Fantastic athlete, and a genuine human being.
17 Go to commentsThey played at night in Suva last weekend and it’s an afternoon game forecast for 19 degrees in Canberra this weekend. Heat change is a non issue.
2 Go to commentsWishing Rosie a speedy recovery
1 Go to commentsObscene that SA haven’t been knocking
1 Go to commentsChances of Blackadder being injured seem too high to give him serious consideration. ABs loosie combination finally looked good with 2 committed to tackling and clearing rucks in the centre and Ardie roaming. Hoskins/Ardie together would force one of them into where they don’t excel and don’t get to use their talent, or require a change in tactics. If we continue to evolve last years systems I would take Papali’i and Finau at 6 and 7 (conceding that Blackadder will be injured) and Ardie at 8.
35 Go to commentsArdie’s preferred position 7? Where do they get these writers from? I've no idea where he's playing in Japan, but the previous two seasons he wore the 7 jersey exactly twice.
18 Go to comments