When retired St George Illawarra Dragons rugby league player Dan Hunt was diagnosed with bipolar II disorder, he felt "the weight of the world" lifted off his broad shoulders.
He is now on a mission to make sure that even the most masculine of men know it is okay to cry, and it is not weak to speak.
Hunt has lived in the intense and challenging sporting environment of professional rugby league for eight years, in a career spanning 150 first grade games for the St George Illawarra Dragons.
But beneath the famous red V jersey was a man wondering why his moods fluctuated so much.
"I got used to wearing that mask, but it hit rock bottom when I missed the 2010 grand final because of a ruptured Achilles tendon," Hunt said.
"It came to a head, and [coach] Wayne Bennett could see I was struggling and he said I needed to find some help.
Everything happens for a reason, and my career's been cut short with the knee injury, but my new passion and what I'm doing now feels like something I was always meant to do.
Dan Hunt, retired rugby league player and NRL mental health ambassador
"I didn't listen, as a lot of people don't."
It wasn't until The Black Dog Institute presented a seminar to Dragons players at training that Hunt went home, took a questionnaire and saw the list of warning signs.
"There were a lot of red flags that came up, and that, on top of what I was feeling, and what my friends had seen, it was quite confronting," he said.
He drove to Sydney for a full day of consultations at the Black Dog Institute and walked out diagnosed with bipolar II disorder — a form of bipolar that causes hypomania and depression, but no manic episodes.
"I thought it would be a death sentence, but I walked out with the weight of the world lifted off my shoulders," he said.
"It made a lot of things make sense and explained the way I was feeling the way I was.
"It also gave me the tools to educate myself about mental health and make sure I'm doing the right things to make sure I'm mentally healthy."
PHOTO: Dan Hunt runs the ball for the Dragons during the round five NRL match between St George Illawarra and the Brisbane Broncos in Wollongong in 2010. (Renee McKay, file photo: AAP Image/Action Photographics)
For Hunt, his experience with mental illness ignited a passion that he followed during his football career, and one that has now turned into his profession.
The 29-year-old studied at TAFE and the University of Wollongong and is now a qualified social worker, employed by the NRL and the Dragons in welfare and ambassador roles.
"Everything happens for a reason, and my career's been cut short with the knee injury, but my new passion and what I'm doing now feels like something I was always meant to do," he said.
"It's a problem not just in league, but in society — men feel like they have to be this masculine, tough guy.
"If you start talking about your problems or cry, you're seen as weak."
It's education — people don't want to deal with things they don't know about because it makes them uncomfortable.
Dan Hunt, retired rugby league player and NRL mental health ambassador
Hunt's job as a mental health ambassador with the NRL is to make sure that even the toughest of rugby league players know it takes a stronger person to ask for help.
"I know that's why I didn't come out — I didn't want to be looked on as a weak," Hunt said.
"I talk in schools now and kids come and tell me their stories and I know we're talking about the right things.
"You can open cans of worms, so you have to have things in place to link people to the help they need."
PHOTO: Dragons prop Dan Hunt is congratulated by team-mates after scoring a try against the Eels in the round 25 NRL game at Sydney's Olympic stadium in 2008. (Mark Nolan: Getty Images)
Hunt said he didn't come back to his team and announce he had a mental illness, but many of his friends knew what he was going through.
He said players were reluctant to talk about something that might make them uncomfortable.
"Some people don't know how to deal with it or handle it, so they don't bring it up, whereas others ask how things are going," he said.
"It's education — people don't want to deal with things they don't know about because it makes them uncomfortable."
Hunt retired from professional rugby league this year and said what he learnt during his career had helped him with the transition into life off the sporting field.
"So many people need help in this area [of mental health], and I know through my experiences and the tools I've learnt, I can make a difference," he said.
"As long as we're all rowing in the same direction, things will get better with mental illness and mental health and it won't always be about the negative connotations with it."
