Great article on Heath Black

[plugger66]

In todays Age there is a great article on Heath Black. Have no idea how to link it. Maybe someone else can.

[stkildathunda]

Hell and Black - http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/h ... 1wfrg.html

[BigMart]

As I reported in 2003 I came into contact with Heath at a pub where he caused a scene with his family, surprising that Steve Lawrence was there, and making a C*** of himself...their behaviour was despicable, it goes someway to explaing an extrordinay run of events...which few could believe....

I thought he and Lawrence were easily the biggest tools I had ever come across

[whiskers3614]

What about you BM.
would you like to have dinner with Kozi and BJ?
View RCH appeal thread for details.

[Old Mate]

Come across lawrence at a bar in Thailand with some other players. Absolute tool. He pissed all through the pub....Big Frase not much better.

[whiskers3614]

Amazing how many of our "idols" have feet of clay.
15 minutes of fame turns some into monsters.

Having said that I have had the pleasure of talking to a true legend in Kevin Murray on quite a few occasions, modern day players have a lot to learn from blokes like Kev!

[Old Mate]

Some cant handle their piss....lawrence, Big Frase, M Voss, Hodgy. All dills on the turps. Lenny on the other hand is champ on and off the field.

[BigMart]

I only idolise a couple (harves, Burke, Lenny, Bally)..... I have no doubt plenty are seriously good blokes (from the contact I've had wit Koz, he is a beauty)

Respect all of them when it comes to kicking a Sherrin..... But they are only humans, not special beings

[whiskers3614]

Not met any of current batch but Kozi comes across like a big down to earth country kid, he ia big part of me wanting to get that auction thingy.
At the risk of offending anyone on here:Luke Ball's actions post GF 2010 endeared him to me as much as his courage on the field ever did!

[evertonfc]

Kosi was holding court the other night at Riva in St Kilda quite impressively. A couple of girls did their best to win his favour but he's a taken man and politely let them know. A bit better than what I usually see our boys get up to.

[whiskers3614]

Pleasing!

[Con Gorozidis]

Pretty amazing if HB was living in his car and trying to play AFL footy.
Thats just crazy.

[The Redeemer]

Kosi was holding court the other night at Riva in St Kilda quite impressively. A couple of girls did their best to win his favour but he's a taken man and politely let them know. A bit better than what I usually see our boys get up to.

Regardless of his on-field exploits Kosi always comes across as a genuine good person.

[hungry for a premiership]

Bi-Polar is a really tragic thing, because it cause those who have it to be misunderstood. They can be complete and utter a@#holes, which makes people think they are no good people, when on the other hand they can be quite lovely people. It's sad, because often the people wiht bi-polar dont even know they have it themselves.

And it's not like being a Ben Cousins ice addict. Bi-polar people have absolutely no choice whatsoever in their turning into monsters, whereas drug addicts do have a degree of choice

[Ralphy]

Kosi was holding court the other night at Riva in St Kilda quite impressively. A couple of girls did their best to win his favour but he's a taken man and politely let them know. A bit better than what I usually see our boys get up to.

Regardless of his on-field exploits Kosi always comes across as a genuine good person.

no.

[The Redeemer]

Kosi was holding court the other night at Riva in St Kilda quite impressively. A couple of girls did their best to win his favour but he's a taken man and politely let them know. A bit better than what I usually see our boys get up to.

Regardless of his on-field exploits Kosi always comes across as a genuine good person.

no.

Go look for some more graves you weirdo.

[Dan Warna]

good article, might be the first auto biography I buy since Bangers (which incidently I thought was poorly crafted, love the man, but the book was a bit of merch fluff)

I loved HB, then hated him. Had no respect for him as a player at the end.

That said having gone through a lot of relationship problems in the last 5 years, I know how it can mess with your life.

[Moods]

Have heard very few ppl say good things about Black - this article explained to a large degree why that was/is the case.

It's a hard one - not every person who has bi-polar can be an arsehole. Unless you're an expert in the field though, it's hard to know just how much he had absolutely no control over his behaviour. Now that he's recognised it and is being treated for it (I assume) the next phase of his life will be very telling. If he's caught pissed punching on again, I suspect it's all a smokescreen for just another bloke who can't handle his grog. He appears to have pulled himself together though, so good luck to him

[saintbrat]

Heath is on AFL 360 this evening..

[skeptic]

Bipolar doesn't change someone's personality unless they become manic with psychotic features and i doubt that was the case for HB

the "tool" behavior was personality

[saintbrat]

http://www.foxsports.com.au/afl/black-o ... 5914646252

[plugger66]

Bipolar doesn't change someone's personality unless they become manic with psychotic features and i doubt that was the case for HB

the "tool" behavior was personality

Is that a medical diagnosis?

[BigMart]

That wood be true...

Bi-polar is a disorder which effect mood stability due to chemical imbalances.....it has little to do with a persons general personality, which involves character traits which are usually learned.

Bi-polar sufferers can experience extremes of emotion and have little control over It, without drug therapy.

[saintbrat]

FEATURE – DR. JODI RICHARDSON

Black from the brink

Former player Heath Black is telling his own cautionary tale, writes Dr Jodi Richardson.

IN FOOTBALL, players can make their reputations for right and wrong reasons. Heath Black is one for whom both is true.
Formerly a Docker and Saint known for his penetrating left foot and agility, Black's AFL career spanned 12 years.
It was after leaving professional football that his life began to spiral downwards as undiagnosed mental health conditions and a growing dependence on alcohol led him down a dark path that cost him dearly.
He was arrested several times, lost his marriage and lost job opportunities.
After a series of misdiagnoses, he was finally diagnosed in 2011 with both bipolar II and adult attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and has spent the past year working to regain his health and rebuild his life.
Black recognised that something wasn't right with his mental health at the age of 22 – 10 years ago – but did nothing about it.
The past 12 months have been tough for Black and his new-found health is the result of many influences. A few in particular stand out.
Having been correctly diagnosed he now has appropriate medication.
Black works hard to maintain a daily routine of getting plenty of sleep, yoga, massage, relaxation techniques and a healthy diet.
He describes what he has to do now as requiring more work than training for and playing AFL footy.
Perhaps the most healing experience of all for Black was writing a memoir to share his story with others.
Written with Lisa Holland-McNair, "Black" is a raw account of living with undiagnosed mental illness.
Symptoms of anger and paranoia and a dependence on alcohol were a dangerous mix and resulted in Black landing himself in life-threatening situations.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
http://www.insidefootballonline.com/richardson.html

[saintspremiers]

So the whole time Black was at the Saints and prior to that Freo neither team was able to get him help.

I'd like to think that when at the Saints the issues would've been noticed.