That's why it wasn't such a leap for the Western Bulldogs ruckman to agree to tell his story on video as part of a headspace campaign being launched at the MCG on Wednesday to encourage young men to manage their own mental health and wellbeing. "[The reason] why it is important that I speak about it and people in the public sphere do speak about it if they are going through these things is because … people in all circumstances and in all walks of life are dealing with these things," Boyd told Fairfax Media. Now 22, Boyd has worked his way back into the flow of both football and life. He has played a dozen games in 2018 after returning to the seniors in round five, his latest match being against West Coast last Sunday at Optus Stadium. His grin is quick to appear when asked how he is feeling. "Good, great,” he says. “It's funny, it's often my narrative that after the grand final is when it all started but to be totally honest this was happening a long time before that."

On reflection, Boyd said, signs were emerging that things were not quite right when, as the No. 1 pick in the 2013 national draft, he moved from his Melbourne home to join Greater Western Sydney. "I first started to have mental health issues and struggles in 2014 when I moved away but really had no idea how to deal with it or even an awareness it was abnormal, I suppose," Boyd, who was then 18, said. His response – to keep it to himself – was not unusual. Research shows one in seven men aged between 16-24 experience mental health issues, but only 13 per cent let others know they're struggling. Boyd became football's biggest story when he returned to Victoria after just one season with the Giants on a seven-year, multimillion-dollar deal to join the Western Bulldogs – an exchange that saw Dogs skipper Ryan Griffen head to GWS. Boyd's health problems came with him.

By 2016, he was seeing the Western Bulldogs' pyschologist Lisa Stevens regularly to deal with the anxiety issues he was confronting as the Bulldogs charged towards an unlikely premiership, with 20-year-old Boyd saving his best performances for the finals. Boyd played a pivotal role in the Western Bulldogs' grand final triumph. Credit:Graham Denholm He kicked three goals in the grand final and finished third in Norm Smith Medal voting. Boyd says now the amazing season allowed him to paper over any cracks. Panic attacks, however, started during the next pre-season before 2017 had even begun, and then as the season unfolded symptoms began to get worse, with insomnia setting in.

Boyd hardly slept for four to six weeks. "[It] makes it difficult to function obviously. I think for me the main reason I took time away from the game was the fact that I couldn't sleep and I couldn't train and at the end of the day I really wasn't able to perform my job in the way that I wanted to," he said. "That was a real turning point for me because for all the surgeries and injuries and stuff I have had, this is the one that definitely affected me the most." Although he was still confident he could return to playing, managing Boyd's mental health became, for his friends, family, teammates and club, much more important than football. The time away allowed him the opportunity to explore meditation and yoga and breathing techniques and also, most importantly, with the help of his friends, family and girlfriend Anna Von Moger, realign his outlook as he took steps towards recovery.

"It was all about making time to do the things you really love doing," Boyd said. He found he loved other activities besides playing football, including hitting the surf and taking his dog Nala for walks. Tom Boyd has opened up about his mental health issues. Credit:Justin McManus "Now I can address everything realistically and say, 'You know what, I am not feeling great, let's go and do something enjoyable, let's take the dog for a walk, go surfing, take the camera out, do anything and just invest in enjoying life and trying to be yourself'," Boyd said. His teammates and the club supported him as he endeavoured to work his way through a difficult situation, equipping himself with the tools needed to keep himself mentally healthy.

"It's the smallest things that make the biggest difference," he said. It helped that he brought his colleagues into what was happening and why he was taking time away. "I was really open with all of my teammates I spoke to leading up to the time where I took some time off and they were really supportive," he said. "The club and the players and my mates have been unbelievable in this regard and a large part of the reason I got through this and got through it really well." He is not sure what effect the pressure that comes with being an AFL player had on him, although he acknowledges that high-stress environments can exacerbate mental health problems. But he also knows that what has happened to him can happen to anybody, a key reason why he has gone public with this video. "These things happen to people in all circumstances," he said. At just 22, he says it is important for young men to talk about mental health; but at the same time he is adamant that the message underpinning the campaign should not be lost in the clamour to hear the story of his journey.

"I have never been embarrassed to share what I went through," Boyd said. “It happens every day to millions of people around the world. Boyd says the success of the Bulldogs' 2016 season helped him paper over the cracks. Credit:Darrian Traynor "For all the struggles that I went through admitting to myself and understanding that something was going on ... once I got my head around that it was never an issue for me [to go public]." Headspace CEO Jason Trethowan said the campaign could help young men develop the tools and confidence to manage their mental health. "Simple tips like staying connected to others, building coping strategies, doing things you enjoy and sleeping well, can all play a vital role in building resilience and maintaining a healthy headspace," Trethowan said.