Pies to back in broken Beams

COLLINGWOOD coach Nathan Buckley says the club will support Dayne Beams in “whatever he needs” following the star midfielder’s decision to take a break from football.

The 28-year-old has walked away from the Magpies indefinitely, citing mental health issues. Beams, who was traded from Brisbane to Collingwood at the end of last year, is believed to be plagued by grief after the death of his father, Philip, who died in March last year.

“I think the football environment and society in general are a little bit more openminded to embracing mental health and the challenges it represents,” Buckley said.

“We’ll continue to support Dayne and all our people as much as we possibly can.

“Obviously the media release was about him stepping away for a period of time, and we’ll continue to support him in whatever he needs for his wellbeing and mental health.

“And Dayne’s a fairly open person and I think he’s been challenged by circumstances the last couple of years in particular, and it could have been longer than that, who knows?”

Buckley said he was not surprised by Beams’s decision to publicly express his struggles with an emotional social media post on Wednesday night.

“It’s not unlike him to want to share that and I think we’re in a good position now as a society to see that for what it is and to allow that to take place and to maintain the privacy that’s required,” Buckley said.

“But at the same time, to support as much as we possibly can no matter how close or far away you are from the circumstances.”

Beams declared he was a “broken man at the moment” in his post, but Buckley said he did not find the post confronting. “No, and I believe that was the headline that was run with on the back of the paper and I can see how it would be a headline,” he said.

“But once again, I think we all feel broken at some points of our lives. None of us are perfect people. All of us have challenges and we all try and put on a brave front.”