Beams’ emotional decision to quit captaincy
BRISBANE have praised selfless former skipper Dayne Beams for the ultimate demonstration of leadership in passing the captaincy to Dayne Zorko.
The Gold Coast product has stepped down from the Lions captaincy indefinitely after telling senior officials he did not feel he was doing the job justice as he took time away from the club each week for counselling to help cope with his grief at the loss of his father and best mate Philip to cancer in March.
The Lions’ theme heading into Sunday’s clash with Hawthorn was “selflessness” after identifying the side had started to slip from taking the “team first” option under pressure in matches, a point Zorko made to media last week.
The Lions say Beams embodied that team first spirit when he raised the issue of handing over the captaincy to coach Chris Fagan and football manager David Noble on Saturday.
With the weight off his shoulders, Beams produced his best game of the year in the Lions’ 56-point drubbing of Hawthorn at the Gabba on Sunday.
Beams had begun to skip certain meetings as they clashed with treatment he was receiving and although he had the full backing of the club’s senior officials and on-field leadership group to carry on in the role, he became uncomfortable with the feeling he wasn’t giving 100 per cent.
Beams told the playing group on Tuesday and posted a courageous video on the club’s website where he addressed his battles.
“I think footy has been hard for me because I associated football with my father, so it feels like a big chunk of my football life is missing at the moment,’’ Beams said.
“Obviously the last three months for myself, I’m not going to lie, they’ve been bloody difficult, and I’ve experienced some really bad lows.
“I’m seeking professional help. I’ve been getting help for the last two months. It’s an emotion that’s really hard to explain.
“I sit here comfortable knowing that I’ve made the right decision.
“I still love coming into the footy club. I still love playing the game and I’ll continue to play my role within the side.
“I feel like playing will be a big help for me moving forward.”
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