Liz Cambage

Haters gonna hate.

I don’t watch women’s Basketball and I don’t know Liz Cambage. But after the recent events, I do feel sorry for her.

I once asked to sit out a test match because the stress of playing outweighed the enjoyment and sense of responsibility I had for representing my country.

It was on the Wallabies 2013 tour of Europe, and I was struggling to deal with the online criticism I was copping following our loss to the British and Irish Lions earlier that year, where I’d been sent off early in the series deciding match.

I also had a family health issue going on in the background, and it was by far the toughest time of my career.

I felt weak for not being able to solider on and for the only time in my career, I didn’t feel lucky to be representing Australia.

But I needed a break, and I can’t thank Coach Ewen McKenzie and Team Doctor Angus Bathgate enough for allowing me the time and space to clear my head, and to dust myself off.

And I think Liz might be in the same boat.

I didn’t open up to my teammates, which made it impossible for them to help me, but I applaud Liz for being open about her troubles and believe it’s an admission that she needs serious help.

I’m not saying she should be excused for her behaviour, and I also understand how the public may think that it’s another case of a sports star using the “mental health card” to get out of something they don’t want to do.

After all, why would someone not want to go to the Olympics?

Representing your nation and getting paid to play sport is bloody awesome, but I think people need to accept that despite this, if an athlete is still having issues, then something is seriously wrong.

And with all the online hate she’s getting from Australians, it’s no wonder she doesn’t want to go, and perhaps her desire to represent us is fading.

I think as a country we have become so focused on winning, that we’ve lost sight of the fact that sport isn’t about winning or losing, it’s about trying and learning.

We’ve become so focused on results that we’ve forgotten that in order to win, athletes and teams must go thru the inevitable pain of failure, so they can learn from the experience and bounce back better.

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What’s at the centre of Liz’s troubles is a mystery to us all.

But if I was to take guess, I would say she might be struggling with self “some acceptance” demons and finding it tough to “fit in”.

Well said Nigel.

I know this is totally different, but I really struggled accepting myself during my career because I wasn’t a stereotypical prop, and the above quote from Nigel Owens rings true for me.

And because I struggled to accept myself, I had a tough time dealing with the criticism I was copping, and I allowed it to drain the enjoyment I should have been getting from representing my country.

Being criticised by fans from other countries was fine, but copping it from the people I was trying so hard to represent was tough.

But learning to deal with criticism was the best lesson I learned as a professional sportsman, and if I was ever to have a beer with Liz, I would encourage her not to let the online haters hold her back.

There are so many gutless keyboard cowards out there who love to express their worthless opinions. Cowards who aren’t happy with how their own lives are panning out, and enjoy putting the boot into someone who’s tripped up whilst having a go.

And the sooner athletes understand this, the easier dealing with criticism will become.

That’s not say people shouldn’t criticise athletes and teams when they fail, as I think fans have the right to express their opinions, and it’s a sign they’re engaged with the game and care about the result.

But the sooner we can find a bit more compassion for people who are obviously struggling (even if we think they have no right to be), the sooner they’ll bounce back and the better Australia will go.

C’mon Aussie!