Port Adelaide powerhouse Charlie Dixon opens up about his ‘lowest time’ and mental health

Port Adelaide powerhouse Charlie Dixon has opened up about his dark off-field battle, revealing he would cry in the carpark at Alberton before training.

With an All-Australian selection and three leading-goalkicker awards, Port Adelaide powerhouse Charlie Dixon has fought valiantly on the footy field.

But off the field, Dixon faced a battle of his own.

The 31-year-old has opened up about his mental health, revealing that he withdrew from friends and family and began taking antidepressants after breaking his leg in 2018.

Speaking on supermarket operator John-Paul Drake’s podcast this week, Dixon said he found himself at “his lowest” when two surgeries left him on the sideline for much of Port Adelaide’s early 2019 campaign.

“When I broke my leg … I had the surgery, fixed that up and then once that started to come good and I started running again, there was something wrong,” Dixon said.

“I’d have a really good day, then a bad day – I’d have a really good day and then the next day I couldn’t work.

Dixon said his road to recovery from a broken leg in 2018 led down a dark path. Picture: Sarah Reed

The Power star said felt isolated, alone and in a dark place. Picture: Sarah Reed

“I couldn’t understand what was going on, the scans didn’t show anything … (I was) sitting there in limbo not knowing what the hell is going on.”

Dixon said he found himself crying in the carpark outside Port Adelaide’s Alberton home as he struggled to face each day.

“I struggled, massively. To the point where I didn’t know what I was going to do or if I was ever going to be able to play football again,” he said.

“I didn’t want to be around anyone, I didn’t want to be with my family … I just wanted to be by myself.

“I was just trying to put on a brave face … I’d go to the club and I’d be bawling my eyes out on my way to the club because I just didn’t know what to do.

“I’d get to the club early so I could sit in the carpark and pull my s*** together … and then I’d go in and try to be all right, but everyone knew I was f***ed.”

Dixon said the club withdrew him from the AFL side to focus on his mental health, but it was only after seeking professional help he began to get back on track.

“There was support, I just didn’t want it. I wasn’t happy, I wasn’t being a good teammate … I was being very selfish,” Dixon said.

Dixon has since had a stellar return to form, holding down Port Adelaide’s forward line in last weekend’s loss to Geelong. Picture: Mark Brake

“It was after they dropped me that I was at my lowest.”

“I looked at it and said, ‘why am I like this’, I’ve got so much stuff that I love doing and so many people around me that love me’, but it doesn’t matter.”

The Power star urged others who might be struggling with their mental health to reach out and seek help, no matter how hard it may seem.

“I see a psych (psychologist) every two weeks and if I don’t I feel myself starting to spiral,” he said.

While the Power’s finals hopes are flailing, Dixon has since returned to flying form, leading a third-quarter revival in the side’s 12-point loss to Geelong on Saturday and taking home the round’s MVP nomination.

The bullish performer finished Round 19 with 23 touches, two goals and a game-high 12 score involvements.

“(Dixon) leads the ‘we don’t give up’,” coach Ken Hinkley said after the game.

“He’s an outstanding representation of our footy club with the way he goes about things.”

Originally published as Port Adelaide powerhouse Charlie Dixon opens up about his ‘lowest time’ and mental health