Socceroos coach Graham Arnold on the pressures of coaching and playing elite sport

Socceroos coach Graham Arnold has opened up on the perils of elite sport, revealing the real reason he believes players and coaches turn to the drink, drugs and gambling.

Socceroos coach Graham Arnold has spoken out about the excruciating pressure head coaches and players face in professional sport, saying many turn to drugs, alcohol and gambling in retirement.

Arnold’s comments come after former Cowboys premiership-winning coach Paul Green took his own life in Brisbane last Thursday — a death which has rocked Australian sport.

“The most natural drug there is – but it’s the worst drug in the world – is adrenaline. It’s a brutal drug,” Arnold told The Daily Telegraph.

“When you lose that rush that you’ve had in your body for years – and adulation you get when an elite athlete – it’s hard to deal with.

“In retirement, you can feel worthless – you feel like you have no purpose in life. I understand how you can go from being someone to feeling worthless. When I first retired I was really struggling mentally. I didn’t want to go out, I didn’t want to go anywhere. I just wanted to stay home.

“Some people can deal with it – some can’t. But it’s why a lot of coaches and athletes after they retire – or have a bad experience – turn to a couple of things to keep that adrenaline going – cocaine, drugs, alcohol and gambling.

“They have to get that adrenaline rush because it’s something that has been in your body for a long time. Unless you replace it, it’s so hard to deal with. That’s why I got into coaching – because I needed it.

Graham Arnold has opened up on the pressures elite coaches and players face.

“Coaches need purpose every day. The love of the game is in your heart, that love is in your body that you just miss it so much. You need to replace it and it’s very hard to replace when you’re not at the top doing what you do best.

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“You can’t just stop and think everyone is still going to be there. All of sudden, when you walk away, within a week, you’re a forgotten person. You’re not in the headlines anymore, you’re not the star of the show. It’s a very tough adjustment.

“In the old days, you had two lives as professional sportsmen – a professional life and personal life. Now, it’s just one life, there’s no balance.”

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Being a rugby league fan, Green’s death shattered Arnold.

He doesn’t know the circumstances of Green’s death but knows what retirement can do to a professional sportsperson.

“It just shows you the pressure on the coaching side and with elite sportspeople. Paul Green went straight from playing into assistant coaching and then coaching when, all of a sudden last year, at age 48, he is out of the sport,” Arnold said.

“It’s like Michael Hutchence – you ask why?

“A lot of sportsmen go from a 100 per cent adrenaline high after a match. You can’t sleep that night, you can’t sleep the next night, that’s when the adrenaline starts coming down and then it starts going back up again next week.

“Look at what Paul did at North Queensland. Winning grand finals and adulation. People don’t understand the adrenaline side. It’s such a big mental aspect of elite sport. I’ve been talking to players for years about how to deal with it and what they have to do.

“Every rugby league player and coach, you’re walking out in front of 10,000, 20,000, 30,000 people onto a stage. They do that for 10 years and then, all of a sudden … gone.

Graham Arnold has led the Socceroos through a torrid period. Picture: Getty Images

“Look at former players like Joey Johns, Matty Johns, Braith Anasta and Johnathan Thurston – they now get their adrenaline rush by being on television. They’ve still got their identity because people are still looking at them. Others don’t get that anymore.

“Unless those people have something purposeful or meaningful to move onto in life, maybe another job or industry, they take it tough. Elite sportsmen these days aren’t just athletes – they’re actors, performers, they are on the stage and everyone has an opinion.”

Arnold also urged sportspeople to stop using social media.

“The worst thing is social media,” he said. “I can only encourage every player to get off social media – don’t look at it. It’s not good for your health. You rarely see anything on social media that is positive. It can affect you enormously.”

Arnold guided the Socceroos into November’s World Cup, his side having to defy the odds – and critics – to secure their place in Qatar.

Taumalolo reveals Cowboys’ heartbreak for Green

—Michael Carayannis

A battle for premiership heavyweight status fell into insignificance after the loss of Paul Green on Thursday with Cowboys co-captain Jason Taumalolo saying there are “no words” to express the shock passing of his former coach.

Taumalolo was the only member from that 2015 grand final team to play on Saturday afternoon but a host of fellow premiership winners, including Kyle Feldt and Jake Granville, remain part of the Cowboys squad.

“It’s been a big few days,” Taumalolo said. “There are no real words to express what’s happened in the last couple of days and how it’s impacted people in the rugby league community and families.

“I can’t imagine what (Green’s wife) Amanda and the kids are going through right now. Everyone should have someone to talk to no matter how big or small the problem is. No one should carry that pressure around with them.

“I hope whatever if anyone is going through that they can talk to someone.”

Cowboys players observed a minute’s silence in honour of the club’s former coach Paul Green at the SCG on Saturday. Picture: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images

For the record, the Roosters 32-18 beat North Queensland to win their fifth consecutive to keep in touch with an unlikely top four finish.

There was still a stunned silence during the moment of remembrance when the teams locked arms in the middle of the SCG just before kick-off. Rewind to April and there was a different feel when Green was introduced to the Roosters faithful among some of the club’s legends.

Only months ago he joined members of the Roosters 2002 premiership winning side on a lap of honour at the SCG as part of the club’s 20-year grand final reunion. It was not Green’s only reunion this year after taking to the field last Saturday as part of Cronulla’s old boys celebrations.

This time people were in disbelief when his image was plastered on the big screen.

A picture of Green wearing the Roosters jersey during his 20-game stint at the Roosters and lifting the 2015 premiership trophy a North Queensland’s coach was shown on the big screen during the moment of silence.

Cowboys coach Todd Payten said the Cowboys and the NRL had helped the players get through this tough period.

“It’s been a difficult couple of days but it’s not an excuse for not being able to get the job done,” Payten said. “We did talk about performing well for Paul and his family.”

As blazing sunshine shone on the ground the Australian flag flew at half-mast on top of the Members Pavilion.

Jason Taumalolo was the only member from Paul Green’s premiership-winning Cowboys team to play on Saturday. Picture: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images

A banner reading “Thank you Greeny” was also on display for a man who left a lasting impression at both clubs. Players from each side wore black armbands.

Green was hired by Trent Robinson’s as an assistant in Robinson’s first season in charge at the Roosters in 2013. The Roosters won the title.

Two years later it was Green who tasted premiership success after leading the Cowboys to their historic first grand final win.

Green played for the Cowboys and Roosters respectively between 1999-2002.