Cricket’s mental health issue: Sydney Thunder’s Lisa Griffith on burnout

As more and more rising cricketers succumb to the pressures of playing the game, one star who came through the other side has opened up about the burnout that can claim young players.

A dejected Lisa Griffith of the Thunder is seen after the Women's Big Bash League (WBBL) match between the Adelaide Strikers and Sydney Thunder at Blundstone Arena in Hobart, Sunday, November 24, 2019. (AAP Image/David Mariuz) NO ARCHIVING, EDITORIAL USE ONLY, IMAGES TO BE USED FOR NEWS REPORTING PURPOSES ONLY, NO COMMERCIAL USE WHATSOEVER, NO USE IN BOOKS WITHOUT PRIOR WRITTEN CONSENT FROM AAP

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Sydney Thunder’s Lisa Griffith worked on cattle stations in the Northern Territory to escape cricket.

As soon as she finished high school, the wide-eyed kid from Bathurst moved to Ermington to attend university and chase her dream of bowling for Australia.

But Griffith, then 18-years-old, struggled to balance her studies with playing for the NSW Breakers.

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Lisa Griffith has opened up about the burnout issue in cricket. Picture: AAP

To support herself financially, she waited tables, worked at an aged care centre and pulled beers at ANZ Stadium.

It’s hardly surprising that the bowler burned out.

“When I moved to Sydney, I thought I was invincible, I thought I could do it all,” Griffith said. “I won’t sugar coat it, it was a challenging time. I wasn’t doing well at anything, and I’m the kind of person who wants to do well.”

Lisa Griffith stepped away from the game of cricket to deal with her mental health. Picture: Getty

Griffith remembers how quickly she fell into a dark hole and how hard it was to reach out for help.

“I would push people away, I didn’t want them to know I was struggling and I felt like I was disappointing a lot of people,” she said.

“There was a low point where I was questioning my existence and own life what I was doing.”

Lisa Griffith, as a teenager, playing in Sydney Grade Cricket.

The teen stopped turning up to training sessions and fell behind with her studies.

When Griffith was diagnosed with depression, she walked away from cricket to focus on her mental health – on cattle stations in the Northern Territory.

“I had a hiatus from the game, I needed to get away, and being out in the wide open spaces up north was perfect for me,” she said.

“I fell in love with jillarooing. You work as a team, you’ve got a common goal, it’s hard work and it put everything into perspective.”

Griffith wants senior stars to talk to the younger players, like teenager Phoebe Litchfield (R). Picture: Getty

Five years later, Griffith returned to Bathurst and rediscovered her love for cricket with her original local club the Centennial Bulls.

Today, she’s a key member of Sydney Thunder’s WBBL side and passionate about preventing burnout in women’s cricket.

“It’s something the young girls need to be educated on, for me, when it was happening, I didn’t know it was happening” the 27-year-old said.

“The modern day cricketer we’re lucky we have great support networks … but I think there’s a lot of pressure on young girls now with social media,”

“A challenge in the future will now be having the public eye on you and what you do, so we help support these girls through that.”

As young guns continue to break into professional cricket – Griffith’s Thunder teammates Phoebe Litchfield, Hannah Darlington and Tahlia Wilson come to mind – the bowler believes more senior players need to talk about burnout.

“If you tore your hamstring you need time away from the game, mental illness is the same”

“I’m stoked players are coming out, taking that time to get things right and being good role models for younger cricketers.”