Ex-AFL player Shane Tuck was hospitalised for suicide attempts in the lead-up to his death

Former Richmond player Shane Tuck began showing changes in his personality as early as 2006 before taking his own life in 2020, an inquest has heard.

Former AFL player Shane Tuck heard voices in his head and was hospitalised for suicide attempts in the lead-up to his death, a landmark inquest has heard.

Tuck played 173 games for Richmond before he took his own life, aged 38, after suffering a debilitating brain injury, known as chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), which is linked to repeated head knocks.

On the first day of a coronial inquest into his death on Wednesday, Counsel Assisting the Coroner Gideon Boas said Tuck began showing changes in his personality as early as 2006 – his third season playing AFL.

The Coroner’s Court heard Tuck’s widow Katherine, who withdrew from the inquest earlier this year, reported her husband would head straight home after games, go to sleep early and became “obsessive” with his health and fitness.

Shane Tuck played 173 games for Richmond. Picture: George Salpigtidis

In 2010, Tuck began treatment for depression, anxiety and heart palpitations and disengaged with his children, Dr Boas said.

Tuck took up boxing after his AFL retirement in 2013, suffering a knockout in his first professional match that saw him hospitalised.

Months later, he attended an emergency department in Adelaide, where he and his family had moved after his AFL retirement, suffering low mood, anxiety and suicidal thoughts.

But follow-up scans would clear him to return to boxing and he would have three more bouts.

In mid-2018, Ms Tuck noticed her husband’s mental state decline significantly, reporting he spoke about voices in his head telling him not to eat.

Tuck took up boxing after his AFL retirement in 2013. Picture: Getty

The following year, Tuck was admitted to a psychiatric unit after an overdose and while suffering auditory hallucinations.

In April 2020, Tuck was admitted under similar circumstances to Casey Hospital in Melbourne, where he was placed on a treatment order prohibiting him from leaving.

He was discharged the following month during a period of stability before he took his own life at his parents’ home in Berwick on July 20, 2020 – three years to the day on Thursday.

The inquest will examine the link between Tuck’s concussions, his CTE, and the measures taken by the AFL and boxing authorities to prevent head injury.

Dr Boas said while the incidence of CTE, which can only be definitively diagnosed after death, was not known, it was believed up to 17 per cent of people who experienced repeated concussion went on to develop the progressive brain disease.

He added an estimated 100,000 sport-related concussions occur in Australia each year, with many more not reported.

“The AFL’s responsibility of the game goes down to the community level and the protection of children,” he said.

Lawyer Ben Ihle KC, for the AFL, noted thousands of documents had been submitted to the inquest, including statements by concussion expert Robert Cantu who said the league’s concussion measures were “state of the art”.

Dr Cantu, who prepared a report for the inquest, gave evidence remotely from the United States on Wednesday night, saying the AFL had done a “commendable” job in recognising and treating concussion.

But he said there was no mention of CTE in the documents he was provided to make his report.

“There was really no focus on the effects of repetitive head trauma and that is something that I think is a missed opportunity,” he said.

Dr Cantu, who is a Medical Director of Cantu Concussion Center and a senior advisor to the NFL, said the benefits of padded headgear, as used by some AFL players, was “muddied” by conflicting research.

He said more research was needed and he would like to see the AFL find out the total number of hits individual players were taking over a season.

Dr Cantu added the act of tackling provided the greatest opportunity for reducing head injuries.

He said there had been 20 rule changes in the NFL, such as limiting full-contact training, in an effort to reduce the risk to players in recent years.

Ms Tuck, alongside former players Shaun Smith and Darren Jarman, are involved in a class action filed in the Supreme Court against the AFL and several clubs.