Ulster and Ireland rugby player John Cooney has spoken about problems he had with his mental health and how he resolved them.
The scrum-half spent three years with Connacht between 2014 and 2017 during which time he battled injury. Just speaking about the mental troubles which those injuries caused was a vast help to Dubliner.
"When I was in Connacht struggling with injury, probably a lot of people wouldn't say it, I started seeing a counsellor through Rugby Players Ireland - they were able to set me up with someone in Galway," the 28-year-old told BBC Sport Northern Ireland.
I did seven or eight sessions and originally it was just to make me feel better day-to-day because I was struggling about how I was feeling about injuries; every thing day-to-day I was struggling a bit. I think it made a big difference.
Cooney's career has begun to flourish since moving to Ulster last year.
He made his Ireland debut on the 2017 summer tour of USA and Japan and won his second cap against Australia in June.
Earlier this month, he signed a new deal with Ulster which will keep him at Ravenhill until 2022.
"I think it's just important to remember the people who have worked hard for you.
"I just thought about my family and my friends, people who had sacrificed a lot for me. Through those hard times, they were the people who got me through it.
"Now I'm getting to where I want to be and I'm grateful for everything they did."
Photo by Brendan Moran/Sportsfile
