“I just started crying”: how footy became Dayne Beams’ therapy

Dayne Beams opens up on emotional struggles, comradery, and the wake of his father’s death.

Also published on https://www.zerohanger.com/i-just-started-crying-how-footy-became-dayne-beams-therapy-21673/

After the Lions obliterated the Blues on Saturday, euphoric Brisbane fans filed out of the Gabba celebrating. Beams wept in the clubrooms, devastated by the recent loss of his father. Beams’ late father, according to the grieving midfielder, used to sit in the now-empty spot where he scored a goal against the broken Blues. Beams was elated – given Brisbane’s colossal win – but overwhelmed by it’s bittersweet ending. Football just hasn’t been the same for the former Collingwood premiership hero following his loss early this year. Beams’ father, who’d lost a lengthy battle with bowel cancer, was an integral part of his love for the game. Comforted by fellow team-mates, who Beams said were reflective of a positive culture of football being cultivated, he was never without support. “I’m lucky that I’ve got really good teammates. Cam Rayner is an 18-year-old kid; he came and sat down next to me and put his arm around me. It just shows the culture and environment we’re building at the footy club,” Beams told 3AW on Sunday. I was quite emotional after the game yesterday. I was doing my recovery and I started crying. “I started thinking about things; where I kicked that goal yesterday was pretty much right where dad used to sit, and those sort of things go through your head. “Yes, it’s nice that I was able to kick a goal where dad used to sit, but at the same time, gee I wish he was there to see it.” But the brave former captain said footy and his fellow teammates have been pivotal in keeping his spirits up amongst the grief. “I still have (low) moments; those moments are coming fewer and further apart, but they’re still there,” Beams added. “Game days are difficult for me, my dad was a big part of my footy career and I associated footy with him. I still get quite emotional before games – but once I’m out there, I feel really free. “It’s 2 or 3 hours of the week where I feel like I can run around and just play footy and enjoy the freedom with my teammates. Whether we win or lose, footy is actually quite therapeutic for me at the moment.” Beams made the brave call to surrender his captaincy to Dayne Zorko ahead of Round 10, and quickly becoming one of the most influential players in the competition, helping bring the Lions back-to-back wins for the first time since 2015. He was even better against the Blues the following week, after being tested even further following his wife Kelly being kept in hospital week after the birth of their second child. The 28-year-old discussed his duality between Queensland and Victoria, saying a move back to Melbourne after moving back to Brisbane in 2014 to be close to his then-ill father, is a definite possibility – but at the end of his football career. “I’ve always said that I will eventually live back in Victoria post my career. I think people have tried to draw a line between me handing up the captaincy (and moving back to a Victorian club),” Beams said. “My wife is from Victoria. To be honest, Queensland is not home for me. I’ve always made it clear that at the end of my career I will end up back in Victoria. “At this stage, I will play for Brisbane until I retire.”