Rangi Chase has lifted the lid on his reasons for stepping away from rugby league – and says he’s the happiest he’s ever been according to Gareth Walker in The Mirror.
The former Man of Steel and England star was released by Leigh on Tuesday, and admits he is unsure if he will play again despite being just 30.
Chase has revealed a battle with depression following a split from wife Libby and children Tahi and Remi-Rae – affecting his performances on the pitch.
But now reunited with his family, he intends to spend an extended period away from the sport.
Chase told Mirror Sport: “This is the happiest I’ve been in my life.
“Rugby-wise it hasn’t gone well for me the last few years. It’s not because of the game or where I’ve been at, it’s just the situation I’ve been in as an individual.
“Me and my wife have just got back together recently – for a year there we were finished. It happened when I was at Salford, it really hurt me and I went into a dark place.
“I was depressed a lot – sometimes I couldn’t even go out for groceries. I thought it would be a fresh start at Leigh and I could give it my all, which I tried – but it wasn’t enough.
“I wasn’t seeing my kids as much and I’d beat myself up over that. It’s taken me a while to get over that, and rugby sort of got in the way.
“Growing up, rugby league gave me a lot of things that I never expected – it gave me hope, and I didn’t have a lot of that as a kid.
“It used to make me feel ‘wow’ and give me all these opportunities. But then all that wore off and I didn’t appreciate the more important things like my family.”
Chase admits he is unsure what the future holds.
He added: “I’ll never say I’m stepping away for good – it might do me some good to get myself recharged mentally and physically.
“I’m not silly – I’ve got a mortgage to pay for and kids to feed. I’ve got a few months to sit back and decide – I might have to go and get a job digging holes and I’m happy with that.
“Now I want to enjoy the little things in life. I used to think I was living life when I was out in a bar at four in the morning.
“Now it’s about seeing my kids smiling and happy – things I overlooked when I was too caught up in rugby league.”
State of Mind would like to wish Rangi and his family all the very best for the future