NRL star Nicho Hynes has given a stirring, emotional message about the severity of the men's mental health crisis as the AFL community comes to terms with the devastating passings of two former footballers.

Troy Selwood, former Brisbane player and brother of legendary Cat Joel Selwood, was found dead in his home on Tuesday morning, aged just 40 years old.

The 75-game Lion was much-loved across the industry, with revered footballers and figures speaking highly of their experiences with Selwood.

The AFL landscape was again rocked by the death of 2006 premiership Eagle Adam Hunter on Wednesday.

Hunter played 151 games with West Coast and was an avid football lover, with revelations surfacing he spent his last night alive attending pre-season training at South Bunbury football club, a team in the South West Football League.

Both deaths were treated as non-suspicious by police.

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - SEPTEMBER 30: Adam Hunter of the Eagles lifts the trophy in the rooms after the AFL Grand Final match between the Sydney Swans and the West Coast Eagles at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on September 30, 2006 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Mark Dadswell/Getty Images)

The Cronulla Sharks halfback continued his passionate pleas for men's mental health in the wake of Selwood and Hunter's deaths, in hopes of ensuring a change of culture amongst athletes, and men in general.

"It's (speaking up on mental health) probably the most important thing at the moment in life, I reckon," Hynes told Wide World of Sports.

"We're so past the days of men not being able to speak about their feelings.

"We're not in the early 2000s or '90s anymore where you're not tough if you speak about your feelings... Suicide is happening too much, it's a real thing and... we need to stop, we need to help and we need to speak about feelings.

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"They [Selwood and Hunter] would have had successful careers in their own right, and who knows what happened after? But maybe we need to put things in place where we continue to support athletes after they finish their career.

"...It's just really sad to see. There's so many families impacted."

The NRL star has long advocated to end the stigma of speaking up about mental health concerns, launching an annual Mental Fitness Round at Cronulla last year in co-operation with not-for-profit organisation Gotcha4Life.

Hynes is also an ambassador for the Find ya Feet, a workshop that visits schools to preach the importance of starting conversations about mental health.

ADELAIDE, AUSTRALIA - MAY 31: Nicholas Hynes of the Blues looks dejected after defeat during game one of the 2023 State of Origin series between the Queensland Maroons and New South Wales Blues at Adelaide Oval on May 31, 2023 in Adelaide, Australia. (Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)

Hynes reflected on an analogy he uses to hammer home the seriousness of mental health issues.

"When you feel sick you need to go to a doctor," Hynes said.

"Whether you've got a cough or you've got anything going on with your body, you need to take medicine to fix it.

"And it's the same with mental health; you need to go see someone, you need your medicine, you need tools to fix what's going on in your head.

"Your cough will keep getting worse and worse and worse if you don't take medicine, and your mental health will keep getting worse and worse and worse if you don't fix it and you don't find the tools to help."

If you or anyone you know needs support, contact:

Lifeline: 13 11 14 orย lifeline.org.au

Beyond Blue: 1300 22 4636 orย beyondblue.org.au

13YARN: 13 92 76 orย 13yarn.org.au