- Bold decision has been made as club struggles
The Western Bulldogs have employed a well-known opera singer and theatre actor to help stars who find themselves in a dark place.
Josh Piterman is a stage performer who has won acclaim by starring in productions like Cats and Les Misérables.
He has been working with the club as a community foundation ambassador since 2024, but his role has now been upgraded to make the 40-year-old a part of the club’s mental health support team.
The on-stage star is a certified breathwork and meditation teacher in addition to being a published self-help author and mindset coach.
Piterman’s expertise is important as guided breathing exercises and other breathwork exercises can help people deal with anxiety, depression and stress.
His new role with the Dogs comes just after the AFL mandated the use of full-time psychologists at clubs in response to the mental health episode Carlton star Elijah Hollands suffered during a recent match against Collingwood.
The Western Bulldogs (pictured) have obtained the help of an opera singer as they look to help players with their mental health
Acclaimed stage performer Josh Piterman (pictured) is now bringing his talents with breathwork to the club
The 40-year-old (pictured) is also a certified meditation teacher in addition to winning acclaim in productions like Cats and Les Misérables
AFL football operations manager Laura Kane outlined a number of mental health measures the AFL will take, adding the league had been reviewing healthcare governance across the competition since late last year.
‘As a result of that work and in light of the (Carlton and Hollands) circumstances … we will improve industry-wide healthcare governance standards,’ she said.
‘This has to be about care, clarity and action and this is bigger than one club and one night.
‘There are lessons in this for all of us – the main one is that our duty of care must continue to evolve and that must include mental health and wellbeing.’
Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge opened up about the club stressing stars’ mental wellbeing.
‘As long as players feel like they’re being cared for, that’s really important,’ he said.
‘The AFL provide a number of third-party options, and we’ve been through that with some of our players who aren’t here anymore.’
Piterman is an established musical theatre performer who has been working on Australian and UK stages for more than a decade.
His past credits include being a part of international pop opera group The Ten Tenors, and playing Tony in the 2010 Australian production of West Side Story.
Piterman has also performed numerous solo concerts and events across the country.
The news comes as the Doggies sit 12th on the AFL ladder.
They got off to a great start this year, beating the Lions, Giants, Crows and Bombers to win their first four matches.
However, they then suffered heavy losses to the Hawks, Cats and Swans before just being pipped by the Dockers in their last match.
Beveridge’s men face Port Adelaide in a must-win encounter on Friday night.
