“When Greg decided to retire, it shocked us. It was his call, not ours. He could have hung around and collected his money over the next 18 months. But our only concern and Greg’s only concern was his mental health, not whether he played on.

“If Angus can’t play again, then the Roosters should also be entitled to cap relief. But if he is out for six months to receive treatment, the club can’t receive cap relief because you have to treat it like any other long-term injury – it would be the same as a player breaking down with an ACL injury.”

Richardson said painkillers used by players to simply stay on the park were the worst thing for players battling bipolar disorder.

Inglis, now 36, could not be in a better place mentally – he is about to become a father again and is heavily involved in promoting mental health in schools around Queensland and NSW via his Goanna Academy.

The only time the NRL will entertain giving clubs cap relief is if a player is medically retired, suffers a long-term injury on representative duty, or is subjected to the game’s no-fault stand-down policy.

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But with mental health now so prominent in society, especially among young men, there is an argument the NRL could be more flexible when it came to situations like the one involving Crichton and the Roosters.

NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo told the Herald on Monday: “It’s an injury like any other injury and, in the past, we haven’t given salary-cap relief. But, if there’s an appropriate approach to it, and it’s discharged in terms of a suitable specialist, it can be looked at.”

Crichton’s father, Charlie, released a statement late last week confirming his son’s bipolar diagnosis. He said he was compelled to do so after a host of wild stories started circulating about his son on social media.

“I can confirm today that Angus is under appropriate professional support and treatment for medically diagnosed bipolar disorder, which he has been dealing with for some time,” Charlie Crichton said.

“He is fully supported by his family, his management and the Sydney Roosters club as he works towards recovery.”

Roosters forward Nat Butcher, whose brother Egan will start in Crichton’s left back-row spot against the Dolphins on Sunday, said on Tuesday: “It’s been tough for [Crichton] and his family, and a lot of the boys he’s close with. We just hope he gets the right treatment he needs.”

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