First openly gay rugby league player hails 'overwhelming' support

Hirst said he only recently came to accept he was gay when his marriage broke down.
"I suppose there's been feelings there for a while but I was convinced it would go away.
"I just thought it was a phase - it was inconceivable for me to think that I could be gay.
"I lived my life normally as society says we should - have a girlfriend, have a wife."
Hirst - who started his career at the Bradford Bulls Academy - said his behaviour changed as he struggled with his identity.
"I'd go out for days at a time. I didn't act like a good husband... like a father should act. It was never a conscious decision... maybe thinking back it was a bit of escapism."

'Their own skin'

Very few professional rugby players have chosen to come out.
In 1995, Australian Rugby League player Ian Roberts, then aged 30, became the first high-profile player to publicly reveal he was gay.
Welsh rugby union star Gareth Thomas came out in 2009 aged 35 and switched to league the following year.
Hirst added: "I suppose in sport it's still a bit of a taboo, but judging by the feedback I've had it's not as big a taboo any more.
"I don't want to go on some kind of crusade, but pave the way for other people to be able to come out, to feel comfortable enough in their own skin to be who they really are."
Nigel Wood, the chief executive of the Rugby Football League, told the Guardian the sport was proud to be open to all.
"I feel it's hardly an issue worthy of comment because why shouldn't a player come out and say that they're gay?