Matthew Lloyd has opened up about the mental demons he battled during the 2008 AFL season.

The Essendon great penned an article in The Age on Sunday, where he revealed he sought counselling from a priest as he battled form and confidence woes.

The 3AW Football expert admitted he’d been overwhelmed by the reaction.

‘I’ve had some direct messages from players who have thanked me for writing it because they’ve been in a similar position,’ he said on 3AW Mornings.

‘I actually had a football manager say he sent it to all his staff of a struggling club at the moment.

‘It was good that it touched a few people and resonated with them.’

You can read Lloydy’s column here.

Click PLAY below to hear from Matthew Lloyd on 3AW Mornings