Photo by Brooke Sleep Media
By Abby Collins
Former Brisbane Lion Rhys Mathieson has turned his roar up for the Wilston Grange Gorillas this season.
Mathieson may look a little different out of the maroon and blue Lions guernsey, but the former AFL player is proving he’s still a force to be reckoned with on the field.
After eight years wearing the number 36 on his back, Mathieson has taken it with him to the Gorillas as he joins the QAFL competition.
Despite hailing from Victoria originally, Rhys decided to stay in sunny Queensland after his AFL career ended to remain close to family and friends.
His love for AFL never waned, as he welcomed the opportunity to join the midfield line up for Wilston Grange.
“I wanted to stay because of my friends and family connection up here,” Mathieson said.
“I wasn’t really sure if I was going to play footy or not this year, but getting an opportunity to stay in Queensland and being able to play footy up here certainly made the choice a lot easier.”
The dominant player has quickly proven himself, helping the Gorillas to some impressive wins already this QAFL season.
His lifelong love, footy, has had to make space for his new love, weightlifting.
“My day to day looks like waking up, going to the gym, getting it done,” Mathieson said.
“A weightlifting session and then I’ll do a bit of recovery, then head to training for the night.”
While still getting accustomed to life with the Gorillas, Mathieson has found some familiar faces in his new surroundings. Wilston Grange finds themselves the home to a spread of VFL players known by Rhys from their shared time at the Gabba.
“I knew a few of the boys through the VFL system, those that played for the Brisbane Lions.” he said.
“I had a bit of a connection to Beamer from my time there as well. All those familiar faces made my transition into the club a bit easier.”
As for the future, the former Lion is taking it one step at a time.
“I’m not sure what my plan is after this season,” Rhys said.
“Hopefully we walk away from this season with a bit of success, and we see where things go from there.
“I’m certainly feeling the love for AFL so, if I got to pick, I would stay on and play a second year.”
One thing is for certain- Mathieson hasn’t left the Lions pride behind. He still attends every Brisbane home game he can get to.
“I still go to every home game,” he said.
“I try to get around the boys as much as I can. I was part of the club for eight years; I still love that crew a lot.”
“It’s just good to be down there supporting my mates and watching a good game of footy. It’s still a very big part of my life.”
Whether he is dominating on the field or off, Rhys Mathieson is showing he still has plenty of roar left in him.
