Rhys Mathieson’s rig continues to be the talk of the footy world as he lights up social media and the Queensland footy scenes.
The former Brisbane Lions player looks like a completely different man to the one footy fans watched over 72 games.
The rugged midfielder was more commonly known among footy circles as ‘Beast Mode’ and ‘the Barometer’ and in recent social media posts, Beast Mode couldn’t be more accurate.
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Having failed to break into the Lions senior team in 2023 as they pushed towards the Grand Final, Mathieson was delisted at the end of the season.
The 27-year-old was said to be looking for a new home, but instead it appears he’s spent the bulk of his time pumping iron.
While he was no slouch in the rig department during his playing days, the transformation he’s displayed has to be seen to be believed.
The first upload shows Mathieson alongside former Lions teammate Mitch Robinson in early February before a post on April 11 shows off how outrageous his rig truly is.
This week Mathieson shared more rig shots to Instagram, captioning one post “#nocardio”.
Nutrition and supplement brand ATP Science announced Mathieson has joined their team, describing him as “beast by name, beast by nature”.
Mitch Robinson commented “Yeah the beast!!” on the announcement, and on another post wrote: “Absolutely killing it my guy!”
Collingwood’s Dan McStay, another ex-teammate, said: “Fuarrrr.”
A separate post by trainer Ben Cole Fitness said Mathieson had put on 10kg as part of his “client transformation” in the gym and was now tipping the scales at 100kg.
“After having a long off season from AFL footy – Rhys decided to join the team and pack on some tissue,” the post said.
“After competing at the highest level in sports as a professional athlete, his sheer desire to always improve with whatever he does is second to none, he never missed a meal, he never missed a session and always took care of his recovery.
“This bloke just followed the plan to a tee which has helped him achieve amazing results in a short period of time. (full bodybuilder mode).
“He’s now back on the field with a few more kg’s of muscle and dominant as ever.
“For online coaching dm today and let’s discuss your goals and map out a plan.”
The former Lions player hasn’t completely walked away from the game however after joining QAFL side Wilston Grang Gorillas for 2024.
The club excitedly announced the news of his signing in a post on Instagram.
“In arguably the biggest signing in our clubs rich history, all Gorillas supporters will be excited to see how Rhys rips the QAFL competition apart,” they wrote.
“Matho’s signature has been one of the most talked about this off-season, across the nation.”
Mathieson’s inclusion into the side wasn’t enough to secure the opening round win as they fell four points short against the Palm Beach-Currumbin Lions on April 6.
Despite the loss ‘Beast Mode’ was an unstoppable force as he collected an absurd 39 disposals to go along with two goals.
In Round 2, Mathieson was given the maximum 10 coaches votes for his efforts in Wilston Grange’s 12.23 (95) win over Noosa 10.8 (68) in Round 2 of the QAFL last weekend.
His former AFL side have turned their form around after losing the first three games of the season. The Lions take on the undefeated Geelong at the Gabba on Saturday night.
