Lion happy to be target after his shotgun start
Mathieson not afraid of the criticism
Rhys Mathieson wasn’t about to come into the AFL quietly.
Call him combative, confrontational, antagonistic, the young Brisbane Lion has always loved the contest.
And while he may have ruffled more than a few feathers in his debut season in 2016, for the livewire half-forward-come-midfielder it was all water off a duck’s back.
Be it allegations of ducking for free kicks, a controversial shotgun celebration or a general in-your-face approach to opponents, Mathieson left an indelible mark.
He was immediately thrust into the spotlight when awarded six free kicks in his first game against Melbourne in round nine last season.
“They me called me ‘cheat’ or ‘you’re weak’,” he told News Regional before the Lions’ clash with the Bulldogs today.
“I just cop it on the chin and move on
“As long as I’m doing right by my teammates whatever other teams say I don’t really care.”
Geelong skipper Joel Selwood, known for his own ability to win head-high frees, was one opponent who didn’t take kindly to Mathieson’s approach.
“It wasn’t that I didn’t have respect for my opponents as some people would have thought,” Mathieson said.
“I was there to compete and help try and get the four points for my team.
“It didn’t matter who I was playing on, whether they played 250 games or whatever, I was there to compete and give my team the best chance of winning.”
Mathieson admitted he felt a lot of negativity, but didn’t let it get to him.
“There’s probably a lot of blokes it would affect but for
me ... that stuff it didn’t really worry me too much,” he said.
“I wear my heart on my sleeve when I play my footy.”
Mathieson came under fire again when he pretended to fire a shotgun after booting his first goal in a round-17 clash with the GWS Giants.
“I’m pretty energetic when I play my footy,” he said.
“There was a little backlash but this year I’ve had people dying for me to do it.”
While the ‘shotgun’ has been put away for now, Mathieson is not curbing his combative ways – at the direction of new coach Chris Fagan.
“Fages, when he came in, didn’t say anything about that type of stuff. He said ‘I want you to play the way you’ve been playing’.”
After making 11 senior appearances in 2016, Mathieson has added another nine this season after overcoming an ankle injury during the pre-season.
“I stood on Tom Rockliff’s boot … she slid off the side,” he recalled.
Mathieson, drafted from the Geelong Falcons, came back into the side for round 10, just after signing a new two-year contract extension.
“Moving back home was never on my mind,” he said.
“When Brisbane offered me another two-year contract it was a no-brainer.
“We’re a young developing team, it’s going to take a while. We know that.
“But we’ve already won more games than last year. We can see a good path ahead.
“Hopefully I can be a one-club player and stay up in Brisbane.”
Mathieson would love to help lead the club in the future.
“I’ve got pretty loud voice for that type of stuff,” he says.