Former AFL star admits he was ‘willing to take anything to transform’ as he breaks his silence on copping a three-year ban for doping breach

Former Brisbane Lions star Rhys Mathieson, who was today handed a three-year ban for breaching anti-doping rules, admits that he was ‘willing to put anything into my body to transform’ as he looked to pursue a career in bodybuilding following the conclusion of his professional footy career.

News broke on Wednesday that the former Lions midfielder was set to receive a ban from Sport Integrity Australia (SIA) for testing positive for a prohibited substance in 2024.

The ban was officially confirmed by SIA earlier today, with the governing body revealing that the 28-year-old had tested positive for Oxymetholone metabolite, an anabolic steroid that stimulates muscle growth. It is a prohibited substance under the World Anti-Doping Authority’s guidelines.

The former Brisbane star-turned bodybuilder, who is also aptly known among his friends as ‘Beast Mode’, has since broken his silence on the matter, admitting that he takes full responsibility for the ban, but adds that his decision to take the substance was not to enhance his performance on the pitch.

The sample was taken in 2024, a year after Mathieson had been delisted by the Lions. He had been playing local footy for QAFL side Wilston Grange, but after admitting to the breach, his sanction was commuted from four years to three by the SIA.

Breaking his silence on the matter, Mathieson explained on the Rip Through It podcast with his friend Mitch Robinson that he did not want people to feel sorry for him, while opening up on his new passion for bodybuilding.

‘By all means, I don’t want this to be a feel sorry for me or a “I’m a victim in this,” because I take full responsibility for what happened, what went down and I want to tell the people my side of the story,’ Mathieson said.

‘I’ve found a new passion and I’m happy to talk about this, the ban is the ban.’

Mathieson added that he wasn’t going to be fighting the ban but added that ‘some things just didn’t quite add up’ over how the situation was handled.

Robinson added that he was confused at why a local footy player was singled out by the anti-doping testers, before clarifying Mathieson had not ingested the substance to play better.

‘I’m going to follow in my passion, the dream’s over for footy and I’m going to follow in my passion, which is bodybuilding,’ Mathieson explained, speaking on his life after footy.

He added: ‘I dived into a lot of gym supplements. And I mean a lot. Some you buy off the shelves, some boys have their own. And I was willing to put anything into my body to transform.’

Mathieson, who made 72 appearances for the Lions between 2016 and 2023, said that he one day hopes to compete as a pro bodybuilder.

‘I’d been waiting eight years for this. Yes, AFL was the No 1 priority, but I always had this in the back of my head, and once I started doing it, I fell in love with it,’ Mathieson said.

‘I fell in love with the process of timed meals, and supplements and vitamins and pre-workouts, and all these proteins – all this stuff that I wasn’t allowed to have in AFL.

‘I thought: “You know what? I’m going to have a crazy pre-workout now”. I’m aware that it’s banned – I know. But at the same point, I’m only getting ready for local footy. These guys drink beers before the game, [and] they go out the night before the game.

‘I’m going to take whatever pre-workout [and] whatever supps I want. I’m going to be OK.’

He added that after being let go by the Lions, the ‘fire in his belly’ for footy wasn’t there for him anymore, adding he had ‘body dysmorphia’ and just wanted to put on muscle.

Alongside a rigorous training plan, Mathieson would also continue to play local footy for Wilston Grange, but struggled to perform on the field, admitting he couldn’t even run laps.

‘My lower back was sore, I was doing soft tissues [injuries],’ he said.

‘I felt so disappointed that I couldn’t give [my best] because of what I’d done to myself. I was thinking: “Man, this team’s gone all out there for me, so I’ve got to find a way here”. So, I cut back on everything – all my supplements, all my vitamins, everything.

‘I had to be ready to play footy for this team. But that was certainly tough being 10 kilograms heavier than I was at AFL level. It took me a long time [to get going again in football].’

Robinson and Mathieson believe that a throwback picture published on the AFL’s channel was the reason why the Brisbane midfielder was ‘targeted’.

‘Did it make a better player? No,’ Mathieson said, to which Robinson added: ‘I remember you coming home and being like: “Mate, I can’t get through a training session”.’

‘I didn’t need to [play incredibly], I wasn’t there to set the world on fire and get drafted,’ Mathieson said. ‘If I wanted to get drafted, I wouldn’t have done what I did. If people think it makes you a better player – it doesn’t.

‘I wasn’t in local footy to be a better player or to potentially pick it back up again, because otherwise I’d have stayed in the VFL.’

The AFL Players’ Association has since issued a statement on the ban  

‘The AFLPA acknowledges the three-year period of ineligibility imposed on Rhys Mathieson by the AFL Anti-Doping Code for the detection of a metabolite of the prohibited substance Oxymetholone,’ a spokesperson said. 

‘Rhys tested positive to the substance after engaging in a high performance strength and conditioning program and then playing football below the elite level after his AFL career had ended.

‘The AFL and Sport Integrity Australia have recognised that a sanction of three years acknowledges that Rhys used the substance for reasons unrelated to football performance while playing for a club in Queensland.

‘The period of ineligibility takes effect from 10 August 2024 to recognise the date of the provisional suspension imposed on Rhys, the delay in progressing the matter, and Rhys’s cooperation.

‘The AFLPA will continue to support Rhys as an Alumni member.’