Former AFL star Mitch Robinson has lashed the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority (ASADA) after the drug testers made a surprise call to Rhys Mathieson’s parents house at 5am.
Mathieson (who was affectionately known as ‘The Beast’ or ‘the Barometer’ during his time at the Lions) was delisted by Brisbane at the end of last year, but went viral earlier this year after his wild transformation which has seen him pile on muscle.
He is suddenly unrecognisable from his days as an AFL player, but still enjoys having a run with QAFL team Wilston Grange Gorillas.
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Mathieson and Robinson are good mates from their time at Brisbane together, and Robinson was outraged when he found out that ASADA had tested Mathieson after his transformation made headlines.
“After Matho blew up on social media this year for his gains, the Barometer just happened to be “randomly” drug tested by ASADA (in local footy) … Embarrassing for them, he came back squeaky clean 😂,” Robinson said on social media.
But it was in his podcast with Mathieson where the colourful Robinson really let rip.
“F*** you ASADA. F*** you QAFL … Don’t press his parents doorbell. Five in the morning when Craigo’s trying to get lucky,” Robinson fumed.
“Something that I havn’t seen in my whole life time is target testing in f****** local footy.
“People don’t realise you’re in the gym two hours a day, you’re carb loading, all you eat is tuna and rice.”
Mathieson admitted he was shocked by the visit from the drug testers.
“I am confused,” he said.
“In my whole time in football with all my teammates I’ve played with — I was there for eight years (at Brisbane) — they always talk about (the testers) rocking up to your house.
“Never seen it … you guys never do it.
“So 5am in the morning, buzzer is going off at the front door. I don’t live at this residence no more, my mum and dad do.
“My poor mum is going, ‘What the hell. Why is there two guys buzzing our door at 5am?’ She’s getting a bit worried, a bit scared.
“(She) sends the old boy there, he’s in his jocks, has to throw on the dressing gown.
“He opens the door and he goes, ‘What do you blokes want?’ … at this hour it’s dark, he can barely see.
“And they’re like, ‘Anti-doping’. He just goes like, ‘Nah, not interested. And shuts it (the door). So he was thinking it was like an electricity company trying to sell him something.
“So then he goes and has his coffee and 30 minutes later they’re still there. He said, ‘Seriously, what do you guys want?’
“And that’s when they said this is anti-doping, we’re here to test Rhys Mathieson.”
Robinson said and then alarm bells probably started to ring in your dad’s head, thinking his son is a “crack addict”.
“My parents don’t really know this stuff,” Mathieson said.
“What in the earth are they doing rocking up (to my parents’ house) while I’m a country footballer and in my whole time in my AFL career they did not test me or anyone I’ve known.”
Robinson said someone had “obviously complained because Rhys Mathieson is having 40 (disposals) every week”.
Mathieson said testers eventually caught up with him at a game where he was tested.
“I have an issue with this because they say it’s all random … and normally (when they turn up to a match) they test three or four blokes from my team and the other team, this day it was just me.
“I feel like the way they went about was really wrong. And whoever complained, stuff you.”
Robinson said Mathieson was tested and cleared and has since played.
“Where’s the apology note?” he asked.
ASADA has previously made it clear that players from local leagues at any level can be subjected to drug testing.
And tests can be performed on any athlete who participates in a sport with an anti-doping policy.
Club players and officials of any Australian Football competition that is operated and managed under the laws of Australian Football are also bound by the AFL Anti-Doping Code.
