Former AFL fan favourite Rhys Mathieson might just be taking his pet nickname a little too far.

Mathieson became a cult hero when he was at the Brisbane Lions and was affectionately known as ‘the Beast’ or ‘Beast Mode’ or ‘the Barometer’ by fans.

Mathieson, 27, always struggled to cement his spot in the team during his time at the Gabba but, nonetheless, he was a shock delisting at the end of last year despite not playing a game.

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Not only that, many AFL fans were even more surprised by the fact that ‘the Beast’ was not picked up by another club as a rookie signing.

So, after 72 games he found himself on the AFL scrapheap …. sparking a wild transformation.

Mathieson has been hitting the gym hard and regularly posts pictures of himself working out on his Instagram page.

He is suddenly unrecognisable from his days as an AFL player and has recently found himself being sponsored by a sports supplements company.

And his latest batch of photos of his bulging arms and ripped body have sent fans into a total spin.

Former Brisbane champion and Mathieson’s good friend, Mitch Robinson, was quick to respond when ATP Science announced they were now aligned with the muscled-up Mathieson.

“Yeah the beast!!” Robinson trumpeted.

And on another recent post, Robinson said: “Absolutely killing it my guy!”

Another fan asked what many Brisbane supporters have been wondering for some time: “Why the hell did we get rid of him????”

And another said: “He looks scary but he is really a teddy bear!😉”

Tom Fullarton, who is now at Melbourne but was at the Lions for five years, simply said “ooft” when looking at the recent pics of his former teammate.

Mathieson signed with QAFL team Wilston Grange Gorillas ahead of the 2024 season, and played in the team that faced Noosa at Hickey Park on Saturday.

Last week the Gorillas narrowly lost to Palm Beach Currumbin in the season-opener, but they bounced back against Noosa with a strong 27-point victory.

Mathieson booted two goals in the win and was named in the Gorillas’s best players.