Rhys Mathieson is the character the AFL shouldn't stifle

Hindsight is a wonderful thing. If the Brisbane Lions had defeated the finals bound GWS Giants this past Sunday, Rhys Mathieson’s revival of the Mark Williams shotgun celebration may have been seen as the exact moment the young Lions turned their season around.

Alas, instead it has been labelled as somewhat of a brash celebration by a player yet to prove anything, for a team who languish near the bottom of the ladder after yet another convincing loss.

Some have argued that, given recent events, the celebratory display of an imaginary firearm could be inferred as somewhat insensitive but I feel as if these comparisons are a rather large draw of a long bow.

Let’s not make these inferences, and rather focus on what Mathieson’s celebration was; a charismatic player displaying raw wilful enthusiasm after kicking his first career goal, at a time in which the game was still in the balance.

Mathieson came into the league with the moniker ‘Beast Mode’, and while his 185cm, 79 kilogram frame pales in comparison to that of the original Beast Mode – the 98kg former NFL running back Marshawn Lynch – the young Lion has already established himself as one of the characters of the AFL.

The football world is already a slightly more entertaining place due to his presence.

While it’s no surprise that the numbers of AFL “characters” have dwindled since the league has increased in scope and professionalism, this makes it all the more important to embrace the ones we have, not shun them and request they form an orderly queue.

While I’m not usually a proponent of the “slippery slope” theory, lambasting Mathieson for his celebration could see the AFL edge closer and closer toward what is currently eating away at the popularity of Major League Baseball in the United States; the ‘old guard’ struggling to come to grips with the personalities of young talent.

When Toronto Blue Jay’s right fielder Jose Bautista flipped his bat after a home run against the Texas Rangers last year, the baseball fraternity was drawn into a debate of sportsmanship.

What transpired didn’t lead to an amicable conclusion, but only drew attention to a sport that has struggled to come to grips with its dwindling popularity and attachment to the youth of America whom would rather spend their time trying to be the next Steph Curry or Cam Newton than Babe Ruth.

Even Bryce Harper, the man with the greatest hair in the world, the MLB’s pin-up boy and all around ‘good lookin’ Rooster’ has channelled his inner Donald Trump in a campaign to “Make Baseball Fun Again.”

I don’t subscribe to the slippery slope theory, and AFL and baseball are totally different beasts.

Baseball has had its time and failed to adequately change its stripes when required, whereas the AFL has constantly looked for ways to improve both the quality and aesthetic of the product for an evolving audience.

The point, however, remains the same.

Youthful exuberance is a good thing, and while Mathieson’s celebration may be criticised and used as a punch line for a turbulent Lions season, seeing a first-year player enjoying his football amidst adversity is not only good for the club, it’s good for the game.

While we all want professionalism from our players, Mathieson is actually doing what we all aspire to do; a living embodiment of the age-old expression ‘if you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life.’

Never change, Beast Mode. They’ll come around.