Suns star Matt Rowell talks about his bizarre grass-eating ritual that has stunned the footy world: ‘I taste it… and feel one with the ground’
- Rowell reveals why he eats grass before competitions
- Sun’s star says he feels one with the ground
- Rowell says ritual puts its head in the game
Gold Coast star Matt Rowell has ditched the question of why he eats stadium grass as a bizarre pre-game ritual, revealing that tasting grass makes him feel ‘one with the ground’.
Rowell, 21, is having a dazzling season on the field for the Suns, but is also making headlines for eating it – with a video recently showing him munching on the turf at Heritage Bank Stadium.
The moment made headlines across the country — and veteran sportswriter Caroline Wilson later revealed it was far from a one-off for Rowell.
“He does this at every game, on every ground across Australia,” she said on Nine’s Footy Classified on Monday night.
“So we think he’s probably been eating grass at about 18 locations now. I’m not kidding, that’s his pre-game routine – he eats grass. It’s something extraordinary.’
Gold Coast star Matt Rowell has revealed why he eats grass as a bizarre pre-game ritual
Now the talented midfielder is candid about the strange ritual following the Suns’ victory over the Western Bulldogs.
“I started it early this year during the exhibition games and the run-up to the regular games,” Rowell told the Channel 7 crew.
‘I just kind of feel my surroundings. I’ll close my eyes a little bit. I listen, taste some grass, taste. Feel it. It’s just a kind of ritual I’ve done to keep my head together a bit.’
Commentator Shaun Burgoyne then asked Rowell if eating grass makes him feel grounded.
“Yes, I think so,” Rowell said. ‘Certainly. Just one with the ground and that gives you a good feeling.’
Seven’s Hamish McLachlan then asked Rowell if he was concerned about pesticides on the football field.
“I didn’t think of that until someone asked me,” Rowell admitted.
“I haven’t fallen off the perch yet.”
Rowell says tasting the turf gets his head in the zone and makes him feel grounded
The talented midfielder admitted that he hadn’t thought about pesticides on the grass
Social media has had a field day with the story, with many footy fans encouraging Rowell to keep going.
‘Literal GOAT’ noted one Reddit user.
“To be the best on the ground, you must first become one with the ground,” said another.
That’s great, good for him. Who else could say they literally have the holy turf in their veins? It’s part of him now,” said a third.
Rowell isn’t the first professional athlete to eat the grass where he plays.
Every year since he won the tournament in 2011, Grand Slam king Novak Djokovic has plucked a few pieces of grass from Center Court at Wimbledon to eat.
“It’s a little tradition,” he told the BBC in 2018.
“As a kid I dreamed of winning Wimbledon, so like any kid you dream of doing something crazy when you actually achieve it – when you achieve it – and that was one of the things.”