Matt Rowell appears to eat grass during Suns-Cats fixture

Athletes are known for their weird habits and dietary intakes, but this effort from an AFL star might take the cake as the weirdest of the lot.

You could write plenty of books about the weird habits and dietary intakes of athletes, but there’s not many that would be more strange than Gold Coast star Matt Rowell’s display on Sunday ahead of their fixture against Geelong at Heritage Bank Stadium.

Sitting in a deep squat off the forward 50 during the team’s warm-up, the 21-year-old appeared to be taking a moment of meditative pre-game peace before abruptly grabbing a fistful of the Carrara turf, shoving it into his mouth and chewing down on it.

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It lit up social media on Monday morning, with Triple M’s Josh Garlepp asking the Gold Coast Suns to clarify the situation.

“My first thought was he’s aware of a health benefit no one else is, as he’s a specimen,” Garlepp said.

“Dogs also nibble on grass for gut health.”

Thanks to the journalists at Bounce for highlighting this. Can someone @GoldCoastSUNS clarify why Rowell eats footy turf? My first thought was he's aware of a health benefit no one else is, as he's a specimen. Dogs also nibble on grass for gut health. #aflpic.twitter.com/mtJEeTJ1B5

— Josh Garlepp (@JoshGarlepp) May 8, 2023

Triple M’s Rudi Edsall called Rowell an “all time weird cat”.

Zero Hanger writer Ed Carmine said “Matt Rowell thrives while the rest of us fight to survive”, and quoted a passage from the Wilderness Awareness School on foraging survival foods.

“More than 400 types of grasses can be eaten worldwide,” the passage reads.

“Grasses are known for being edible and health eating because of their proteins and chlorophyll. Magnesium, phosphorus, iron, calcium, potassium, and zinc are commonly found in grasses.”

However, the nutritional benefit of the Santa Ana couch grass used at Heritage Bank Stadium is unclear.

Rowell racked up 18 touches and 6 tackles as Gold Coast ran flag contenders Melbourne to the wire. (Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images)

Fox Footy’s Andrew Gaze said on Bounce that it was about connection.

“That’s about connecting,” Gaze said.

“You connect with your environment and then it all comes back, it’s like this big circle.”

Former Demon Bernie Vince called it “earthing”.

Rowell has already developed a reputation as one of the AFL’s more unique characters after being taken by the Suns with the first pick in the 2019 draft alongside schoolmate Noah Anderson.

He’s been memed for taking to warmups with a leather-bound notebook, and for sleeping alongside up to 50 footballs, so this is simply the latest in the superstar’s weird run of antics.

Rowell may simply be taking after tennis champion Novak Djokovic, who has been snacking on the perennial rye-grass of the All-England Club since his first win at Wimbledon in 2011.

“It’s a little tradition,” he told the BBC in 2018.

“As a kid I was dreaming of winning Wimbledon, so, like every child, you dream of doing something crazy when you actually achieve it - if you achieve it - and that was one of the things.”

Novak Djokovic chows down on the rye-grass of the All-England Club. (Photo by Adrian DENNIS / AFP)

It is not the first time that the strange dietary habits of AFL footballers have been highlighted, with Giants rookie Jason Gilbee sending the football world into meltdown earlier this year when he revealed that he had replaced his water intake with milk.

“I just preferred the taste, I feel like water is pretty boring so I just preferred the taste of milk instead of water,” Gilbee told News Corp.

“Mel (the Giants’ dietitian) wasn’t thrilled when she found out.

“They (the club) are very big on the hydration thing and drinking water and carrying water bottles around.

“At training I sort of have to drink a little bit of water at training and carry a water bottle around, but when I’m at home I can sort of sneak around it and have my milk.

“It’s a really weird thing, but I seem to be hydrated enough just with the milk I drink.”