Lions Profile: Mathieu Lachance-Bertrand

Posted on June 12, 2013

A fiery player on the field and great team mate off the field, Mathieu has slotted in perfectly with the Lions. A native French-Canadian (woe betide you if you forget the French part), Mathieu made waves from his first training session with his physical style of play, relentless pursuit and strange sounding curse words. The Lions were lucky to have a safety of his calibre approach the team, and his infectious passion for the game has inspired us all. Always willing to make solid contact (ask any of his team mates who weren’t paying attention on a Wednesday evening how they felt on Thursday morning), curse, then smile, then line up to belt you again, Mathieu has become an integral part of the defence. As you’ll see from the answers given below, he is a very sharp individual, and we loved his responses.

Mathieu has sure hands as a defensive back

How long have you been playing for?

9 years.

What position?

When I started playing football I was 5’9’’ and 160 lbs (72kg), the coach told me it would be wiser for me to play cornerback, wide receiver or kicker… I chose corner but never got to play during my first season. The following season I hit the gym to get stronger and faster. By training camp, I weighed in at 5’10’’ and 190 lbs (86kg) and got the starting position at Strong Safety.

What is your sporting background?

I went to a small high school in Quebec, Canada, where ice hockey was literally considered a religion. The school didn’t offer football so instead I played competitive basketball and hockey. I wanted my school to have a football team so bad that in 10th grade I initiated a school-wide petition, getting hundreds of student signatures, and created a budget plan to present to the principal. Five years after my graduation my high school started it’s first own football club.

A ball hawk as well as a thumper, Mathieu is an interception machine

What do you like about the game?

I like that football teaches many life skills, which to me, makes the game unique. Gridiron is fundamentally about discipline, mental toughness and perseverance, which are all important attributes to be successful in the real world. Playing football has been the best decision and has allowed me to travel the world, playing in different locations and meet great people.

Where do you hope to go with the sport?

I’ve been lucky enough to play football in 6 countries.  This has really opened my eyes to the global recognition of American Football.  When I joined the Brussels Bulls club in 2009 they had a large group of very young talented players, most of them were new to the sport but determined to learn the game. It made me realize that eventually coaching the game could be in the plans. It was great to see how much passion these young men had for the sport. This season (4 years later) the club has maintained it’s core group of young players and have gone undefeated in the Flemish Belgium league.

Favorite pre game music?

I usually listen to Rise Against, Metallica or Skrillex before a game.

Favorite pre game food?

Poutine.

Favorite Lions memory?

On Saturday November 3rd 2012, we played the Seahawks in Pennant Hills at 4pm. That same day at 9am, I received news from my brother in Canada that my mum had suffered from a serious brain virus. Needless to say, I was in no emotional state to play football. This event was literally haunting my thoughts, I had to find a way to distract myself and the only way to do this was to play the game against the Seahawks. My mum has always been my biggest supporter and she would have wanted me to play. It turned out to be one of the clubs best games, we won 89-6* and I finished the game with 3 interceptions and 1 TD. Today, she has fully recovered and she cherishes that I have dedicated this game to her.

A lovely picture of Mathieu and his mum: reminds us what really is important in life.

Toughest opponent you ever faced as a Lion?

The Lions Offensive line in practice.

Favorite opposition to play against?

UTS… it’s always great to have an opponent you really hate. The adrenaline really kicks in and that’s when the best football is played on both sides.

Mathieu has been embarrassing UTS quarterbacks on a regular basis since he entered the league

Favorite movie?

Water boy.