The fundraising effort behind Rhyan Grant's decision to farewell his mullet

To all of the Rhyan Grant mullet admirers out there, it's time to say goodbye. 

During the week he is set to chop his locks for charity, Grant joined The Socceroos Podcast to tell some entertaining stories of how fans, teammates and opposition players have reacted to the infamous haircut over the years.

He also shared how his Sydney FC teammates responded to the news that it was set to be shaved and the important cause that he has already raised nearly $14,000 for.  

LISTEN: Socceroos Podcast | Rhyan Grant 

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It was only after months of his club teammates "constantly asking what's doing with the hair," that Grant bit the bullet decided it was time for a change.  

“I've had it for a while now, I've been tossing up whether I want to cut and I think it just got to the time where I was ready to get rid of it," he told The Socceroos Podcast. 

"It's been recognised a fair bit over the last few years so I thought if I was ever going to cut it I'd like to do it for some sort of charity." 

READ: Rhyan Grant's mullet to be chopped for charity
READ: From Canowindra to the Coast: Rhyan Grant’s life on the road

When it came to choosing a charity, Grant was inspired by the story of his club teammate Luke Brattan. 

Brattan raised over $30,000 for the Leukaemia Foundation a year ago by taking part in the World's Greatest Shave, after his sister was diagnosed with blood cancer and his mum with breast cancer.

With both now thankfully cancer free, Grant shared with Brattan his willingness to contribute to the cause in similar fashion. 

"Brats (Luke Brattan) said 'if you're going to cut it, you might as well try and raise some money'," Grant recalled.

"It's a foundation that hits close to home for him with family members having cancer which is obviously tragic.  

Grant Brattan

"It was Brattsy that put me in contact with them, so a lot of it comes back to him and he did it last year, so he knows all the people to set it up and go from there. It was a pretty easy process - all I have to do is cut it in the end. 

"He raised a lot of money doing that and I thought with the mullet being quite famous over the last few years that I'll cut it and raise as much money as I can and so far, so good.  

We're well over $10,000 now and there's still time to donate, so if you could donate that'd be great to try and get as much money as possible for a cause that's close to home for so many people." 

You can donate to Rhyan’s cause at: http://my.leukaemiafoundation.org.au/rhyangrant

While Grant's haircut may have seen him become an easy target for opposition fans over the last few years, the defender's easy-going nature has allowed him to brush aside nearly all of the banter. 

He chuckled as he recalled the not-so-unique experiences he has faced involving opposition players and fans. 

"I think the one with Wenzel-Halls, people love to bring that up because obviously he gave it a little tug and I wasn't happy about it," Grant joked.

"That's obviously one that's I can think of off the top my head, other than that, I think that just the generic crowd involvement, where they tell me to get a haircut.

They think that's quite original and funny, but I hear it in numerous times every weekend and I obviously chose this haircut for a reason, I didn't just get given it and have to sport it - so I'm not quite sure where that insult comes from.

"That's a constant one, and the other ones is older people always saying 'Oh, I used to have that haircut, oh my husband used to have that haircut back in the 70s or 80s or whenever they rocked it.

Rhyan Grant

"People either love it or hate it, people think it's disgusting, other people think it's a good laugh and I don't take myself too seriously, I just think it's a good conversation starter!" 

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