When Matt Geppert lines up in a forward pocket at Gumly Oval on Saturday, he has every chance of a front-row seat at family history.
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East Wagga-Kooringal take on Barellan and his older brother Marc is just two kicks shy of 1000 goals in senior games in the Riverina.
It will be the first time in their careers that the two will play together.
“I didn’t think I’d ever get the chance to play with him, obviously we were playing at different clubs last year when he was playing first grade (at Collingullie-Glenfield Park) and yeah, it’s nice,” the 30-year old Geppert said of his 18-year old brother.
Geppert has played 201 senior games in the Riverina and Farrer Leagues for a personal tally of 998 goals.
“It sounds like a footy cliche but you’d trade in all those goals to play in more premierships,” Geppert said.
“That’s being fair dinkum too because I’ve been lucky enough to play in premierships, I know what it’s like.
“I just want the blokes that haven't experienced that to be able to experience it.”
Geppert won his first five grand finals – Riverina League premierships with Ganmain-Grong Grong-Matong in 2005 and 2006 and Farrer League flags with Collingullie-Ashmont-Kapooka from 2008-10 – but has lost four since.
The desire to taste victory again is about his club now.
“It burns a little bit more knowing that East Wagga have gone so long without winning one and to be so close last year definitely hurts,” he said.
But playing at successful clubs has helped his personal tally.
“I don’t kick the ball to myself and you don’t kick goals without good players up the field, so playing in good teams has definitely helped me,” he said.
An eight-time winner of league leading goalkicker awards, Geppert (who booted 111 in the regular season last year) began life as a centre-half-back in the juniors with Eastlakes.
He didn’t start playing full-forward until he went to Collingullie in 2008, after he’d found himself on a forward flank at GGGM in teams boasting Anthony Carroll and Christin Macri.
Funnily enough, in years to come, a game against the Lions would live long in the memory.
“I think I kicked 11 in a pretty-high scoring game against Ganmain when I went to Gullie,” Geppert said.
“They were always very vocal the Ganmain fellas, so that was good.”
He also kicked 16 for the Demons in a game against Temora but admitted there hadn’t been too many huge hauls in grand finals.
“If you kick a hundred goals (in a season) blokes expect you to go out and kick 10 but it’s not like that,” he said.
“It’s probably three times harder to kick goals in a grand final, so anytime I can kick a couple in a grand final, that’s an achievement.”
And of the 998, how many were off the right foot?
“Zero! Actually, there was one – off my right foot at Coolamon in my second game at Ganmain. I remember it vividly.”