Dear Footy Tragics,

We all love a quality bargain small forward in our DT, but the problem is they are very hard to find. In recent years we have selected the likes of Hayden Ballantyne, Mitch Duncan, Tom Rockliff and Relton Roberts as small forwards, with varying degrees of success. While Ballantyne, Duncan and Rockliff have been great selections, Roberts was a massive disappointment!

In 2011, I expect Brandon Matera to be one of the first players I select in my DT as a forward. Matera is originally from South Fremantle and his bloodlines are very impressive. Brandon Matera is the son of Wally, formerly of Fitzroy and West Coast, and the nephew of Peter and Phil who both played for West Coast. The difference with young Brandon is that he is a left footer, whereas his father and uncles were all right footers.

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - JUNE 11: Gold Coast Coach Guy McKenna watches his players during a Gold Coast VFL training session at Wesley College Oval on June 11, 2010 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Mark Dadswell/Getty Images)

Brandon Matera is 176cms and 69kgs and he will be 19 years of age by Round 1, 2011. Matera plays a similar brand of footy to his uncle Phil Matera who was a very classy Forward Pocket for West Coast, playing 179 AFL games and kicking 389 goals from 1996 – 2005. The bonus with Brandon Matera is that he also has the ability to play midfield, which is music to the ears of all DT coaches!

Here is a quick snapshot of Matera’s last three years of footy:

  • 2008 – Represented WA at the NAB AFL Under 16 National Championships;
  • 2009 – Represented WA at the NAB AFL Under 18 National Championships, being the leading goal kicker in the championships with 16 goals and being named in the Forward Pocket of the All Australian team. Matera also played senior, reserves and colts footy for South Fremantle;
  • 2010 – Matera has played 15 games for the Gold Coast in the VFL; he has kicked 15 goals and has been named in the best an impressive eight times!

According to many astute judges, Brandon Matera would be playing AFL football now if he was on another AFL list. Assuming Brandon Matera remains injury free and completes at least 80% of the 2011 pre season, I expect him to be a DT lock in your 2011 forward line.

PS: For those who questioned why I stressed the importance of holding trades until later in the season, I hope you have sufficient trades to cover the potential losses of Aaron Sandilands, Jonathan Brown, James Podsiadly and Adam Cooney, all in doubt this week. I would hate to be entering a cut throat final this week with injuries to my key players, no cover and no trades left in the kitty!

Good luck in your finals this week, no second chances now!