Brandon Matera facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Brandon Matera |
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Matera playing for Gold Coast in June 2017
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| Personal information | |||
| Full name | Brandon Matera | ||
| Date of birth | 11 March 1992 | ||
| Original team | South Fremantle (WAFL) | ||
| Draft | Underage recruit, Gold Coast | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder / Forward | ||
| Career highlights | |||
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Brandon Matera (born March 11, 1992) is a former professional Australian rules footballer. He played for two teams in the Australian Football League (AFL). These teams were the Gold Coast Football Club (2011–2017) and the Fremantle Football Club (2018–2020). He was one of twelve 17-year-olds chosen to join the Gold Coast team early. This was part of a special rule by the AFL.
Brandon comes from a famous football family. His dad, Wally Matera, played for Fitzroy and West Coast. His uncles, Phil and Peter Matera, also played for West Coast. Brandon has both Italian and Indigenous Australian (Noongar) heritage.
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Early Football Journey
Brandon started playing football at the South Fremantle Football Club. This was part of their junior program. He also played for Western Australia's state teams. He represented his state at the under-16 and under-18 levels.
In 2009, Brandon was named in the Under-18 All Australian team. This happened after he played well in the 2009 AFL National Under-18 Championships. Being an All-Australian means he was one of the best players in the country for his age group.
AFL Career Highlights
Playing for Gold Coast: 2011–2017
Brandon Matera made his AFL debut in 2011. This was in Round 2 of the 2011 season. It was also the very first AFL match for the Gold Coast Suns. They played against Carlton at the Gabba stadium.
In Round 5 of that same year, Brandon was part of a big moment. He helped the Gold Coast Suns get their first-ever AFL victory. He kicked 4 goals in that game. Because of his great performance, he was nominated for the 2011 AFL Rising Star award. This award recognizes the best young players in the league.
Playing for Fremantle: 2018–2020
After playing for Gold Coast, Brandon moved to a new team. During the 2017 AFL Trade period, he was traded to Fremantle. Being traded means a player moves from one club to another. He played for Fremantle until the 2020 season. After that season, he was delisted, which means he was removed from the team's player list.
