TIGER IS IN FOR THE KILL
KNOCKED DOWN, MATHESON BACK WITH VENGEANCE
THERE is every chance Thomson forward Jared Matheson may be in the running for the GDFL’s best finals player award as he prepares for this weekend’s grand final.
But it is a situation that seemed long odds only a fortnight ago after he hobbled off the ground with a knee injury in the late stages of the qualifying final.
“I did my meniscus against Winchelsea in Round 3, which almost needed surgery, but that was about a 12-week injury,” Matheson said.
“Later in the season I came back and I almost forgot that I’d done it once I started getting a few games under my belt.
“Then in the first final I had an awkward fall that locked my knee back up on me and it felt quite a lot worse than the one against Winchelsea, so I feared the worst.
“We went to the physio and they explained that there was nothing serious after the scans, I just jarred it, so I was good to go then.”
Matheson backed up his three-goal haul in the Tigers’ qualifying final with another four against Geelong West in the side’s semi-final clash.
Then on Saturday, he continued to stand superior on Bell Post Hill’s lockdown defenders after slotting four goals in the opening half of the Tigers’ 43-point preliminary final win.
He now has 74 goals from his 27 games at the club, the type of form resembling his 111 majors with now-defunct CDFL side Forrest in 2011-12.
“I’m best mates with Michael Gregorio, so he kind of got me to the club last minute and Reece (Holwell) also helped sweeten the deal because I also knew him beforehand,” he said.
“I loved my time at Lorne and Forrest but I’ve moved back towards Geelong, so it was just a bit hard to head back down there each time.”
After reaching the senior premiership dais at the age of 16 with Lorne in 2007, and then again with Forrest in 2012, Matheson believes rejuvenation will be the key to his third.
“I went overseas for 10 weeks this season and the trip was pre-planned as well, so the first injury happened just by chance,” he said, laughing.
“I love my blues music so we went through the bottom half of America and had a look around Texas and Louisiana.
“I was hobbling around for the first four weeks because the knee blew up on the plane, but it was OK, I wasn’t really doing too much other than eating and drinking.”
Matheson has also promised Thomson fans he will keep his distinctive beard, one that has granted him cult hero status at Godfrey St Oval.
“I’m just too lazy to get it off and it won’t be coming off anytime soon,” he said.