Fremantle recruit Brandon Matera has confirmed he didn’t receive an offer to come home from West Coast, while promising to get his uncle Phil into a Dockers jumper.

Matera has started pre-season training a week early after returning to WA following 101 games in seven seasons at the Gold Coast Suns.

The 25-year-old’s surname is synonymous with the Eagles, with uncles Peter and Phil starring in blue and yellow and his father Wally also playing 24 games for West Coast before he went to Fitzroy.

But Matera will play for West Coast’s fierce cross-town rivals after he was traded from the Gold Coast last month.

“I grew up being an Essendon supporter,” Matera said. “I went to a lot of West Coast games to watch my uncles. So when my manager called me to say Freo were interested it was pretty awesome just to come home. Obviously, I’ve got a lot of family and friends here so I took that opportunity and I’m really looking forward to it now.

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Camera Icon Brandon Matera at Dockers training. Credit: Steve Ferrier

“I just didn’t speak to them (West Coast). I never really got contact from them so I was pretty happy when Freo called me and it was an easy decision to come here and I’m really looking forward to it.”

Matera said his family remained close and he had no shortage of advice.

“We all keep in contact,” he said. “Phil is probably the main one besides my dad who calls me quite a bit. He was trying to put me to West Coast, but I said by the end of this year we’ll have him in a Docker jumper.”

Matera was in career-best form early this season before a foot injury derailed him.

He is targeting a strong pre-season in his year at the Dockers.

“I had a stress fracture in my fourth metatarsal, it wasn’t too nice,” he said.

“It’s all good (now), I probably could have played the last couple of games but I didn’t want to risk it so I rested for the rest of the year.

“I’ll be full bore (this pre-season), ready to go.”

Matera joined the younger players for training at the club’s Cockburn base this morning, while Lachie Neale, Shane Kersten, Joel Hamling and Michael Walters were also spotted on the track, despite not being due back until next week.

Matera said he had been keen for an early return so he could get to know his new teammates.

But he and Harley Bennell are already mates from their time together at the Suns.

“I caught up with him early on,” Matera said. “I came back for the WAFL grand final and saw him over that weekend. He is pretty excited, I told him then I was coming back so we’ve kept in contact almost daily so it’s been good. I’m looking forward to him being out here and back on the same team.”