WEST Coast father-son prospect Jordan Matera has quit Brighton Grammar and will play next season solely with TAC Cup side Sandringham Dragons, in a bid to give himself the best shot at being drafted.
The son of Eagles great and 1992 Norm Smith medallist Peter was set to complete his year 12 studies this year.
Instead Matera has enrolled in an elite athlete course where he will study sports and business management and work out under the guidance of Vic Metro trainer Damien Villarosa at ProSport gym in Richmond.
The course means Matera will no longer have to split his time between school footy and the TAC Cup, which he hopes will help him play more consistent football for the Dragons.
"It means I won't be going back and forth with both clubs. I'll just be training with one club three times a week," Matera told AFL.com.au.
"I think that might be a bit easier for me.
"Then if I don't make AFL I'll hopefully get into uni and start my career there."
The 18-year-old has long been on the radar of Eagles recruiters and could come under consideration this year.
Under current father-son rules West Coast can snare the son of a 100-game player by matching a bid from a rival club before the NAB AFL Draft.
On Monday, the Eagles will get a closer look at Matera when the left-footer flies to Perth to attend the club's annual father-son academy.
"I think I'll be there for a few days just to do some testing and train with the boys hopefully," he said. "It's very exciting."
It will be Matera's fourth trip west to link up with the academy, where the sons of club greats John Worsfold, Guy McKenna, Dean Kemp, David Hart and Peter Sumich have also been given a glimpse into life at the club.
This week the sons-of-guns will watch the Eagles train and learn about flexibility, preparation, diet and recovery.
Premiership defender Hart will then put the boys through their paces in a skills session, before they play a game against each other.
The Eagles academy has already started to bear fruit, with Alec Waterman – the son of dual-premiership defender Chris – recruited with pick No.76 last year.
Matera (second from right) cools off as trainer Damien Villarosa speaks. Picture: Michael Willson/AFL Media
Eleven potential draftees are set to roll off the production line in the next five years, with Matera looming as the next father-son prospect from the club's early 1990s golden era.
The slightly built but hard-at-it midfielder shares some similarities with his famous dad – who was an inaugural West Coast hall of fame inductee.
He isn't blessed with quite the same blistering acceleration, but he likes to break into space and is clever around goals.
It's a trait his dad (217 goals in 253 games) and uncles Wally (65 from 56) and Phil (389 from 179) made a hallmark of their careers.
"I'm a small forward or inside midfielder. I just like to get inside and get in there hard," Matera said.
"I like to run. I can be an inside or outside player. I like to kick goals as well, that's why I like to be small forward.
"I think (dad) was a bit quicker than me. I'm a different player to him, but we still have some similarities."
Matera has impressed at under-age level, earning an All Australian guernsey when he represented Vic Metro at the 15-and-under championships in 2012, and he hopes to picked for this year's under-18s squad.
He's still building the strength and endurance he'll need to manage an intense draft year, but Matera is already mature enough to cope with the inevitable comparisons to his dad.
"I've had it for a while actually, just people saying 'It must be a lot of pressure and stuff like that'," he said.
"I know my dad was a great player but I've got to play my own game."
Matera hard at work with US draft hopeful Alex Aurrichio. Picture: Michael Willson/AFL Media
