PHIL MATERA

1996-2005

Debut: Round 4, 1996 V Geelong

Games: 179

Achievements:
Leading goal-kicker 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005
Best Clubman 2000         
All-Australian 2003

The third of the Matera brothers to play senior football at West Coast, Phil became an important facet of the club’s attacking armour and not just because he was the leading goal-kicker on five occasions.

Matera worked in well with key forwards through the course of his career, but also was a target within his own right, particularly in 2003 when he was the club’s leading goal-kicker and earned all-Australian selection as a forward pocket.

But almost the equal of Matera’s goal-kicking exploits was the pressure he applied on the opposition defence. His tackling pressure was a key attribute in West Coast teams during his career and he was the prototype for the modern day small forward.  

With 389 goals at an average of more than two a game, he sits fifth on the club’s all-time list of goal-kickers behind Josh Kennedy, Peter Sumich, Jack Darling and Mark LeCras.