Geppert signs with East Wagga

This article and photo first appeared in the Daily Advertiser

By Simon Brunsdon

East Wagga-Kooringal has pulled off a signing that is likely to prove the biggest off-season get of the Farrer League.

The Hawks have landed the signature of Marc Geppert – the man widely considered the Riverina’s most dangerous forward for the best part of a decade.

Geppert, AFL NSW/ACT’s Participation Manager for Southern NSW, has kicked roughly 750 first grade goals over the past nine years, cracking 100 goals in a season on three occasions during that time.

He has been the RFL’s leading goalkicker for each of the past three seasons and before that, won the Farrer League honours for three consecutive years.

Geppert has helped Collingullie-Ashmont-Kapooka to five grand finals in his six years with the club, winning three Farrer League flags.

He had previously won two premierships with Ganmain-Grong Grong-Matong before joining the Demons.

His record speaks for itself.

First-year Hawks coach Gavin McMahon couldn’t overstate how big the signing was for his club.

“Thinking back, there probably hasn’t been a local footy player movement as big as this in a number of years,” McMahon said. “Gep has as good a record as you will see in country footy anywhere.” 

McMahon admitted Geppert’s signing had been “the worst kept secret” of the off-season but was thrilled to finalise the deal on Monday night.

Geppert yesterday said he was relieved to finally get pen to paper.

The 27-year-old conceded it was a tough decision to part ways with CAK and particularly its coach Shane Lenon, who he has spent the past nine years playing with and under.

“It was getting to the stage where it felt like I was just going through the motions,” Geppert said.

“When (EWK) appointed Gav as coach it did enter my mind, and when they approached me I had to think pretty hard about it.

“It was probably Gav coaching, combined with me looking for a change, that got me to sign.

“I didn’t want to play against Gullie in the RFL and East Wagga seemed like the perfect fit.

“I’m really looking forward to a new start.”

Geppert says he wants to help EWK as it enters a new era for the club.

“They have got aspirations to return to the glory days and I want to be a part of that and hopefully help get them there,” he said.

EWK president Rob Richards was over the moon about snagging one of the Riverina’s best footballers.

“Gep is not only a quality footballer but a quality person,” Richards said.

“For a player of his calibre to consider us as an option indicates how far the club has come.”

Geppert is the biggest name on a lengthy list of “ins” for EWK early in the Farrer League off-season.

The Hawks have already added six players to their list and only lost two as they prepare for their 2014 campaign.