While he's made a name for himself as one of the AFL’s most reliable small defenders, a spot in the back-six wasn't always the place to be for Jarryn Geary.
The St Kilda skipper once booted seven goals from the midfield, all while while playing against a future star of the game.
That opponent? Geelong captain Joel Selwood, who also finished with seven of his own in the under-13 game.
Be there as the Saints face the Lions in Round 1 at Etihad Stadium.
Growing up in Bendigo, the pair went to high school together and played against each other in junior football – Geary at Eaglehawk and Selwood at Sandhurst – before joining forces in the midfield at the Bendigo Pioneers.
“We did have a game back in the early 2000s in an under-13 game where he was on one side and I was on the other. We both kicked seven (goals) in the game and that’s a game that we keep reminding each other of,” Selwood told saints.com.au at the 2017 AFL Captain’s Day.
“My team ended up getting up that day and he probably had the better players on his side so I’ve got brownie points there, but I couldn’t beat him in a 3kmer these days.
“(I played) plenty of footy with him and against him. ‘Gears’ was the type of player who had a lot of skill, a huge work rate like you’ve seen down at training and in games I’m sure. He just never gave up on the opportunity.
“I was lucky enough to go to school with him and then go on and play Pioneers with him.”
Jarryn Geary pictured with Joel Selwood
While Selwood’s entrance to the top started when he was drafted by the Cats at pick No. 7, Geary was plucked with pick No. 58 in the rookie draft, five picks before the doors were slammed shut for another year.
He's gone on to play 163 games in the red, white and black and will soon commence his second AFL season as captain.
