Narrandera-born footballer Matthew Flynn has now joined the West Coast Eagles after the completion of his move from Greater Western Sydney.
The 26-year-old joins the Eagles as an unrestricted free agent, heading west on a three-year deal after the paperwork was formalised.
Flynn played 33 games for the Giants after being taken with pick 41 in the 2015 draft, including nine matches this season.
Standing at 202cm and tipping the scales at 107kg, the Narrandera player will add some size to the Eagles’ big man department following the retirement of high-flying champion Nic Naitanui.
West Coast Eagles List Manager Rohan O’Brien said the Eagles had prioritised adding to their ruck stocks this off-season and were extremely pleased that Matt had decided to join the club via free agency.
“Matt has spent eight seasons in the AFL system and is physically mature so we expect he can come in and make an impact,” said O’Brien.
Flynn toured the Mineral Resources Park facility and met some of his new teammates last week and said he was excited by the opportunity at West Coast.
The Giants Academy product had to wait until his sixth season on the GWS list before making his debut and is keen to push for a regular spot at the Eagles.
“I think I’m in a position now eight years into my career,” Flynn said.
“I took five years to get into the Giants side and since then I’ve played some good football but I haven’t been able to cement my spot. The opportunity for me was to put myself into a position where I can compete to do that but at the same time you look at the West Coast list and you’ve got some very good bookends, some very good players through the middle still.
“The potential is there so the opportunity to play but then the opportunity to help build the club back up in a sense will be pretty good too.”
Flynn already has some affinity for the blue and gold from his hometown club Narrandera Eagles – with a photo doing the rounds on social media of him wearing their kit during his childhood.
He was a strong performer against West Coast in the Eagles’ round two win over GWS last season, picking up 17 disposals and winning 39 hitouts and was impressed by the atmosphere at the world-class Optus Stadium.
“As an opposition player it was deafening when the Eagles kicked a goal and when we kicked one it was absolute silence,” Flynn said.
“It was pretty amazing. That ground is phenomenal, so it will be pretty cool to call that home for the next few years.” Flynn started in the Giants Academy at the age of 12 and played 33 AFL games for the club after being selected at pick No.41 in the 2015 draft.
The Eagles lured Flynn from one side of the country to the other with the prospect of being the No.1 ruckman after three-time All-Australian Nic Naitanui retired this season due to a lingering Achilles injury.
As revealed on AFL.com.au’s trade and draft show Gettable back in August, West Coast has long held an interest in Flynn with the promise of more senior opportunities ultimately luring him across the country.
Melbourne was also among a handful of teams that were interested in the 200cm big man.
This article appeared in the Narrandera Argus, 12 October 2023.
