The AFL's game development manager for southern NSW, Marc Geppert, says the sport needs to be vigilant in maintaining a high-level presence in the region, even in the wake of Greater Western Sydney's historic grand final appearance.
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Geppert welcomed Wagga City Council's partnership with AFL NSW/ACT last week, in pursuit of pre-season games in the next two years.
Narrandera hosted the Giants and West Coast in 2017, but Wagga hasn't had a game since 2016, when Collingwood and North Melbourne played at Robertson Oval.
Rival sports have raised their presence, from cricket, to soccer, and of course, the Canberra Raiders upping the ante considerably by bringing NRL competition matches to Wagga this year and next.
Five Riverina products - Harry Perryman, Harry Himmelberg, Jacob Hopper, Zac Williams and Jeremy Finlayson played in the 89-point grand final loss to Richmond on Saturday.
"Every other sport have got a hell of a lot better at it in recent times, in bringing elite games to the region," Geppert said.
"We've seen cricket, A-League, rugby league and rugby union, even with their player visits... other sports are really catching on to the fact that it's a competitive market.
"Going 12 months or two years without an elite game here, whilst the other codes are bringing their games, it does have an impact. There's no doubt about that."
Geppert said bringing the Giants back would be ideal, given their connection to the region and their rise culminating in Saturday's MCG appearance.
"We're always putting our hand up to host elite games," he said.
"It makes it a little more difficult these days with the shortened JLT (pre-season) fixture. But we're always at the front of the line with our hand up trying to get games here."
Coincidentally three of the four teams who played in Wagga and Narrandera in 2016 and 2017 have played in a grand final within two seasons. Richmond is the only grand finalist in the last two years not to have played at Robertson Oval or the Sportsground.
Geppert said the Giants can be proud of their achievements in the Riverina, as well as their on-field results, and believes their supporter base will only grow.
"I think they've worked really hard as a new club in the competition but the brand of footy they play and (being in a grand final), they're a fully-fledged AFL club with their own supporter base," he said.
"And they've got those 5, 6, 7 year olds who'll be Giants fans for life."
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