Jack Geary wins third Nalder Medal and sixth BFNL premiership

The Bulldogs skipper added a sixth premiership (first as captain) and a third Nalder Medal (2010 and 2013) to his glistening resume.

Geary would have had close to 20 disposals by half-time and was clearly the best player on the QEO at the main break.

Dragons midfield duo Noah Walsh and Sam Conforti made a charge for the Nalder in the second half and would have been deserved winners had the Dragons got up.

But few can match the grand final nous of the experienced veteran whose calmness under pressure and clean disposal got the Bulldogs out of trouble regularly throughout the afternoon.

"I don't go into the game thinking I'm going to be best afield," Geary said.

"As the years have passed, my role has become less prominent at the coalface.

"But when push came to shove today, I'm pleased they had the faith to put me in the midfield and have an opportunity around the ball."

Geary has predominantly played as a half-back the past few seasons, with short bursts in the middle to give young star Jack Hickman a spell.

The pair were in tandem again today, with Hickman highly influential in the second half in both positions.

"That swap has been the case for most of the year and has worked well," Geary said.

"He's been arguably our main guy in the midfield this season, and when he's needed a chop out, I'll go do a role."

Hickman, along with Ricky Monti, Xavier Murley and Tom Strauch, form the new-look Bulldogs midfield brigade for a potential new successful era at Wade Street.

Geary believes if the quartet and, to a larger extent, the group can stick together, they can emulate the prosperity he experienced early in his career.

"This is such a special group because of how young it is," Geary said.

"I pride myself on giving those kids more opportunity, and I've been happy to take some backward steps to allow them the limelight.

"I was lucky enough to win five on the trot when I was their age, and without going the early crow, if they all hang around, they've got a chance to do something similar."

Read more: Catch up on the latest local footy news

That five-peat ended in 2013 and was the Bulldogs' last flag until Saturday.

While a ten-year drought is minimal compared to other BFNL clubs, it ended a decade of finals heartbreak.

Barring pandemic-affected seasons, the Bulldogs played in all but one finals series during that period.

"I was lucky enough to get a few early in my career, and it's been well documented that it's been ten years between drinks, so to get one towards the back end is amazing," Geary said.

"We haven't been a long way off it, having played finals most of those years and gone deep at times, so it hasn't felt like we've bottomed out or been in a rebuild.

"Winning a grand final is always special, but with the amount of homegrown talent we have in this team, it means all the more to the club."

Read more: LIVE BLOG: Bendigo Football Netball League grand final day

For a player who's done plenty and seen it all, it's hard for a match to crack into his most memorable moments these days.

But Saturday's grand final, with its ebbs and flows and nerve-jangling finish, has already found its way into Geary's most unforgettable career memories.

"It's hard to rank the best games I've played in, but that's right up there," he said.

"It could have gone either way, and it shows how fine the line is between misery and ecstasy.

"At the end of the game, everyone just went into self-preservation mode as at that moment it's tough to process what you should and shouldn't do, but we were just good enough to hold on in the end."

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can access our trusted content: