As he sat on the edge of his seat amongst the 50,168-strong Suncorp Stadium crowd during the thrilling Hyundai A-League grand final in March, Jason Geria knew instantly that Brisbane Roar was the club for him.
As he sat on the edge of his seat amongst the 50,168-strong Suncorp Stadium crowd during the thrilling Hyundai A-League grand final in March, Jason Geria knew instantly that Brisbane Roar was the club for him.
Just 17-years-old at the time, Geria had spent the week training with the squad leading into the competition decider after he was recommended to Roar Youth coach John Sime by then-Australian Institute of Sport coach Gary van Egmond.
But it wasn-t the electrifying atmosphere or the thrill of success that wooed Geria, who had spent his entire footballing life in his Canberra hometown before joining the AIS two years prior.
It was the warm welcome he had received from the Brisbane coaching staff and players, just days before one of the biggest afternoons of their careers, which made his mind up for him.
“The club was so welcoming, from the first day I was here everyone was so friendly,” he said.
“I wasn-t star struck but I guess I kind of was, they-d been playing so well and to be training with them felt crazy.
“Then I went to the game, I was on the sideline behind the Roar bench, and it was just unreal.
“When Henrique scored – I think it was the loudest thing I-ve ever heard… That week made me want to come here.”
But Geria would be lying if he said he made the move to Brisbane without the intention of chasing trophies.
In the opening six rounds of this National Youth League season, the Roar have lost only once and Geria has played a key role in his side-s rise to the top, missing just one game due to 2012 AFC U-19 Championship qualifiers with the Qantas Young Socceroos.
While Brisbane Roar-s Hyundai A-League success of recent weeks has been well-documented, few supporters would be aware that their National Youth League counterparts are also sitting in first place in their respective competition.
“In the youth league the style of play working as well, we-re playing good football there and we-re also top of the table,” he said.
“So if we keep training and playing as we are, I really think we can progress even further in the youth league and get even better.”
This weekend, the Roar Youth squad travel to Sydney to take on Sydney FC, who sit fifth on the NYL ladder, three points behind the league leaders.
The round seven fixture has given Geria-s family in Canberra the opportunity to see him play for the first time this season and the young defender is hoping their presence will bring good fortune.
“I think my dad, my sister and probably my mum are coming up,” he said.
“Sometimes my mum comes, I don-t play the best but it-s okay with Dad because he used to come to all my matches.
“Hopefully I can do alright in front of them this weekend.”
