Brandon Matera says his uncle, Phil Matera, has been a strong influence on his career.

"Phil's been a pretty big mentor for me in the last year, over the off-season and stuff," Matera said.

"We've had a few good talks. He's obviously got great advice. It's probably just more 'if you retired today, would you be happy with your career?'

"Then just when you're at the club, just really enjoy it. We've had some talks about other stuff as well that I won't get into, but he's been really good for me."

Travis King for AFL.com.au