One of Northern Tasmania's most successful footballers this decade has returned to the club where it all started.
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A North Launceston premiership player in 2019, Jordan Tepper has signed with boyhood club South Launceston as a playing assistant coach for 2020.
A four-time flag player at South and a Hec Smith Medallist, the 24-year-old will be shooting for his sixth flag in seven years next season under new Bulldogs coach Anthony Taylor.
RELATED: Tepper aligns flag history at North
"I'm pretty excited actually," the former St Patrick's College student said.
"There's a few of the younger boys at the club that have heaps of potential to work with, especially with Ant Taylor, he's probably one of the best coaches in the state at the moment.
"Some of my best mates are up at South - Dano Johnston, Dyl Johnston, Spreader Harding and I get along really well with - and there's just a bunch of boys up there you could go to the pub with or out for tea with at any time which is probably the best part about the club.
"I was always going to go back [to South], it was just a matter of when and probably at the moment with a few things off-field I've got to get sorted with my house and that, it's probably a perfect time to come back."
Tepper joins former under-18 captain Kurt Hibbs in returning to South after a year at UTAS Stadium, with the latter also enjoying a stellar 2019 as part of North's premiership-winning development league side.
While helping South reach a fifth grand final in seven years has Tepper's full focus for 2020, the explosive midfielder-forward won't put a line through another State League stint in the future.
MORE FOOTBALL: State League set for Sunday grand final in 2020
"I'm definitely interested in doing it [TSL] in the next few years," he said.
"It's just one of those things with trying to build a house ... committing to State League level would have been a bit too full-on.
"That's probably the only reason I left."
In switching back to his junior club, Tepper adds to a strong tradition of players who have called both North and South Launceston home in recent years.
"It probably has a bit to do with those boys coming back - Leigh Harding, Adam Viney, Matthew Viney, Shane Wager and Darren Crawford," Tepper said.
"South have always said 'if you're going to go up a level we'll be more than happy to let you go' and we've grown a mutual respect between the two clubs to push our players to go up and if their time's had enough in TSL we've always got doors open and welcome them back pretty strongly.
"So there's mutual respect between both clubs which is really good."
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