Marty Corboy has emerged from outside the National Party's traditional recruiting grounds as its candidate for a tilt at the federal seat of Indi for the first time since 2001.

He is something of a throwback to a time when a candidate earned their stripes in various party roles before becoming the anointed one.

"It's true," Mr Corboy said.

"I haven't been a mayor, I haven't been a footballer and it just shows what a broad church the Nats are, but I barrack for Richmond."

He could also be the Steven Bradbury of the Indi gold medal race.

The two main protagonists, incumbent Cathy McGowan and her predecessor, Liberal Sophie Mirabella, are dominating the discussion out in front, but he is poised to swoop on the ultimate prize if there is carnage near the finish line.

Mr Corboy, 36, was born in Warrnambool and is the eldest of 10 children to parents, Allan and Marylou.

His dad grew up in an orphanage in Ballarat before moving to Warrnambool to start an apprenticeship, aged 14.

His mum's family operated the local knackery and after marrying they combined their energies to establish a stockfeed business.

The family moved briefly to Euroa before spending seven years in Bendigo.

They bought a farm at Taminick on the banks of Lake Mokoan around the time Mr Corboy turned 21.

They remain in the stockfeed business with six members of the family working for Feed Rite in Wangaratta.

Mr Corboy has been given a timeout to follow a dream to become a politician which began with a toe in the water moment with the Family First party in the 2006 Victorian election in the seat of Benambra.

"It opened my eyes to the possibilities of what you can do in politics," he said.

Two years later he joined the Nationals and has occupied various roles including branch secretary and president, state councillor and more recently winning a spot on the party's board of management.

He previously contested two party pre-selections as the replacement for National Party icons in the North-East _ Ken Jasper and Bill Sykes _ upon their retirements, but without success both times.

He lost to Tim McCurdy, but two days later was appointed the Cobram real estate agent's campaign manager in a successful retention of the Murray Valley electorate for the Nationals.

Two years ago he went up against Steph Ryan in the former electorate of Benalla and again was unsuccessful.

"She wiped the floor with me," he said.

"You walk into a pre-selection room and you know straight away whether you've got it or not.

"I walked into that room that day and quickly realised it wasn't my day."

His day finally arrived last November when he won pre-selection in Indi with the Nationals swelling the number of candidates for the next election to seven.

Mr Corboy had first-hand exposure to the previously unsighted argy bargy of 2013 when Ms McGowan wrestled the seat from Mrs Mirabella.

He was a Senate candidate without any realistic chance, but three years later he is right in the mix.

From the moment he won pre-selection, he has pitched himself as the "fresh face" of the Coalition to voters on visits to all corners of Indi.

He said he had a good relationship with Mrs Mirabella, who is also trying to win the seat back for the Coalition.

They are members of the same Rotary club and have children the same age, but there can't be two winners in politics.

"My how to vote card will have Liberals at No.2 and the Liberals’ how to vote card will have  me at No.2," Mr Corboy said.

"Whatever happens from there is up to the voter.

"This is politics and this is the battle.

"It is a three-cornered contest and we are two separate entities.

"You are just waiting for the volcano to erupt.

"I think in time it will, but my main focus is being the National Party representative."

The 2013 election has transformed Indi into one of the most marginal seats in Australia with Mr Corboy aiming to win back voters who deserted Mrs Mirabella and the Coalition at the last election.

The most high profile of them was Mr Jasper, whose public endorsement of Ms McGowan inflicted wounds so deep in the Coalition partnership they remain tender three years later.

"Ken did what Ken did and at the time I didn't think it was a good idea," he said.

"I told him that, but welcome to democracy.

"I knew a month out it was going to be difficult for the Coalition in Indi because you could just sense people were going in a different direction."

Mr Corboy's biggest obstacle remains his profile outside of Wangaratta.

He has held roles with Wangaratta Turf Club and the St Patrick's Catholic parish council.

He and wife Annelisa have six children who they home educate.

They met in Sydney more than a decade ago when he was managing a bottle shop in the suburb of Baulkham Hills.

"The fundamental question voters need to ask is what can Cathy do for us, but at the same time we don't want to go backwards," he said.

"My job in the next three to four months is to fill in the gap of 'Who is Marty Corboy?'

"Door knocking is such an essential key element of campaigning and I actually love doing it.

"Some people say I like it way too much.

"But at the core of it all is I like meeting people and I've had no negative feedback whatsoever.

"It could be peoples' nice nature or whether or not they know there could be an election just around the corner.

"But if I ask someone to help on election day or put up a sign I haven't had a knock back yet.

"I also speak to a lot of mums and dads with mortgages and kids at school.

"It is not easy out there, but they like to see people having a go."

Jobs, jobs and more jobs for people of all ages are at the top of Mr Corboy's election priorities.

"We've got to promote our region as a great place to live, work and raise a family," he said.

"Ten per cent of people in Melbourne at any given time are looking to move to the regions and we need to provide them with opportunities to do that."

The Nationals relinquished the seat of Indi in 1977 when Mac Holten lost to Liberal Ewen Cameron.

The retirement of Mr Cameron's successor, Lou Lieberman, in 2001 is the last time the Nationals contested the seat.

Their candidate, the late Don Chambers, attracted only 12 per cent of the vote after winning pre-selection ahead of Wendy Mitchell and Henry Brewer.

Mr Brewer's brother-in-law is former member for Farrer and Deputy Prime Minister Tim Fischer, who lives in Indi, and is watching events closer than ever.

"He is a clean skin," Mr Fischer said.

"He is clear of any previous short-cuts and broken promises.

"He has a brought an energy to his campaign that has surprised me.

"He is not running to prop any one up and is making a genuine attempt at winning."