However, a severe arm injury ruled Geary out of the last three Tests and, though he batted with some success in many games in 1928, he could bowl so little that he took only ten expensive wickets. Yet, his powerful build was seen as so vital for the rock-hard Australian pitches that Geary, with the reputation he had acquired, was still chosen. He proved a great success, heading the averages and working amazingly hard to back up probably the strongest batting side any country has ever fielded – so strong that men of such class as Phil Mead and Ernest Tyldesley could not keep their Test places. Following on from this, 1929 was his best season ever, for he exceeded 150 wickets and on a rain-affected pitch against an admittedly weak Glamorgan batting lineup had the astonishing figures of "10 wickets for 18 runs", which was at the time the best bowling figures in the history of first-class cricket. He also had his highest ever batting aggregate with 923 runs. 1930, with the Australians back, saw Geary as powerless as all of England's other bowlers to stop the onslaught of Bradman, and he was also affected by injury. With Voce and Bowes developing he had no chance of retaining his Test place in the following years. Geary still bowled well in the wet summers of 1931 and 1932, but the dry summer of 1933 was disastrous: Geary took only 40 wickets and not once took five in an innings.