Neil Kerley - Playing Career

Playing Career

Kerley, who started his senior footballing career with Barmera in the Riverland Football League in 1948 at the age of 15, played mostly in the SANFL between 1952-1969. A Norwood supporter as a young boy growing up on a fruit block in Barmera in South Australia's Riverland, he left home less than a year later and headed north on his motorbike for two years, working as a Jackeroo on cattle stations.

When he turned 18 in 1952 he was called up for National Service where he was based at the Woodside Barracks in the Adelaide Hills. While there he was invited by a friend to attend a Norwood game. The Demons, as Norwood was then known, had heard of Kerley's football skills but Neil was not impressed with the reception he received from the club and when West Adelaide approached him a week later he agreed to play for the club.

Neil Kerley played in an era when players usually only played one position on the ground yet he was a rare breed of player who could play any position on the ground including being successful in the ruck despite his lack of height for a ruckman (Kerley only stands at 182 cm or just over 6 foot tall compared to most ruckmen of the time who stood at least 190 cm or 6'3" tall). His strong, early leap and the ability to do so all game as well as his physical strength made him one of the league's top knock ruckmen. He made his SANFL league debut for West Adelaide in 1952 as a reserve for a game against West Torrens at Thebarton Oval (his only game of the season). Wests Captain-Coach Brian Faehse was injured early in the game and Kerley went on to play Centre half-back, standing a young Lindsay Head, a future three time Magarey Medal winner (1955, '58 and '63). He got what he still believes was his first touch when he took a contested mark against Head but, in what would be a pattern in his career (not agreeing with officials), the umpire awarded the mark to Head.

In 1953 Kerley headed north again and worked as a truck driver at a tent camp near the rocket testing range at Koolymilka, close to Woomera. Although just 19 years old he was appointed Captain-Coach of the local scratch side. He won the associations Mail Medal and led the team to the premiership. In 1954 Kerley was persuaded by former West Adelaide player Bill Sutherland to take over from him as coach of North Whyalla in the Whyalla Football League. Kerles led the Magpies to the premiership in both 1954 and 1955 and in 1955 he played his second SANFL league game with West Adelaide which allowed the club to retain him as a registered player.

In early 1956 Kerley was on his way to take up a position of playing coach at South Gambier in the South-East & Border Football League when West Adelaide intervened. Wests persuaded Kerley to start a serious league career in the SANFL and also found a replacement coach for South Gambier.

In his first full season with Wests Kerley helped the team to the Grand Final against Port Adelaide at the Adelaide Oval. It would be the first of four losing Grand Finals for Kerley as a West Adelaide player or coach (1956, 1958, 1959 and 1962) - all defeats to the Fos Williams coached Port Adelaide. His coach in 1956 was Laurie Cahill while from 1957-60 the club was coached by the legendary Jack Oatey. Kerley won the first of four Best & Fairest awards for the club in 1958 and was appointed Wests captain in 1959.

Kerley took over as coach from Jack Oatey in 1961 and led the club to its first premiership since 1947 with a 16.13 (109) to 11.7 (73) win over Norwood. In what became known as "The Turkish Bath Grand Final" due to being played in 35°C heat. The oppressive heat helped The Bloods as they had won their 2nd Semi-Final clash with Port Adelaide and had earned a weeks rest while Norwood had to defeat Port in the Preliminary Final to make the big game. The heat was also blamed for the crowd of just 40,909, the smallest since Wests last premiership in 1947. Kerley was at his dynamic best on the day leading the 1st Ruck. He collected 23 kicks, 3 handballs and took 6 marks in a best on ground performance.

1962 produced much the same for West Adelaide. Kerley won the clubs Best & Fairest award in 1961 and '62 (to add to his 1958 and '59 wins). He led the Bloods to the 1962 SANFL Grand Final where they faced their nemesis Port Adelaide but couldn't repeat their '61 win and lost to the Magpies. Following the season Kerley, who was always his own man and rarely bowed to officialdom, was sensationally sacked as Wests coach despite taking them to one premiership and two Grand Finals in his two seasons in charge. He was replaced as Captain-Coach by long time team mate Doug Thomas for 1963 but agreed to play out his contract with the club. Wests form dropped in '63 and they finished the season 4th, losing the Elimination Final. As a player and playing-coach for West Adelaide Kerley played 165 games and kicked 87 goals between 1952 and 1963 and led the club to its 7th permiership in 1961.

After his contract with Wests ended following 1963, Keyley signed on as Captain-Coach of South Adelaide in 1964. The Panthers had finished last in 1963 and Kerley cemented his place among the greats of South Australian Football when he took the Panthers from bottom in '63 to the SANFL Premiership in 1964, the last time South Adelaide has to date won the league premiership. Kerles went on to play 56 games for the Panthers until the end of 1966.

Neil Kerley signed with his third league club when he agreed to join Glenelg as player-coach from 1967. He played 55 games for the Tigers, won the clubs Best and Fairest award in 1967 and led the club to the 1969 Grand Final against Sturt. Following the loss to the Double Blues, Kerley retired from league football having played 276 SANFL games and kicking 123 goals in a career spanning 16 seasons beginning in 1952.