To Do: User:Pudgey/Sandbox/SANFL

User:Pudgey/Sandbox/Glenelg Honour Board

2006 - - Woodville West-Torrens
FF: M.Cooper M.Passador D.Westbrook
HF: T.Inkster A.Grocke D.Symmons
C: L.Treeby J.Cicolella L.Jarrad
HB: R.Potter M.McKenzie L.Powell
B: Z.Hier J.Pedler P.Fiacchi
R: P.Lindsay G.Colville H.Skipworth
Int: P.Stewart, S.Fairclough, V.Rugolo, B.Lomas, B.Dabrowski
Coach – Ron Fuller

AFL Hall of Fame - SA contingent

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Example categories that may apply:

  • Category:Australian Football Hall of Fame|
  • Category:Members of the Order of the British Empire|
  • Category:Order of Australia
  • Category:North Adelaide Football Club players|
  • Category:1947 births|
  • Category:Living people|

Articles that are basic stubs or seriously need more detail to do them justice


Neil Kerley major revision

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Pudgey/Sandbox
File:Noimage
Personal information
Original team(s) Barmera Colts
Debut 1952, West Adelaide, SANFL vs. West Torrens, at Thebarton Oval
Playing career1

West Adelaide(1952-1963)

  • 149 games

South Adelaide(1964-1966)

  • 57 games

Glenelg (1967-1970)

  • 59 games
Coaching career

West Adelaide(1961-1962)
South Adelaide (1964-1966)
Glenelg (1967-1977)
West Torrens (1978-1980)
West Adelaide (1981-1984)
Central District (1988-1990)

West Adelaide (1992-1993)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 2006.
Career highlights


  • Member of premiership teams with West Adelaide (1961) and South Adelaide (1964)
  • Five time best and fairest for West Adelaide and Glenelg
  • Captain of West Adelaide, South Adelaide and Glenelg (10 years total)
  • Played 32 games for South Australia, captain 6 years
  • All-Australian 1961
  • O'Halloran Trophy (Best player against Victoria) 1963
  • Premiership coach of West Adelaide, 1961, 1983, South Adelaide 1964 and Glenelg 1973
  • SANFL League coach 26 years total
  • SANFL State coach and State of Origin coach, 10 years
  • SANFL Life Member 1990
  • Inducted Australian Football Hall of Fame (1997)
  • Inducted Glenelg Hall of Fame (2001)
  • Inducted SANFL Hall of Fame (2002)

Donald Neil Kerley (born February 20, 1934) is a former Australian rules football player and coach. Nicknamed "Knuckles" or "King", he is an iconic figure in South Australian football.

Kerley's South Australian National Football League (SANFL) playing career spanned 1952-1969. He played a total of 260 games for West Adelaide, South Adelaide and Glenelg. He was a successful coach with legendary discipline, but also a shrewd tactician. He coached SANFL premiership sides at West (1961 and 1983), South (1964) and Glenelg (1973), during a 28-season coaching career. He represented South Australia 32 times, winning All-Australian selection in 1961, and went on to coach the State side for 10 seasons. He came to represent the face of South Australian football, especially to Victorians, due to his passion for interstate State of Origin games.

Early life

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Kerley's parents, Laurie and Lillian, settled at their market garden at Loveday, near Barmera in South Australia in the early 1930's. Donald Neil Kerley was the second of six children. The family was not rich, and life on a Riverland market garden was a hard existence, but they nonetheless were a happy and close family. From an early age the Kerley children had a strong work ethic.

Football was a sport encouraged in the Kerley household. Laurie Kerley was a successful country footballer with teams in Cobdogla, Paskeville and Broken Hill. Laurie also was a competent umpire. Lillian grew up on the West Coast of South Australia supporting her brothers at Minnepa football matches. It was no surprise then that Neil and his brothers were encouraged to play football. Indeed Neil Kerley's first premiership was with the Barmera-Cobdogla Colts in 1948.

Patriotic Laurie Kerley enlisted in both World Wars. He suffered severe wounds in WWII which resulted in his repatriation to Australia. In 1945 he was hospitalised in the Daws Road Repatriation General Hospital, Adelaide. The day after Neil's eleventh birthday the family, who were back in the Riverland, were informed of Laurie's death.

Life that was already hard became much harder for the Kerleys. Lillian was a strong woman and despite the hardships of little money and no machinery to work their farm, she managed to keep the family together. The children had to grow up quickly, helping by catching rabbits and ducks for food, as well as ploughing, watering and weeding the market gardens.

Lillian agreed to let Neil leave school at fourteen. After a short stint as a telegram delivery boy in Barmera, he took up working with a neighbour as a contract stump cutter (clearing and grubbing stumps from the ground to develop farmland). It was very hard physical work and Neil began to develop real strength.

At sixteen Neil left home to explore outback Australia. He spent the next year working on stations as a boundary rider. In 1952 he was called up for National Service at Woodside in the Adelaide Hills. During this time he formed a friendship with John Holness who convinced Neil to join him in Koolymilka after their Army service.

Early playing career

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But the move to Koolymilka was not before young Kerley had played a handful of games for Barmera, represented the Combined Upper Murray team, and attracted the attention of West Adelaide. Indeed he played his first League game for West in 1952 against West Torrens at Thebarton, standing their number 17 - Lindsay Head.

Kerley's love of the bush led him to accompany his mate to the tent camp of Koolymilka near Woomera in the remote north of South Australia. Koolymilka was a place of hard work - Kerley worked driving a truck carrying diesel for heavy plant machinery, as well as acting as the camp bus driver. Even in a tough work camp like this, Kerley's no-nonsense attitude and strong principles stood out. For example, in a place where there were plenty of heavy drinkers, he kept to his moderate habits.

There was little recreation available other than the Koolymilka football team, which played against Woomera West, Works and RAAF. Kerley was nominated for the position of coach in 1953 almost by default - his fellow players all agreeing that he seemed to know what he was doing. At barely ninteen his coaching career had started. And the start was not auspicious - the team played without jumpers for their first five matches. Kerley's hard physical training regime, demand for discipline and keen example of his own playing (he won the Mail Medal as the Association's best and fairest) led his team to win consistently. Eventually they made it to the Grand Final, which they won comfortably.

During this time Kerley also played for a Combined Upper North side in a country carnival in Adelaide. Here he impressed representatives of the North Whyalla Football Club. He was offered the position of coach of North Whyalla, which he accepted.

Moving to Whyalla, Kerley once again took up hard, physical work. He drove trucks and worked in the building industry. As a coach it became obvious that Kerley was a natural leader. Leading from the front, he led North Whyalla to consecutive premierships in 1954 and 1955. Kerley was best and fairest for North in both seasons; represented Whyalla in combined sides seven times; and even managed to fit in a second game for West Adelaide in 1955.

On a personal level, Whyalla was where he met and married Barbara Gordon, who has been his lifetime partner.

SANFL playing days

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Kerley's SANFL career truly took form when he and Barbara moved to Adelaide in 1956. Kerley had been appointed coach of East Gambier, but needed to be cleared by West Adelaide as he had played two games for them. West refused and Kerley, a pragmatist unwilling to stand out of football for a year, threw in his lot with West.

Kerley played in all 21 games for West in 1956, also making the South Australia second 18, which played against Geelong and Essendon. At season's end West lost to Port Adelaide in the grand final, with Kerley starting from the back-pocket.

1957 saw the great Jack Oatey take charge at West, and his emphasis on skills and innovation were to have a profound effect on Kerley throughout his playing and coaching career.


Coaching

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  • Premiership coach of West, 1961, 1983, South 1964 and Glenelg 1973
  • Coach of West Adelaide, South Adelaide, Glenelg, West Torrens, Central District, 26 years
  • SANFL State coach and State of Origin coach, 10 years

Other

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Kerley was a boundary rider for the Seven Network during the 1990s

Kerley is currently a selector for the AFL's All-Australian team.

References

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  • Rosevear, Jim (2003). KNUCKLES the Neil Kerley Story. Australia: Jim Rosevear. ISBN 0858050430 Parameter error in {{ISBN}}: checksum. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  • Ross, John (1999). The Australian Football Hall of Fame. Australia: HarperCollinsPublishers. ISBN 073226426 X. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
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  • Category:Australian Football Hall of Fame|Kerley, Neil]]
  • Category:1934 births|Kerley, Neil]]
  • Category:Living people|Kerley, Neil]]
  • Category:West Adelaide Football Club players|Kerley, Neil]]
  • Category:South Adelaide Football Club players|Kerley, Neil]]
  • Category:Glenelg Football Club players|Kerley, Neil]]
  • Australia-sport-bio-stub}}

Articles started (stubs mostly)

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Ken Farmer (North Adelaide)

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User:Pudgey/Sandbox/Ken Farmer

Len Fitzgerald (Collingwood, Sturt, Glenelg)

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John Daly (footballer) (Norwood, West Adelaide)

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User:Pudgey/Sandbox/John Daly (footballer)

Bob Hank (West Torrens)

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User:Pudgey/Sandbox/Bob Hank

Lindsay Head (West Torrens)

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User:Pudgey/Sandbox/Lindsay Head

- see Walter Scott (disambiguation) User:Pudgey/Sandbox/Walter Scott(footballer)

To Do

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Tom MacKenzie (West Torr., N. Adel)

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User:Pudgey/Sandbox/Tom MacKenzie

Dan Moriarty (South Adelaide)

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User:Pudgey/Sandbox/Dan Moriarty

User:Pudgey/Sandbox/Bob Quinn

Jack Reedman (S.Adl, N.Adl, W.Adl)

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User:Pudgey/Sandbox/Jack Reedman

Jim Deane

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22-01-1928; 180cms/ 81 kg Richmond 1954-55.(same time as Hafey, Tom)

Glenelg

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Done

  • will need disamb?.

1949 - Ron Phillips (North Adelaide) and Allan Crabb*

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1969 - Fred Phillis

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- more detail(eg picture)?

SANFL Leading Goalkickers

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Done

  • - more detail(eg picture)?
  • 1969 (137)
  • 1970 (107)
  • 1971 (99)
  • 1975 (108)
  • 1976 (98)

To Do

User:Pudgey/Sandbox/Jack Owens

User:Pudgey/Sandbox/Colin Churchett

Fos Williams Medalists

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Done

1984 Stephen Kernahan

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1988 Stephen Kernahan

To Do

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User:Pudgey/Sandbox/Peter Carey

  • will need disamb.

User:Pudgey/Sandbox/Paul Weston

  • needs Glenelg-ifying.

Jack Oatey Medalists

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Done 1985 Stephen Kernahan

To Do

  • will need disamb.

User:Pudgey/Sandbox/Tony Hall

[1] DoB 16-09-1964; Adelaide 17 games, 30 goals, 1994-1995; Hawthorn 1988-1993, 97 games, 144 goals. Ht 183 Wt 88.

  • 1988 All Australian [2]
  • 1988, 1991 Hawthorn premiership player

Other

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Most Years as Captain

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  • 8 years as Captain by Nick Chigwidden (1993-2000)
  • 293 games between 1987-2000,
  • holding the record for the longest serving Captain for the Club (1993-2000)
  • winning 4 consecutive Best & Fairest medals in 1991-1994.
  • awarded Player Life Member status for the Glenelg Football Club and the SANFL.

Most Games

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  • 448 by P Carey (1971-88)
  • see Fos Williams Medal above

Current Captain

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Ben Mules

Noteable players

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Harry Kernahan

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  • (father of Stephen and long time Club administrator)
[1] played 176 games for Glenelg 1959-1965. Glenelg Captain 1964-1965. Glenelg Leading goalkicker 1960 (29 goals). Wore contact lenses during matches.
"Kernahan, at full-forward, has the necessary flair, and, at the worst, the ability to earn his keep on the ball.
He reminds me of Colin Churchett in some way - perhaps the straight back and short stride. Certainly not his kicking action, because he has an impediment there. - August 9, 1960.
[3] Harry Kernahan remains one of the all time great servants of the Glenelg Football Club. For almost three decades, as player, assistant coach, and then General manager, his name was almost synonymous with that of the club he loved.
Kernahan joined the Bays in 1959 and quickly made a name for himself as a mobile and highly talented ruckman. He played a total of 176 league games and kicked 149 goals between 1959 and 1965 and from 1969 to 1971, and also represented South Australia on 10 occasions. In 1960 he booted 29 goals to share Glenelg's goal kicking award with Colin Richens.
If anything, Kernahan's achievements as an administrator were even greater, as he was at the club's tiller as General Manager throughout the greatest phase in its history.

Notes

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References

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  1. ^ Pash, Jeff; Paul Depasquale (1999). The Pash Papers Australian Rules Football in South Australia 1950-1964. Australia: Pioneer Books. p. 228. ISBN 0 908065 48 5.