Neil Kerley
Encyclopedia
Donald Neil Kerley OAM
(born 20 February 1934 in Barmera
, South Australia
) is a former Australian rules football
player and coach. Known to his mates as either Neil or Knuckles and to South Australian football fans as King Kerley or simply "Kerls", he is best known for taking three clubs to four SANFL premierships over three decades as both a player and coach and for playing 32 state games
for South Australia. Despite his first name being Donald, it was his mother Lillian's strong dislike of shortening Christian names that led everyone calling him Neil and not Don or Donald from an early age.
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 182cm or just over 6 foot tall compared to most ruckmen of the time who stood at least 196cm or 6'5" 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 35ºC 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.
The Tigers missed the finals in both 1971 and '72 finishing 6th both times but bounced back with a vengeance in 1973. The club finished the 22 game Minor Round with a club best ever 21-1 record, their only loss to reigning premier (and 1972 Champions of Australia
) North Adelaide
in Round 8 at the Roosters home ground, Prospect Oval
. Kerley coached the club to just its second premiership (and first since 1934) when they defeated North Adelaide by 7 points in front of 56,525 fans in what would be the last Grand Final played at the Adelaide Oval as the leagues new headquarters, Football Park at in the western Adelaide suburb of West Lakes
, would be opened in 1974.
Kerley coached Glenelg to both the 1974 and 1975 SANFL Grand Finals where they lost both times to Sturt in '74 and Norwood in '75. His last season as coach of Glenelg in 1976 saw The Bays finish in 3rd place. To this day, despite four separate stints at West Adelaide, Kerley says he felt more at home at Glenelg citing the lack of fighting with the clubs board, his success there as a player and coach as well as the general atmosphere at the club as reasons.
Kerley signed on as coach of perrenial under-performers West Torrens
in 1977 and fans of the club were called upon to "Join the Kings Eagle Revival in 1977" with t-shirts printed up stating just that. He took them from bottom (10th) in 1976 to 6th in '77 and 5th in 1978. The club slumped to 8th in 1979 before Kerley again lifted them and took the Eagles to their last ever finals series by finishing 5th in 1980.
In 1981 Kerley was enticed back to West Adelaide by their President Bob Lee
and his 1961 premiership winning team mate, General Manager Doug Thomas, the same man who had replaced Kerley as Captain-Coach of the Bloods in 1963. Kerley and Thomas had remained friends and Kerley's beef from 1962 was with the then board of the club. His impact at Richmond
was immediate, steering the Bloods to 5th place and their first finals series since 1977. With strong recruiting and a game plan that was virtually all attacking football, Kerley had began to steer West back up the SANFL ladder after being easy beats for most of the 1970s. They missed the finals and finished 6th in 1982 before Kerley won his 4th premiership as a coach when West Adelaide defeated Sturt in the 1983 Grand Final at Football Park with Kerley stating that the 1983 team was the best side he had ever coached. As of 2011, the 1983 premiership was the last won by West Adelaide.
West Adelaide couldn't repeat their stunning 1983 form when they finished the 1984 season in 6th place. Following the 1984 season Kerley, seeking a new challenge after more than 30 years of league football, accepted the position of Fitness Director and Tender Captain for South Australia's America's Cup
campaign.
Following SA's unsuccessful America's Cup challenge, Kerley was ready to come back to football and after negotiations with both Woodville
and Central District
he became the 7th coach of Centrals in 1988, leading them to 4th in both '88 and 1989 before ending his 3 year term at Elizabeth
by finishing 7th in 1990.
In 1991 Kerley was appointed Football Manager for the newly formed Adelaide Crows
in the Australian Football League
and spent the 1991 AFL season
with the Crows before making his third run as coach of West Adelaide in 1992, taking over from Kevin Morris
who like Kerley in 1962 was sacked after taking Wests to the Grand Final in 1991. Unfortunately West Adelaide again couldn't recapture their previous seasons form and the Bloods finished 6th in 1992 and slumped to 8th and 2nd last in 1993.
Following the '93 season, Kerley was sacked for the 2nd time as coach of West Adelaide bringing an end to his SANFL coaching career after 28 seasons that began with a premiership at West Adelaide in 1961. Kerley is the only SANFL coach to win premierships at four clubs over three decades.
at the Melbourne Cricket Ground
in 1963. Kerley also gained All Australian
selection in 1961. He also spent 10 years as state coach over a span of 30 years with his last year being 1984 when South Australia lost to Victoria by just 4 points at Football Park and to Western Australia
by a single point at Footy Park.
Kerley was also coach of the Australian team for the 1987 International rules series
played in Ireland
. The Aussies defeated the Irish
3 games to 2.
telecasts of the AFL during the 1990's and currently serves as a selector for the AFL's All-Australian team
.
in World War I
and also in Egypt
and Crete
in World War II
. His mother Lillian, after struggling for years as a single mother, finally moved to Adelaide later in life and passed away in 1992.
While coaching North Whyalla in 1955, Neil Kerley met a local girl Barbara Gordon. The pair were married on 25 February 1955 at the St Teresa's Catholic Church in Whyalla and have three children (Donald Jr, Robyn and Gail). In a story told by Kerley in the book Knuckles by Jim Rosevear (2003), at one of his first training sessions in charge of Central District during 1988, Kerles told his players during a break that sitting in the grandstand watching them was a woman who knew as much about the game of football as he did and that he would be informed in his way home (a 45km drive from Elizabeth
to Bellevue Heights
) who had trained well and who hadn't. Kerls was referring to wife Barbara who had learned a thing or two about Aussie rules football in her 30+ years sitting on the sidelines watching Neil's teams play. Barbara often was able to inform Neil of things that happened during training or games that he had missed.
Order of Australia
The Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service"...
(born 20 February 1934 in Barmera
Barmera, South Australia
Barmera is a town in the Riverland region of South Australia. It is on the Sturt Highway A20, 220 kilometres north-east of Adelaide, the capital of the state of South Australia. It is primarily an agricultural and viticultural town and is located on Lake Bonney , a freshwater lake...
, South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
) is a former Australian rules football
Australian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
player and coach. Known to his mates as either Neil or Knuckles and to South Australian football fans as King Kerley or simply "Kerls", he is best known for taking three clubs to four SANFL premierships over three decades as both a player and coach and for playing 32 state games
Interstate matches in Australian rules football
Australian rules football matches between teams representing Australian colonies/states and territories have been held since 1879. For most of the 20th century, the absence of a national club competition and international matches meant that football games between state representative teams were...
for South Australia. Despite his first name being Donald, it was his mother Lillian's strong dislike of shortening Christian names that led everyone calling him Neil and not Don or Donald from an early age.
Playing Career
Kerley, who started his senior footballing career with Barmera in the Riverland Football LeagueRiverland Football League
The Riverland Football League is an Australian rules football League located in South Australia's Riverland region. The League has two divisions - the first division is for the main towns of the Riverland and the second division, called the Riverland Independent Football League, is for the minor...
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
Riverland
The Riverland, is a region of South Australia. It covers the area near the Murray River from where it flows into South Australia downstream to Blanchetown.The major town centres are Renmark, Berri, Loxton, Waikerie and Barmera...
, he left home less than a year later and headed north on his motorbike for two years, working as a Jackeroo
Jackaroo (trainee)
A Jackaroo is a young man working on a sheep or cattle station, to gain practical experience in the skills needed to become an owner, overseer, manager, etc. The word originated in Queensland, Australia in the Nineteenth Century and is still in use in Australia and New Zealand in the twenty-first...
on cattle stations
Cattle station
Cattle station is an Australian term for a large farm , whose main activity is the rearing of cattle. In Australia, the owner of a cattle station is called a grazier...
.
When he turned 18 in 1952 he was called up for National Service
Conscription in Australia
Conscription in Australia, or mandatory military service also known as National Service, has a controversial history dating back to the first years of nationhood...
where he was based at the Woodside Barracks
16th Air Defence Regiment, Royal Australian Artillery
The 16th Air Defence Regiment is the youngest regiment of the Royal Regiment of Australian Artillery. As the Australian Defence Force's only Ground Based Air Defence unit the Regiment is responsible for protecting a wide range of military assets during wartime, ranging from Army units in the field...
in the Adelaide Hills
Adelaide Hills
The Adelaide Hills are part of the Mount Lofty Ranges, east of the city of Adelaide in the state of South Australia. It is unofficially centred on the largest town in the area, Mount Barker, which has a population of around 29,000 and is also one of Australia's fastest growing towns.- History :The...
. 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
Ruckman (Australian rules football)
In Australian rules football, a ruckman is typically a tall and athletic player who contests at centre bounces and stoppages . The ruckman is one of the most important players on the field...
despite his lack of height for a ruckman (Kerley only stands at 182cm or just over 6 foot tall compared to most ruckmen of the time who stood at least 196cm or 6'5" 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
West Torrens Football Club
West Torrens Football Club was an Australian rules football club that competed in the South Australian National Football League from 1897 to 1990...
at Thebarton Oval
Thebarton Oval
Thebarton Oval was formerly the home ground of SANFL club West Torrens who played their last game at the ground in on 2 September 1989 ending a run of 68 seasons at Thebby Oval...
(his only game of the season). Wests Captain-Coach Brian Faehse
Brian Faehse
Brian Faehse was an Australian rules footballer in the South Australian Football League.The great Fos Williams, who played alongside Brian Faehse at West Adelaide, and against him with Port Adelaide, paid him the ultimate compliment when he said "I've never met a better team mate or a more...
was injured early in the game and Kerley went on to play Centre half-back
Centre half-back
In Australian rules football, the centre half-back refers to a position in the half-back line of a football field.Centre half back is considered a key position in defence. Examples of centre half-backs include Glen Jakovich, Darren Mead, Tom Harley and Chris Tarrant....
, standing a young Lindsay Head
Lindsay Head
Lindsay Hudson Head MBE is a former Australian rules footballer in the South Australian National Football League . His consummate skills were acknowledged by being awarded three Magarey Medals during his career.- SANFL :...
, a future three time Magarey Medal
Magarey Medal
For the biography award of the same name, see Magarey Medal for biography. For a list of winners, see List of Magarey Medallists.The Magarey Medal is an Australian rules football honour awarded annually since 1898 to the fairest and most brilliant player in the South Australian National Football...
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
Truck driver
A truck driver , is a person who earns a living as the driver of a truck, usually a semi truck, box truck, or dump truck.Truck drivers provide an essential service to...
at a tent camp near the rocket testing range at Koolymilka, close to Woomera
Woomera, South Australia
The town, or village, of Woomera is located in the south east corner of the Woomera Prohibited Area ; colloquially known as the Woomera Rocket Range...
. 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
Whyalla Football League
The Whyalla Football League is an Australian rules football competition based around the town of Whyalla on the east coast of the Eyre Peninsula region of South Australia...
. 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
Western Border Football League
The Western Border Football League is an Australian rules football competition based in the Lower South East region of South Australia, and south-western border region of Victoria. It is an affiliated member of the South Australian National Football League and the Victorian 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
Port Adelaide Magpies
The Port Adelaide Football Club, nicknamed The Magpies, is an Australian rules football club which competes in the South Australian National Football League...
at the Adelaide Oval
Adelaide Oval
The Adelaide Oval is a sports ground in Adelaide, South Australia, located in the parklands between the Central Business District and North Adelaide...
. 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
Fos Williams
Foster Neil "Fos" Williams AM was a leading Australian rules footballer who played for and coached the Port Adelaide and West Adelaide Football Clubs and coached South Adelaide in the South Australian National Football League in a career spanning 1946-1978...
coached Port Adelaide. His coach in 1956 was Laurie Cahill
Laurie Cahill
Laurie Cahill was an Australian rules footballer who played for South Adelaide in the South Australian National Football League and Richmond in the Victorian Football League ....
while from 1957-60 the club was coached by the legendary Jack Oatey
Jack Oatey
Jack Oatey, AM was a former Australian rules football player and coach.-Playing career:Oatey played 181 games for the Norwood Football Club between 1940 and 1952 and acted as playing-coach from 1945 to 1952....
. 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 35ºC 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
Ruckman (Australian rules football)
In Australian rules football, a ruckman is typically a tall and athletic player who contests at centre bounces and stoppages . The ruckman is one of the most important players on the field...
. 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
Glenelg Tigers
Glenelg Football Club is an Australian rules football team, which plays in the South Australian National Football League. The club is known as the "Tigers" , and their home ground is Gliderol Stadium @ Glenelg , located in the southern coastal suburb of Glenelg East, South Australia.-Club...
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.
Coaching Career
Following his retirement from playing at the end of 1969, Kerley moved full time into coaching from 1970, continuing on with Glenelg. He took the Tigers to the 1970 Grand Final where again they lost to Sturt who won their 5th premiership in a row under the coaching of Kerley's former West Adelaide mentor Jack Oatey.The Tigers missed the finals in both 1971 and '72 finishing 6th both times but bounced back with a vengeance in 1973. The club finished the 22 game Minor Round with a club best ever 21-1 record, their only loss to reigning premier (and 1972 Champions of Australia
Championship of Australia
The Championship of Australia was the name given to an Australian rules football tournament which was contested between football clubs from the Victorian, South Australian and West Australian football leagues. The Championship took place three times in the 19th century and then from 1907 to 1914...
) North Adelaide
North Adelaide Roosters
North Adelaide Football Club is an Australian rules football club, who play in the South Australian National Football League.- History :Formed in 1888 as Medindie, in 1893 the club renamed itself to North Adelaide. It is the fourth oldest club still in operation in the SANFL...
in Round 8 at the Roosters home ground, Prospect Oval
Prospect Oval
Prospect Oval is a sports stadium located at Menzies Crescent, Prospect, South Australia. The oval has a capacity of 20,000 people with seated grandstands holding approximately 2,000...
. Kerley coached the club to just its second premiership (and first since 1934) when they defeated North Adelaide by 7 points in front of 56,525 fans in what would be the last Grand Final played at the Adelaide Oval as the leagues new headquarters, Football Park at in the western Adelaide suburb of West Lakes
West Lakes, South Australia
West Lakes is a suburb of Adelaide in the City of Charles Sturt. It contains the Westfield West Lakes Shopping Centre, AAMI Stadium and the Riverside Golf Course...
, would be opened in 1974.
Kerley coached Glenelg to both the 1974 and 1975 SANFL Grand Finals where they lost both times to Sturt in '74 and Norwood in '75. His last season as coach of Glenelg in 1976 saw The Bays finish in 3rd place. To this day, despite four separate stints at West Adelaide, Kerley says he felt more at home at Glenelg citing the lack of fighting with the clubs board, his success there as a player and coach as well as the general atmosphere at the club as reasons.
Kerley signed on as coach of perrenial under-performers West Torrens
West Torrens Football Club
West Torrens Football Club was an Australian rules football club that competed in the South Australian National Football League from 1897 to 1990...
in 1977 and fans of the club were called upon to "Join the Kings Eagle Revival in 1977" with t-shirts printed up stating just that. He took them from bottom (10th) in 1976 to 6th in '77 and 5th in 1978. The club slumped to 8th in 1979 before Kerley again lifted them and took the Eagles to their last ever finals series by finishing 5th in 1980.
In 1981 Kerley was enticed back to West Adelaide by their President Bob Lee
Bob Lee (Australian footballer)
Robert William Lee was an Australian rules footballer and administrator who played with West Adelaide in the South Australian National Football League...
and his 1961 premiership winning team mate, General Manager Doug Thomas, the same man who had replaced Kerley as Captain-Coach of the Bloods in 1963. Kerley and Thomas had remained friends and Kerley's beef from 1962 was with the then board of the club. His impact at Richmond
Richmond Oval (South Australia)
Richmond Oval is an Australian rules football oval in Richmond, a western suburb of Adelaide, South Australia...
was immediate, steering the Bloods to 5th place and their first finals series since 1977. With strong recruiting and a game plan that was virtually all attacking football, Kerley had began to steer West back up the SANFL ladder after being easy beats for most of the 1970s. They missed the finals and finished 6th in 1982 before Kerley won his 4th premiership as a coach when West Adelaide defeated Sturt in the 1983 Grand Final at Football Park with Kerley stating that the 1983 team was the best side he had ever coached. As of 2011, the 1983 premiership was the last won by West Adelaide.
West Adelaide couldn't repeat their stunning 1983 form when they finished the 1984 season in 6th place. Following the 1984 season Kerley, seeking a new challenge after more than 30 years of league football, accepted the position of Fitness Director and Tender Captain for South Australia's America's Cup
1987 America's Cup
The 1987 America's Cup was the twenty-seventh challenge for the America's Cup and the first time for 132 years that it had not been defended by the New York Yacht Club....
campaign.
Following SA's unsuccessful America's Cup challenge, Kerley was ready to come back to football and after negotiations with both Woodville
Woodville Football Club
Woodville Football Club was an Australian rules football club that competed in the South Australian National Football League from 1964 to 1990, when it merged with the West Torrens Football Club to form the Woodville-West Torrens Eagles....
and Central District
Central District Bulldogs
Central District Football Club is an Australian rules football club based in the city of Elizabeth about 25 km to the north of Adelaide, South Australia.-Origins and Background:...
he became the 7th coach of Centrals in 1988, leading them to 4th in both '88 and 1989 before ending his 3 year term at Elizabeth
Elizabeth Oval
Elizabeth Oval, , is an Australian rules football stadium located in Elizabeth, a northern suburb of Adelaide, South Australia....
by finishing 7th in 1990.
In 1991 Kerley was appointed Football Manager for the newly formed Adelaide Crows
Adelaide Crows
The Adelaide Football Club, nicknamed The Crows, is a professional Australian rules football club based in Adelaide, South Australia, playing in the Australian Football League ....
in the Australian Football League
Australian Football League
The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...
and spent the 1991 AFL season
1991 AFL season
Results and statistics for the Australian Football League season of 1991.See List of Australian Football League premiers for a complete list.-National Cup:...
with the Crows before making his third run as coach of West Adelaide in 1992, taking over from Kevin Morris
Kevin Morris
Kevin Morris is a former Australian rules football player who played in the VFL between 1971 and 1976 for the Richmond Football Club and then from 1977 until 1981 for the Collingwood Football Club....
who like Kerley in 1962 was sacked after taking Wests to the Grand Final in 1991. Unfortunately West Adelaide again couldn't recapture their previous seasons form and the Bloods finished 6th in 1992 and slumped to 8th and 2nd last in 1993.
Following the '93 season, Kerley was sacked for the 2nd time as coach of West Adelaide bringing an end to his SANFL coaching career after 28 seasons that began with a premiership at West Adelaide in 1961. Kerley is the only SANFL coach to win premierships at four clubs over three decades.
Representative Football
Neil Kerley represented South Australia 32 times during his league career including captaining SA to a famous win over VictoriaVictoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
at the Melbourne Cricket Ground
Melbourne Cricket Ground
The Melbourne Cricket Ground is an Australian sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne and is home to the Melbourne Cricket Club. It is the tenth largest stadium in the world, the largest in Australia, the largest stadium for playing cricket, and holds the world record for the highest light...
in 1963. Kerley also gained All Australian
All-Australian Team
The All-Australian Team is an all star team of Australian rules footballers, selected by a panel at the end of each season. It represents a complete team, including interchange players and a coach, of the best performed during the season....
selection in 1961. He also spent 10 years as state coach over a span of 30 years with his last year being 1984 when South Australia lost to Victoria by just 4 points at Football Park and to Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
by a single point at Footy Park.
Kerley was also coach of the Australian team for the 1987 International rules series
International rules football
International rules football is a team sport consisting of a hybrid of football codes, which was developed to facilitate international representative matches between Australian rules football players and Gaelic football players....
played in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
. The Aussies defeated the Irish
Ireland international rules football team
The Ireland International rules football team is the representative team for Ireland in international rules football, a compromise between Gaelic football and Australian rules football...
3 games to 2.
Post Football
Following his last season as a senior coach in 1993, Kerley was a boundary rider for Channel 7Seven Sport
Seven Sport is the brand that all sporting events broadcast on the Seven Network are broadcast under.-History:The Seven Network is a major player in Australian sports broadcasting. Before 1999, Seven telecasted all matches of the Australian Football League. However, in 2000 Nine and pay TV provider...
telecasts of the AFL during the 1990's and currently serves as a selector for the AFL's All-Australian team
All-Australian Team
The All-Australian Team is an all star team of Australian rules footballers, selected by a panel at the end of each season. It represents a complete team, including interchange players and a coach, of the best performed during the season....
.
Recording History
Kerley recorded a single of "I was Born Under a Wandering Star" whilst still coaching Glenelg in the early 1970s. It received considerable air play on Australian radio.Personal Life
Neil Kerley is the son of Laurie and Lillian (nee O'Brien) Kerley and is the second of the couple's 6 children (brothers Michael, Ronald, James and Brian as well as his sister Jennifer. His father passed away at the Daw Park Repatriation General Hospital in Adelaide on 21 February 1945, the day after Neil's 11th birthday. Laurie had fought in the AIFAustralian Imperial Force
The Australian Imperial Force was the name given to all-volunteer Australian Army forces dispatched to fight overseas during World War I and World War II.* First Australian Imperial Force * Second Australian Imperial Force...
in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
and also in Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
and Crete
Crete
Crete is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, and one of the thirteen administrative regions of Greece. It forms a significant part of the economy and cultural heritage of Greece while retaining its own local cultural traits...
in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. His mother Lillian, after struggling for years as a single mother, finally moved to Adelaide later in life and passed away in 1992.
While coaching North Whyalla in 1955, Neil Kerley met a local girl Barbara Gordon. The pair were married on 25 February 1955 at the St Teresa's Catholic Church in Whyalla and have three children (Donald Jr, Robyn and Gail). In a story told by Kerley in the book Knuckles by Jim Rosevear (2003), at one of his first training sessions in charge of Central District during 1988, Kerles told his players during a break that sitting in the grandstand watching them was a woman who knew as much about the game of football as he did and that he would be informed in his way home (a 45km drive from Elizabeth
Elizabeth, South Australia
Elizabeth is a northern suburb of Adelaide, South Australia. It is located in the City of Playford.-History:Elizabeth was established in 1955 as part of a planned satellite town by the South Australian Housing Trust on rural land between the older towns of Salisbury and...
to Bellevue Heights
Bellevue Heights, South Australia
Bellevue Heights is a suburb in the City of Mitcham local government area. It was originally the rural property of "Windsor Farm" and later "Sturtbrae", and was named after Bellevue in Sydney by the developer Murray Hill....
) who had trained well and who hadn't. Kerls was referring to wife Barbara who had learned a thing or two about Aussie rules football in her 30+ years sitting on the sidelines watching Neil's teams play. Barbara often was able to inform Neil of things that happened during training or games that he had missed.
Awards
- SANFL League Life Member
- Member of the South Australian Football Hall of FameSouth Australian Football Hall of FameThe South Australian Football Hall of Fame was created in 2002 to recognise the players, coaches, umpires, administrators and journalists who had made a significant contribution in the South Australian National Football League...
2002 - Member of the Australian Football Hall of FameAustralian Football Hall of FameThe Australian Football Hall of Fame was established in 1996, the Centenary year of the Australian Football League, to help recognise the contributions made to the sport of Australian rules football by players, umpires, media personalities, coaches and administrators. It was initially established...
1997 - Member of the Order of AustraliaOrder of AustraliaThe Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service"...