Daniel Kerr will join the likes of Brendan Fevola and Brian Lake in playing one-off AFL matches in the Riverina when the former West Coast Eagle takes to the field for Farrer League club Charles Sturt University on Friday.
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In this week’s At The Bar, The Area News sports journalist Ben Jaffrey discusses the rise of one-off matches with editor Ben Jones who’s filling in for a MIA Michael ‘Speedy’ Stratton.
Jaffrey: First of all, Ben, welcome to At The Bar. Is this your first one?
Jones: This is my first one.
Jaffrey: How’s it feel to take over from the great Speedy Stratton?
Jones: They’re big shoes to fill and I’ll do my best but I’m not promising anything at this stage.
Jaffrey: I’ll keep the topic more up your South Australian alley. Daniel Kerr is heading to Wagga. As an Aussie rules fan, how do you feel about that?
Jones: Well, he’s playing for the Bushpigs and it’s just a guest appearance, isn’t it?
Jaffrey: Yeah, that’s right. It’s happened around these parts before with Fevola at the Swans and Brian Lake at Leeton.
Jones: It’s a fairly new thing. I’m not sure who the first person to do it was but Jason Akermanis was fairly well known for travelling around the country and playing for all sorts of different sides.
Jaffrey: That sounds right to me. That’d suit Akermanis down to a tee.
Jones: These guys get paid reasonably big money to do what they’re doing, so most of them are making a decent income out of it after footy but I think a lot of them just love grassroots footy as well.
Jaffrey: They both definitely play into it. I took a year away from sport when I went to uni and I found that tough. I can only imagine what it’d be like if that was the main thing I’d done for the past 10 years.
Jones: It’d be great for someone of his calibre to stick around as well. Even if he came across our way to Coly, or somewhere like that, you’d expect a big turnout. It’s a big drawcard, not just for the Bushpigs but for the whole league and AFL fans. Hopefully we see more of it.
Jaffrey: It’s always a great thrill for fans and the guys that get to play against these footy superstars as well. And what are you expecting from Kerr this weekend?
Jones: If I was the coach, I’d definitely be running him through the middle. He’s a very clever footballer and you’d want him to get the footy in his hands as much as possible but depending on fitness, he might get a run in the forward line too.
Jaffrey: How do you think he’d go up front?
Jones: I think if he takes a grab within 45 metres of goal, he’ll be going back for a set shot. If it’s a dry day and he gets on the end of a couple he can end up with a bag, I reckon.